The future of the Ellesmere Port car plant in Vauxhall is expected to be secured by the production of a new electric vehicle, with an announcement possible as early as next week.
The ministers were in talks with Opel Stellantis owner for months for providing government support to the plant, and Sky News understands the manufacturer has approved plans to continue production in the Northwest.
The future of the Ellesmere Port plant, which currently manufactures the Vauxhall Astra, has been in jeopardy since the UK pledged to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Stellantis said the move made production of an internal combustion engine successor to the current Astra unsustainable.
The move comes after Nissan and battery maker Envision have announced a £ 1 billion investment in a new all-electric model and “gigafactory” in Sunderland, promising to create 1,650 new jobs and several thousand more in the supply chain.
This move will end UK production of the Vauxhall Astra
The government has reportedly contributed around £ 100million to the Nissan-Envision project and earlier this week Stellantis UK country manager Alison Jones told Sky News the government needs to back up its rhetoric by backing the manufacturers considering investments.
Automotive News Europe reported on Tuesday that Vauxhall is planning to build an electric van at the Ellesmere Port site. The Financial Times first reported that the announcement could be officially made on Tuesday.
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Electric vans are a growth market for automakers concerned about the environmental impact of the huge home delivery boom, a trend accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-02 15:33:00
