Honda closure Swindon

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Once again we have two stories where the Brain Tank can’t join the dots...

1.Honda announce closure of their manufacturing plant in Swindon

2. The government “thinkers” tell us that they want Britain to be the world leader in the production of electric or non fossil fuel vehicles.

Surely someone can see the opportunity to take over the manufacturing base in Swindon and adapt it to produce world class electric or non petrol vehicles - BRITISH MADE.
Some jobs could be saved - quite a few if you think about what goes into a vehicle that is not an engine - tyres, windows, seats, .....need I go on?
We might even be able to use some of the Brexit dividend as Honda is not pulling out till 2022.

Hey, what do I know?
John
 
I doubt there are government "thinkers", just government "mental masturbationists" .....

Do not expect the government to lead the way.

Slick
 
Once again we have two stories where the Brain Tank can’t join the dots...

1.Honda announce closure of their manufacturing plant in Swindon

2. The government “thinkers” tell us that they want Britain to be the world leader in the production of electric or non fossil fuel vehicles.

Surely someone can see the opportunity to take over the manufacturing base in Swindon and adapt it to produce world class electric or non petrol vehicles - BRITISH MADE.
Some jobs could be saved - quite a few if you think about what goes into a vehicle that is not an engine - tyres, windows, seats, .....need I go on?
We might even be able to use some of the Brexit dividend as Honda is not pulling out till 2022.

Hey, what do I know?
John

John,
That would be great but it's not going to happen.
However more "human rights" will be on the agenda for people who don't behave like humans , aswell as benefits for people who have never paid a penny in.
these are the "important" things !
Cynical ? me ? nah just realistic

sam
 
yea. our tax department better known as the IRS took over a whore house in Nevada that also sold liquor they did such a great job it it went bankrupt

I doubt there are government "thinkers", just government "mental masturbationists" .....

Do not expect the government to lead the way.

Slick
 
I worked for British Leyland UK car maker when it was Govt owned, no way could that work then and could not work now. Longbridge Trade Unions had been taken over by Communists and ruled with an Iron fist, management were just bystanders.

Honda's European sales are in free fall, with a new EU/Japan trade deal in place with 0% tariffs on cars imported from Japan the advantage Swindon had has disappeared. When BL started to joint venture with Honda we met their engineers and track workers, really good at what they did but they must have lost their way with recent vehicle designs.
 
John,
That would be great but it's not going to happen.
However more "human rights" will be on the agenda for people who don't behave like humans , aswell as benefits for people who have never paid a penny in.
these are the "important" things !
Cynical ? me ? nah just realistic

sam
So right Sam,
I often hear that as a teacher my “gilt edged pension” is not warranted. Over the last five years working at a challenging school in London my stoppages each year amounted to more than the salary of a newly qualified teacher! At the same time, non contributors are offered a lot that many of us have to pay for - that is not to demean those in real need who need our help but unfortunately too many know how to play the system to their benefit.
 
I worked for British Leyland UK car maker when it was Govt owned, no way could that work then and could not work now. Longbridge Trade Unions had been taken over by Communists and ruled with an Iron fist, management were just bystanders.

Honda's European sales are in free fall, with a new EU/Japan trade deal in place with 0% tariffs on cars imported from Japan the advantage Swindon had has disappeared. When BL started to joint venture with Honda we met their engineers and track workers, really good at what they did but they must have lost their way with recent vehicle designs.

Kommando
I remember the days of this demise, I was thinking more along the lines of a tax free loan for innovators in the same way that those who are first time buyers get 40% towards their house - no repayment for five years and then a number of years (like a mortgage) to pay it back.
 
The number of volume makers of electric cars is going to explode shortly, all the majors have piles of money being invested now with new designs and factories. The drivetrain of an electric car is simpler than the petrol/diesel current offerings, they really should be cheaper than current cars once the volumes allow. The real drawback is in the battery and resultant range anxiety, the Chinese are researching into new battery technologies rapidly as they know this is where the secret to a functioning usable electric car is. That is the only area plus the infrastructure for charging away from home that's lacking. This could still be a huge blind alley where a full speed reverse gear is required, Electric and Steam cars lost out to petrol in the early 1900's with petrol and its support structure being developed 100% privately, that is a tough nut to crack with the waste that always follows Government investment.
 
I think I like hydrogen burners , cleaner burn than we have now and it still power from combustion , just sayin .....
 
I think I like hydrogen burners , cleaner burn than we have now and it still power from combustion , just sayin .....
Agreed
As Kommando says, the limit for electric is the range/infrastructure to recharge quickly meaning that even if there are charging points, your journey is 30-60 minutes longer as minimum.
Non fossil fuel development could provide similar performance and range.
 
Until Electric cars can cope with a typical summer holiday jam on the motorways with 7 hour tailbacks and still achieve short queues at the charging points they are going nowhere. With the air con on the batteries will need more charging and with charging stations currently 40 miles apart with limited space for extra charging points it is not going to happen.
 
Honda’s car sales have been struggling for some time. They have also been struggling with their demographic. A couple of years ago the average age of a Honda car buyer in the U.K. was nearly 60. That’s bad news as your client base dies! Their attempts to appeal to a younger market haven’t really worked as desired. They bolstered sales last year with huge discounts, which virtually wiped out profits.

So, there’s a lot going on that’s behind this.

Nevertheless, it’s very sad news for those involved and will probably hit Swindon, as a town, hard.

What’s strange is the speed of this, it was only recently, when they announced letting a lot of temp workers go, that they said employees would be safe.
 
The Japanese permanent workforce are considered as having jobs for life normally, except for when there is no other option it seems. So a final straw broke that promise.
 
Things are different over here , Civic is best selling car in Canada for several years now ...lot’s of young uns behind the wheel , last fall I replaced my G35 6mt coupe with a Acura TL sh-awd (Honda) while I loved the G car the TL with similar power and four doors is more practical for me ( easier to get in/out) most parts on Acura are stamped Honda .... GM just announced closing of a huge plant in Ontario , supposedly to focus resources on alternate power vehicles ....maybe a way to maximize all the bailout funding they got a few years ago ... when I see a plant close , always think it based in profits, not so much the future , threw my rose coloured specs away long time ago ...
 
I figure it all a long game for these shisters ....back in '08-09 I didn't believe our auto industry needed bail outs , maybe to satisfy share holders , but really ??? they were given boat loads of money ....
 
Honda lost the plot, they only sell 1% of global production into europe, the models are not popular. Up until recently the smallest basic car they made had an insurance group 15 tagged to it, from 2015 it is now still a not so low 9. Brexit is nothing to do with it, much like Mini production, can you imagine BMW moving production Germany and then charging more for them due to Brexit - what a daft decision that would be.

As for car makers queuing up to use the facilities, not a problem, China would take them over. As for the industry, Brexit is not the concern, removal of IC engines in the car and supplier market is, they look further ahead than Brexit.
 
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