A NEW car, designed and manufactured entirely in Swindon, rolled off the production line yesterday, to much fanfare.

The Honda Civic Tourer was created at the Research and Development facility in the town, and it is hoped that, if successful, it will herald further developments in the town.

The site near South Marston will now manufacture the vehicle ready to hit forecourts around Europe early next year.

Adrian Killham, the chief engineer for the new car, said: “It is normal for cars within Honda to be developed largely in Japan.

“The fact the new Tourer has been developed in Swindon has brought many benefits to the process, in terms of language and time difference.

“Obviously we have had a lot of support from Japan but the centre for the development has been on site here.

“Everyone who has been involved is very proud of what has been achieved.”

The Civic Tourer is a five-seater family car and has already been receiving very positive reviews from the motoring media around the globe.

It is hoped that this initial enthusiasm will translate into sales and in turn lead to further projects being developed at Swindon.

Adrian said: “While we will be selling this within the UK it will also be transported across other markets, such as Germany.

“I think it is great to see the work of the people in Swindon being sold all over Europe.

“On top of that, if people see the high quality work we do here then perhaps it will encourage others to work here.

“Local workers have played a big part in this project from its initial stages right through until now.”

While more than two years has been spent developing the car, it is coming off the production line ahead of schedule.

Adrian is a prime example of the inventiveness which has gone into the car’s development.

“I saw a close family friend struggling to get a dog into a car because it was raised so far off the ground,” he said.

“So for this car we have made it much lower to make it easier not only for dog owners but also for their pets.”

The launch was attended by many of the workers who have been involved in the development process, as well as senior members of management.

Honda’s European president and chief operating officer Manabu Nishimae, who attended the event, said: “More than any other product, the Civic Tourer highlights the ambition, energy, skill and tenacity of our Associates.

“Developed, designed, tested and produced here in Europe, the Civic Tourer demonstrates what can be achieved by our European teams.”