Honda has revealed that it remains open to the idea of returning production to Europe, shortly after unveiling its next generation of electric cars at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The Japanese automaker previously made cars in Europe at a plant in Swindon, UK. However, the company closed the plant in 2021, raising the significant challenges of electrification and stating that it would concentrate production activity in regions where it expects to take advantage of higher sales volumes.
Read: Honda says Saloon EV concept is at 90% production condition by 2026
Speaking to Auto Express at CES, Honda’s lead executive, Toshihiro Mibe, said the closure of the Swindon plant made sense at the time, but that he was open to the concept of returning production to Europe in the future.
“The resolution at the time was correct. In the future, Honda will be active in the [European] market with cars produced in the rest of the world,” he said. When asked directly if production could return to Europe, Mibe replied: “Maybe it’s a possibility, but at the moment we are making plans to export to Europe. So far, nothing has been done. “
Honda is venturing into a new age of electric vehicles with its new 0 Series line-up of EVs that will be headlined by a production version of the Saloon EV Concept. The company says the concept is 90% reflective of the eventual production model and it will be joined by a pair of SUVs, a sports car, and an affordable EV similar in size to the current Honda Jazz.
The company has been slow to introduce electric vehicles to its range, especially compared to Hyundai and Kia. Sure, there was the Honda e, but it was only available in certain markets and never sold in large numbers. Developed by General Motors, it is perhaps its most attractive new electric vehicle, but it has not yet been successful with customers.