Honda move could accelerate UK's car decline

Honda’s plan to quit Britain removes a major component of the Japanese manufacturing influx that filled a void to make the country Europe’s third-biggest car maker as recently as 2016

The Honda manufacturing plant in Swindon. Pic: Getty

Honda’s decision to end car-making in Britain casts a pall over the future of the UK auto industry after it recovered from near extinction just a few decades ago to become one of Europe’s top producers.

The closure of Honda’s Swindon plant in 2021 - blamed on “unprecedented” global changes - will end a manufacturing history that began in 1989 and led to the loss of 3,500 jobs. That will be the biggest ...