5:40 pm, January 16, 2009
HONDA has announced it will be halting all vehicle production at its Swindon factory in April AND May.
The global collapse has led the manufacturer to call time at its Swindon plant just weeks after pulling out of F1.
The maker – along with a number of manufacturers – has been hit hard by the credit crunch and buyers’ reluctance to shell out on new metal.
The shut down in April and May means the carmaker will have closed the plant for FOUR MONTHS. Honda said in November it would shut the factory in February and March and now that period has been extended.
Workers at the plant will get full pay until the end of March, reports the BBC.
‘The European car market is not showing any signs of recovery yet and therefore, we have to reduce our production output further,’ David Hodgetts, director of Honda UK Manufacturing, told the beeb.
‘We will continue to take prompt and flexible counter-measures to ensure that we can meet these challenges with this severe market situation.’
Honda’s move follows Bentley, Vauxhall and Jaguar Land Rover all of which have halted production or cut hours at their factories.
