THOUSANDS of jobs at Honda have been secured after the car giant announced it was investing £200m to build the new Civic in Swindon.

Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM), in Highworth Road, South Marston, will become a global production hub for the next generation Civic five-door model, with production due to start in summer 2016.

“This is very positive news for us and the £200m investment secures our future,” said Jason Smith, director of HUM.

“It secures the 3,100 workforce we have as we look to introduce the new model.”

Currently, around 40,000 Civics are built at HUM with production of other Honda models, currently made in Swindon, being transferred elsewhere in the coming months.

It is estimated that Honda will produce about 120,000 Civics per year in the town, with export to split between Europe gateways and the rest of the world.

“By establishing HUM as a global production facility for the Civic five door, Honda, is demonstrating its long-term commitment to manufacturing in the UK and Europe,” Mr Smith said.

“This is incredibly important for HUM and is a reward for the commitment and effort put in by Honda associates in recent years.

“As a global production facility for the Civic five-door model we look forward to making the most of the opportunity to export this model not only to our European customers, but also, to key global markets.”

Production of the Civic began at HUM over 20 years ago and Honda’s latest investment in Swindon takes the company’s total investment at the centre, since 1985, to £2.2bn.

Mr Smith said: “We are really interested in creating a centre of excellence for the Civic after its 20 years of development in Swindon.

“This is a big reward and a clear commitment to our future.”

Honda’s decision is a massive boost for Swindon’s economy.

“This announcement sends a clear message to our associates and suppliers of the strategic importance that Honda Motor Company places on producing cars at our plant in Swindon,” said Toshiaki Mikoshiba, President of Honda Motor Europe.

“We will continue to provide high quality products to meet the expectations of our European customers and having just unveiled four new models for the European market, we look forward with renewed optimism and purpose for Honda in Europe.”