US carmaker ford plans to close its engine plant in bridgend, uk.
The site, which currently employs about 1700 people, is expected to be closed by september 2020, according to a company statement. The carmaker has two more factories in london and halewood near liverpool.
British car production has long been on a downward trend. One reason for this is the uncertainty caused by the planned brexit. The deadline for leaving the EU has now been extended to 31 december. October extended. The brexit agreement negotiated with brussel has failed three times so far in parliament in london.
But weaker demand in china, among other countries, and the trend away from the internal combustion engine toward alternative drive systems such as electric vehicles are also causing massive problems for the automotive industry.
Other manufacturers have also announced plant closures or massive job cuts in the UK in recent months. For example, the japanese automaker honda will close its plant in swindon in the southwest of england in 2021. It has 3500 employees and is honda’s only production facility in europe.
Ford germany is also on a long-term downsizing course, as representatives of the company reported on wednesday in dusseldorf. The automaker has 24,000 employees nationwide. Ford is lagging behind in electromobility; at present it is not possible to buy a new all-electric vehicle. A new electric car to be built in the u.S. Will be launched in 2020.