Stellantis to Close Vauxhall’s Luton Plant by June
Stellantis has officially announced the closure of Vauxhall’s Luton plant, with production set to cease by June. The decision to shut down the historic commercial vehicle factory was made in November 2024, with all UK operations being relocated to Ellesmere Port. Production at the Merseyside plant is expected to begin in October.
A statement from Stellantis revealed that production at the Luton site will end in Q2 2025, followed by a period of transitioning machinery and process knowledge to Ellesmere Port. The group’s medium all-electric LCV range (eK0) will start production at the Ellesmere Port plant in Q4 2026.
While a report from the BBC suggests that the Luton site will close in April, Stellantis has not confirmed an exact date. Former Stellantis chief, Carlos Tavares, cited the UK government’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate as a key factor in the decision to consolidate operations at Ellesmere Port.
Tavares emphasized that the ZEV mandate was impacting the business model, with car makers being required to sell more EVs without incentives for buyers. Moving all operations to one base is seen as a way to improve production efficiency and meet ZEV mandate targets, which are set to increase to 26% this year.
Starting in April, machinery from Luton will be transferred to Ellesmere Port, where over £50 million will be invested to upgrade the facility for increased production. The closure of the Luton plant puts 1100 jobs at risk, with only a few hundred positions guaranteed to be relocated to Ellesmere Port.
Union bosses have called for a reversal of the closure decision, labeling it as a failed strategy by Tavares. In response, Stellantis has committed to the continuity of ongoing projects under the guidance of chairman John Elkann and an interim executive committee.
