Stellantis to close Vauxhall plant in Luton

Stellantis is set to close its Vauxhall van factory in Luton next spring, which would result in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.

The company, which also owns the Peugeot, Citroen, and Fiat Professional brands, said it is consolidating its British production of light commercial vehicles at its Ellesmere Port site in Cheshire, where it is investing £50 million in an all-electric vehicle hub.

In 2021, Stellantis invested £100 million in Ellesmere Port to integrate a new bodyshop, upgraded general assembly, a compression of the site area and the creation of an on-site battery pack assembly.

Stellantis said that it plans to relocate “hundreds of jobs” from Luton to Ellesmere Port, adding that it has started a consultation with employees and unions in relation to this.

Earlier this year, Stellantis announced that production of the electric right-hand drive versions of the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro, Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch and Fiat Professional Scudo would begin in Luton from the first half of 2025.

This will now move to Ellesmere Port, while production of Stellantis’s internal combustion engine vans will be transferred to France.

Luton’s Vauxhall factory opened in 1905, with the first vans being assembled there in 1932.