Honda confirms new models for UK production

Honda's Civic Wagon concept vehicle

Honda has confirmed that it will produce two new versions of the Civic model at its UK plant in Swindon.

The first is a sporty Type R version of the latest Civic. Type Rs have always been a popular choice with enthusiasts with previous generations of the car. The second is the Civic Wagon, a new estate variant; the Wagon model was also developed in Europe rather than Japan.

The two new cars join the standard five-door hatchback version of the Civic on the assembly lines at Swindon, which also produce the recently-launched fourth-generation CR-V SUV for Europe.

Honda has recently announced a £267 million investment programme at its UK plant, which will also make a badly-needed new 1.6-litre diesel engine to complement the existing 2.2.

The company forecasts that it will make 182,000 vehicles in the UK during the financial year to March 2013 – that's some way short of full capacity but a huge improvement on production levels in recent years, which were hit by a lengthy shutdown in response to weak demand in 2009, and subsequently also affected by the disruption of the component supply chain by the 2011 tsunami, as well as other major weather events in Asia.