Honda's Swindon Plant To Assemble 2.2 i-CDTi Diesel Engines

When Honda’s revised CR-V 4x4 sports utility model goes into production at the end of this year, the new range will include Honda’s state of the art 2.2-litre four-cylinder,140PS, all aluminium diesel engine debuted earlier this year in the Honda Accord.

Initial supplies of the highly acclaimed engine will come to Honda’s Swindon plant fully assembled from Japan "Before the end of 2005 workers at the Swindon factory will be assembling these engines from components shipped from Japan", said Paul Ormond Honda UK’s Head of Corporate Press and PR. He was speaking this week at the launch of Honda’s latest new model, the Japanese manufactured FR-V compact MPV that goes on sale in the UK in November.

Currently the Swindon factory builds Honda 1.4,1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol engine for CR-V and Civic models and installs ready assembled 1.7-litre diesel units sourced from Isuzu for the Civic range.

Honda’s Swindon manufacturing facility has 4,000 employees producing 190,000 vehicles a year with 70 per cent of production going for export. The Swindon facility, covering168 acres, represents a £1.2 billion investment for Honda and they are now the fourth largest manufacturer in the UK.

Out of the 120,000 CR-Vs built at Swindon nearly half will be diesel models in 2005.

UK sales of the CR-V models average 6,000 units a year and the new diesel model could account for up to one third of its annual UK sales when the new range goes on sale in March 2005.

UK prices for petrol models will continue to range between £17,000 and £21,000 but with the additional diesel variants having a price premium of around £1,000.