Vauxhall to produce electric vans at Luton plant in 2025
Vauxhall has announced that it will start production of its medium electric van – the Vivaro Electric – at its Luton manufacturing facility from the first half of 2025.
Limited production of Vivaro Electric, and its equivalent models from other Stellantis brands, will get underway during Spring next year, making Luton the second Stellantis plant in the UK to manufacture electric vehicles (EV) and contributing to meet the growing demand for medium-sized electric vans in the future.
This follows the start of EV production at Ellesmere Port in 2023 – the UK’s first electric-only volume manufacturing plant – with the Vauxhall Combo Electric.
The Luton plant will produce the fully electric Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, Opel Vivaro Electric, Peugeot E-Expert, Citroën ë-Dispatch and Fiat Professional E-Scudo in both right and left-hand drive. The plant will manufacture predominantly for the UK Right Hand Drive market but will also be able to export to Left Hand Drive markets. Production of the equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vans will continue alongside the electric versions.
Mark Noble, Luton Plant Director & Stellantis UK Manufacturing Lead, said: “Following the transformation of our Ellesmere Port facility to produce all-electric compact vans, I’m pleased to announce that we will commence limited production of our medium electric van in Luton from next year, when the first customer vehicles will roll off the production line. This is a fitting way to mark Luton’s 120th anniversary.”
Maria Grazia Davino, Group Managing Director, Stellantis UK, said: “Whilst this decision demonstrates Stellantis’ confidence in the plant, this first step in its re-development towards a fully electric future requires the UK Government to stimulate more demand in the electric vehicle market and support manufacturers that invest in the UK for a sustainable transition.”
Opened in 1905, Luton has been home to Vauxhall models for more than a century. The first commercial vehicles were assembled at the plant in 1932, with panel vans ‘VYC’ and ‘VXC’ the first vans to roll off the production line.
Since then, Luton has continued to produce a range of popular commercial vehicles for Vauxhall. In 2001, production of the Vivaro began, which has recently had some major enhancements as part of a wider refresh of the entire Stellantis light commercial vehicle line-up. The plant also manufactures sister Stellantis models for Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Fiat Professional.
Stellantis is Europe’s leading van manufacturer with 30.4% market share in 2023 and 38.8% of the European electric van market. In the UK, Stellantis represented 47.9% of the electric van market last year with Vauxhall as the best-selling manufacturer and the Vivaro Electric as the number one electric van in the UK.
Image courtesy of Vauxhall.
