New Vivaro to be built at Vauxhall's Luton Plant

PSA has announced it will produce the new Vauxhall Vivaro at its Luton site from 2019, which, according to Business Secretary Greg Clark, will “ensure the future of the Luton plant well into the next decade”.

Vauxhall will also be installing a new manufacturing platform, with £9 million of government funding. The deal has been aided by a range of support from local government, including help with recruitment, skills and efficient energy.

The platform will allow the Luton plant to produce the next generation of Vivaro vans, with the aim of increasing existing output from around 70,000 vehicles per year to 100,000. The platform will also optimise manufacturing processes allowing the plant to bid for future vehicle lines as they become available.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Today’s decision is a vote of confidence in Vauxhall’s high skilled workforce and the UK’s world leading automotive sector. This investment in upgrading the production platform will safeguard and grow jobs, ensuring the future of the Luton plant well into the next decade and help ensure the plant is well positioned for future Vauxhall models to be made in the UK.

“We have been clear in our commitment to the automotive sector which is why, through the Industrial Strategy, we established a landmark Automotive Sector Deal that will see us working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new technologies.”