Honda 43470-hn2-000 Cable, Foot Brake on 2040-parts.com

Honda cuts 800 jobs at Swindon Plant

Honda is cutting 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant as demand for cars across Europe weakens and moving to a single shift system. We’ve not had a huge amount of bad news in the UK car industry for some time, but Honda’s decision to cut 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant is a tough pill to swallow for the workforce. Honda blames ‘Sustained conditions of low demand’ in Europe for the swathing cuts in its workforce in the, but believes the move is necessary to protect the long-term future of Swindon.

MG Rover – Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to investigate

The Rover 75 Coupe - one of MG Rover's last big ideas before its collapse in 2005 MG Rover was bought from BMW for the princely sum of £10 after BMW had had enough of trying to make a viable company out of a business that was still undermined by the woes – and attitudes – of the British Leyland years. That £10 purchase price also came with £425 million in loans from BMW, so MG Rover had a chance. But the collapse, and the subsequent sale of the rights to the MG trademark to SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation), brought accusations that the ‘Phoenix Four’ – Directors and owners of MG Rover – has acted fraudulently when it was revealed they had acquired more than £40 million in pension rights, salary and assets in the intervening five years between purchase from BMW and collapse.

New Nissan Micra loses ground in Europe over quality issues and no diesel option

Nissan Micra Sales fall in Europe Nissan trumpeted the new Micra as its ‘Global Compact Car’ in the run-up to its reveal at Geneva last year. And by ‘Global’ they meant ‘Produced in Emerging Markets’. Which is a big change from the last generation Micra which was produced in Sunderland, but a move that seemed to make sense in a world where small cars in emerging markets are a priority, and where cost of production is much lower.