Photo: PSA
Planning an increased expansion into the compact vans segment, the Vauxhall plant operated by PSA in the UK will join the French facility in Hordain in manufacturing the next generation Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro.
The current generation of the van is also manufactured in Luton, but the fate of the plant was uncertain, as were the jobs of some 1,400 workers. The main reason behind this was Britain’s projected exit from the European Union in March next year.
Under a new agreement reached with the Unite Trade Union and the British government, PSA will supply the location with the required hardware to support the release of the new Vivaro as soon as 2019.
“Performance is the trigger for sustainability, and I would like to thank all stakeholders involved and underline the open mindset of our union partners, as well as that of the UK Government,” said PSA’s president Carlos Tavares.
“This is a major milestone for the future of the Luton plant and a key enabler to serve our ambitions in the commercial vehicle market, guaranteeing customers the best offering in this segment.”
Last year, the Luton plant manufactured around 60,000 Vivaro vans, out of a total of 476,500 units of such vans sold by Opel and Vauxhall worldwide. For the next generation, planned production output has been set at 100,000 vehicles per year starting 2019.
The new Vivaro will be built on PSA’s Efficient Modular 2 (EMP2) platform, the same use to underpin models like the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo Multispace or the Citroen C4 SpaceTourer.
The current generation Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro, now nearly four years old, has been developed by the Germans using a platform shared with Renault, Nissan and Fiat. The use of a new platform for the 2019 model year of the van would mark a significant change of direction for the still struggling former GM cash cow.
Under a new agreement reached with the Unite Trade Union and the British government, PSA will supply the location with the required hardware to support the release of the new Vivaro as soon as 2019.
“Performance is the trigger for sustainability, and I would like to thank all stakeholders involved and underline the open mindset of our union partners, as well as that of the UK Government,” said PSA’s president Carlos Tavares.
“This is a major milestone for the future of the Luton plant and a key enabler to serve our ambitions in the commercial vehicle market, guaranteeing customers the best offering in this segment.”
Last year, the Luton plant manufactured around 60,000 Vivaro vans, out of a total of 476,500 units of such vans sold by Opel and Vauxhall worldwide. For the next generation, planned production output has been set at 100,000 vehicles per year starting 2019.
The new Vivaro will be built on PSA’s Efficient Modular 2 (EMP2) platform, the same use to underpin models like the Peugeot Rifter, Citroen Berlingo Multispace or the Citroen C4 SpaceTourer.
The current generation Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro, now nearly four years old, has been developed by the Germans using a platform shared with Renault, Nissan and Fiat. The use of a new platform for the 2019 model year of the van would mark a significant change of direction for the still struggling former GM cash cow.
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