Economics
U.K. Autos Back to Bad Old Days as Job Cuts and Closures Mount
- Honda’s plan to leave Britain is biggest blow yet for industry
- Cuts in employment and output create growing sense of crisis
This article is for subscribers only.
Honda Motor Co.’s decision to end carmaking in Britain casts a pall over the future of the U.K. 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 lead to the loss of 3,500 jobs. That will be the biggest drop in output and employment since Rover Group folded in 2005, eliminating more than 6,000 positions.