Honda Launches Jazz at U.K. Plant

The first European-built Jazz comes off the production line at Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s factory in Swindon, U.K., with 20,000 units planned in the first six months.

The 5-door family supermini is one of Honda’s most successful cars in Europe, with more than 70,000 sold in the region annually.

Production of Jazz for European customers is shifting from Japan to the U.K. in line with Honda’s policy of building its most-popular cars in the markets where they are sold.

Honda says 75% of the 20,000 Jazz cars Honda of the U.K. Mfg. Ltd. will build between now and March are destined for the local market, with the remainder earmarked for export to 55 countries across mainland Europe and other regions, including South Africa.

The addition of Jazz, known as Fit in North America, brings planned total production at Swindon to 100,600 vehicles in fiscal-2010, ending March 31. Volumes are expected to increase next year. The plant, with an annual capacity of 250,000 units, also builds the Civic and CR-V.

Honda ordered a 4-month shutdown of the factory in February to cut costs at the peak of the global economic crisis.

Honda U.K. to build 20,000 Jazz cars through March.