I wonder if, in Honda’s case, the issues were beyond Brexit concerns.
The factory was not producing the volumes it once was and sales in Europe for Honda and many other non European car manufacturers have declined, although I think the Toyota Yaris sells well in Europe, using French and Polish factories. Supermini sector cars are still strong sellers, although with lower profit margins, whereas the Civic model produced in the UK may have been impacted more by the move towards crossover designs.
It would have been good to see UK HRV and return of CRV production, which may then have achieved greater volumes.
Honda have also shut a factory in Turkey and Philippines, so perhaps they are consolidating production to fewer plants, closer to their larger markets.
I guess the EU/Japan trade deal which removes the 10% Japanese made car tariff, I think in 2026, reduces the cost benefit of having EU car plants, so this may have contributed to the plant closure announcement, at a time when decisions needed to be made regarding investments for successor model production.
The coming years will be very disruptive for the car industry and for us as drivers. I’m hoping my Jazz will last me until things have settled down and we have a clearer picture of the situation: I don’t want to buy an electric car until the technology, range and charging infrastructure has improved and hopefully the prices fall.
Maybe there will be a resurgence in road side catering, Little Chef style, with everyone having a meal whilst their cars are on charge in the car park. Looking forward to the free lollipop in exchange for an empty plate!