Honda’s UK Factory Revitalized By Strong Sales Of The Civic In The U.S.

Honda’s once-ailing Swindon factory has been given a healthy boost by the new Civic which so far scored unexpectedly high sales in the US market.

Honda managed to sell 31,669 Civics through May, with David McDonald, the engineering program leader for the Civic in Swindon telling AutoNews that orders are 40 percent higher than expected, pushing the factory to its capacity.

Of course, the drop in value of the British pound following the Brexit vote also helped things for Honda’s export strategy and despite the higher costs for parts from the U.S., which remains the main source of imported parts for the factory. “It’s definitely profitable,” said McDonald.

The future for Honda’s UK plant was in doubt, following declining sales in Europe and Honda’s decision to pull the Jazz production out of there, as well as build the next European CR-V SUV in Japan.

The unexpected buzz though means that the factory is healthy enough to not only keep building the current-gen Civic five-door but to also prepare its bid to build the next generation as well, in around 2021.

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