Vauxhall builds one millionth Vivaro at Luton

Vauxhall has handed over the one millionth Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro model built at its Luton factory in Bedfordshire to its new owner, in a ceremony at the factory.

The Vivaro has been built at Luton for 13 years. The latest-generation model, launched in 2014, was critical to securing 1,500 jobs at the factory. Luton secured production of the new Vivaro after workers won a 10-year contract and a £185 million investment from parent company General Motors.

More than eight million vehicles have been built at Luton since 1905. The factory is a major exporter with 52 per cent of production destined for European markets.

Vauxhall’s milestone comes just days after Leyland Trucks celebrated the production of its 400,000th commercial vehicle at its Lancashire production facility, and reinforces the strong year-to-date manufacturing performance from the UK commercial vehicle sector.

The UK automotive supply chain has also benefited from Vauxhall’s ongoing commitment to Luton, with £600 million of business over the life of the new Vivaro. 40 per cent of content is sourced locally from UK suppliers for the current model, up from 24 per cent for the previous generation van.

Rory Harvey, Vauxhall Managing Director, said, “We are very proud to celebrate this milestone at our Luton manufacturing plant. Our hardworking and dedicated workforce produce vehicles of exceptional quality so it is no surprise these UK-built Vivaro vans are so successful in the marketplace.”

The milestone Vivaro was handed over to BT Fleet, Vauxhall’s biggest Vivaro customer. The company operates a fleet of around 30,000 vehicles, and has purchased more than 13,000 Vivaro models during the past decade.