Honda opens Swindon factory doors for corporate customers

Honda (UK)’s corporate sales team welcomed more than 300 customers from leasing companies and fleets to its Honda car plant at Swindon last week.

This rare opportunity to visit the production facility (HUM) gave visitors an insight into Honda’s reaction to the economic downturn, and the changes made at the factory to succeed through the period of reduced sales and production.

Visitors were given an extensive tour of both production lines at the plant where Honda builds the Civic, CR-V and Jazz models. This included a look at the investment in new equipment and improvements made to the site over the past 12 months. They also had the chance to test drive some of the vehicles produced in Swindon, including the 2010 CR-V model.

An inspiring presentation from Grant McPherson, Director of Quality and New Models at HUM, outlined Honda’s ‘Change is a Chance’ strategy, and the corporate sales team from Honda (UK) provided a look at the company’s plans for the future.

“There has been great interest from our customers in how Honda handled the economic crisis in the UK,” said Graham Avent, Manager – Corporate Operations. “It was fascinating for our guests to see how the production operation works first-hand, and to learn how the plant has been managed during the difficult conditions of the last year.

“From a corporate sales perspective, we also outlined how the tough decisions made at Swindon had a positive impact on Honda’s residual values, and explained our corporate strategy for the future.”

As well as getting a closer look at the current models coming off the line in Swindon, a sneak preview of the new Honda CR-Z sporty hybrid coupe was arranged for visitors, and they also had the chance to meet Honda Racing Team BTCC drivers Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.