Japanese automaker Honda stated any delay to Brexit must be long enough to provide businesses stability whilst BMW is still planning for a “worst-case scenario” no-deal Brexit after lawmakers backed delaying Britain’s exit from the EU.
The country’s car sector, which employs over 850,000 people, has quickly gone from a manufacturing success story to posting falls in investment, sales and output.
Honda, which builds just more than 10 percent of Britain’s 1.5 million cars, announced previously this year that it would close its factory, in the biggest blow to the sector in many years, but stated the decision was not due to Brexit.
Contributing to uncertainty for companies, the lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to seek a delay to Brexit, which had been due on March 29.
“We are now looking to the government to deliver a clear, legally certain, path forward to avoid no deal,” stated a Honda representative.
“Any extension … must be purposeful and long enough to give business stability.”
Ford, that builds almost 1.3 million engines in Britain, stated any extension “must allow for however long it takes to secure a deal that guarantees the principles of tariff-free and frictionless trade”.
