"Many Photos" - Japanese car maker Honda 'is to close its Swindon plant in 2022 - with the loss of 3,500 jobs'

Japanese car maker Honda is set to close its Swindon factory in 2022, putting 3,500 jobs at risk, it was claimed today.  

Honda will announce the closure of its Wiltshire plant tomorrow according to Sky News.   

The Swindon Honda branch employs 3,500 workers and is currently the firm's only factory inside the EU.

The Japanese company will retain its European headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire, and its Formula One operation in the UK, it was reported today. 

The closure claims come after senior Honda officials said crashing out of the EU without a trade deal would cost the firm 'tens of millions of pounds'.

In September last year Honda Europe bosses insisted they were 'right behind' the Swindon plant and would not move it out of the UK after Brexit.  

Japanese car maker Honda is set to announce the closure of its Swindon car plant in 2022 (pictured) putting 3,500 jobs at risk

The car manufacturing industry has taken several hits since Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016.

Last year Nissan announced it would no longer build its X-Trail car at its plant in Sunderland and Jaguar Land Rover recently said it would cut 4,500 UK jobs.

Ford bosses have warned a no deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic' and would cost them 1,000 jobs - mainly at its Bridgend plant in Wales.    

Ian Howells, senior vice president for Honda Europe, said last year: 'The UK forms part of our global network of manufacturing plants, it's not just for the European market.

'The only place we produce the vehicle we produce at Swindon is in Swindon itself. So from that point of view it's a very big decision to take a different approach.

'Certainly we are right behind our Swindon approach, and really it hasn't come up that we would have to look at putting Swindon somewhere else.

Workers are pictured inside the Honda manufacturing plant in Swindon, Wiltshire 

'The logistics of moving a factory the size of Swindon would be huge, and as far as we're concerned from a European (perspective), and as far as our Japanese head office is concerned, we're right behind supporting continued production at Swindon and indeed our whole European operation to continue there.

'In terms of the impact of Brexit, I think we are looking at hopefully relatively short-term disruption as we get used to the new rules and new ways of doing business.'

The Swindon plant produces around 160,000 Honda Civics, 90 per cent of which are exported to Europe and the US. 

It has been running for more than 30 years and is integral to the local economy.  

A spokesman for Honda was not immediately available to comment on the report.  

The Honda plant in Swindon, Wiltshire is pictured in a file photo from 1998 

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News Photo Japanese car maker Honda 'is to close its Swindon plant in 2022 - with the loss of 3,500 jobs' 
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