Honda of the UK Manufacturing

In September 2006, it was announced that Honda would be recruiting an additional 700 workers for HUM, and raising production at the site by 32% to 250,000 vehicles per year. In February 2008, it was announced that Honda would be making an £80 million investment in new production facilities at Swindon, for the manufacture of plastic car parts and metal castings for engines. That year, the plant produced its two millionth vehicle.

On 30 January 2009, due to the recession, which had caused a fall in sales, it was announced that direct workers at the Swindon site would be laid off for four months until 1 June, with full pay for the first two months and about half-pay for the remainder. Employees in the indirect staff or maintenance categories would instead lose approximately £1,500 and remain at work.

In October 2009, HUM began production of the Jazz, which until then had been imported from Japan. The Jazz continued production in Swindon until 2014, when the new generation brought the model back to being imported from Japan.

In September 2012, Honda announced a £267 million investment programme at the Swindon site, to support the introduction of new models of the Civic and CR-V, and a new 1.6 litre diesel engine. The investment would take total investment at the site to over £1.5 billion, and would increase the workforce to 3,500.

In 2015, Honda planned to invest £200 million to turn Swindon into the global production hub of the next generation of the Civic five-door hatchback, providing about half of its production for export markets. It would bring cumulative investment in the plant to over £2.2 billion. As part of the plan, the plant would stop production of the CR-V. In 2018, production of the CR-V ended, with a total of 1,209,174 units produced at the facility.

The trade deal between Japan and the European Union, agreed in July 2017 and signed off in July 2018, put an end to import tariffs on car imports between the two economic zones. These had formed a significant part of the rationale for building the plant in 1985; what were termed by government as "Brexit uncertainties" after the 2016 referendum contributed further to doubt about the future of the plant. In February 2019, Honda announced that the plant would close in 2021, with the loss of about 3,500 jobs in the area, and production shifting to Japan, North America and China. Honda stated that the industry's transition to electrified cars (including pure-electric, plug-in hybrid and "self-charging" hybrids) was behind the closure, as it made less business sense to retool the Swindon plant due to its small production volume relative to North American and Asian plants. The plant was said to be running at around half capacity, and it was already projected to close for six days in April 2019 as part of the company's Brexit preparations. In December 2020, production was halted temporarily as there was a delay in parts deliveries.

HUM officially ceased operations on 30 July 2021 with the final car produced, a Modern Steel Metallic Civic Sport hatchback to be exported to the USA, rolling off the line the previous day. On display during the final day of production was a unique Civic Type R with workers' signatures on the bonnet and doors, the name 'Honda of the UK Manufacturing' over the front-left wheel arch, and a Union Jack emblazoned on the back. The closure also marked the end of Honda manufacturing in Europe. Of Swindon's 3,400 workers, 200 remained to decommission the plant.

The site was bought by Panattoni, an American industrial real estate developer, who intended to use it for a large-scale logistics operation. Demolition of the car plant began in March 2024.

Cars manufactured at Honda Manufacturing UK

Honda Civic (1994–2021)

Honda Jazz (2009–2014)

Honda Accord (1992–2002)

Honda CR-V (2000–2018)

Future of the Swindon site

Honda announced in March 2021 that the site had been sold to Panattoni, an American industrial real estate developer, who would use it for a large-scale logistics operation.

On 24 June 2022, the Honda Heritage Garden was opened on part of the site. It includes a public playground that commemorates Swindon's manufacturing history (trains, aircraft, cars), plus trees planted in memory of two workers who died in service.