Vauxhall owner Stellantis announces plans to close Luton van plant

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Vauxhall owner Stellantis plans to shut its van factory in Luton, putting about 1,100 jobs at risk as the company creates an all-electric manufacturing hub at its other UK factory at Ellesmere Port. 

The company said on Tuesday that it aims to relocate “hundreds of jobs” from the Luton site, which currently makes vans for the Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroën and Opel brands, to Ellesmere Port.

The announcement is a blow to the UK’s auto industry, which has seen plants from Honda, Ford and JLR cease production in the past decade.

Nissan, which runs the UK’s largest car plant at Sunderland, has already warned that jobs could be at risk unless the government relaxes its electric vehicle rules.

Stellantis said it plans to spend £50mn to upgrade the Ellesmere Port factory as part of the consolidation process. The group employs about 840 people in Cheshire.

A government spokesperson said: “While it’s encouraging to see Stellantis investing in the future of its Ellesmere Port plant, we know this will be a concerning time for the families of employees at Luton who may be affected.

“We have a long-standing partnership with Stellantis and we will continue to work closely with them, as well as trade unions and local partners on the next steps of their proposals.”

This is a developing story