Honda to temporarily halt UK car output due to COVID-related supply issues

LONDON (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Honda said it would halt output at its British factory from Monday to Thursday next week due to COVID-19 related global supply chain issues, the latest production suspension in recent weeks.

"The situation is currently being monitored with a view to re-start production on Friday 22 January," the company said in a statement.

Honda also stopped car output for a few days in December as some major container ports, such as Felixstowe, struggled to cope with disruption caused by COVID-19, pre-Brexit stockpiling and Christmas.

A further stoppage occurred at the start of January.

On Friday, Honda said its domestic output could be affected by a shortage of semiconductors as automakers and electronic makers face a lack of chips while consumer demand has been bouncing back from the pandemic.

In Britain, the firm made just under 110,000 Civic cars in 2019 but is due to permanently close the site this year.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Alistair Smout and Elizabeth Piper)