Stellantis invests £100m to transform Ellesmere Port car factory
The automotive giant will build a new body shop, upgrade the general assembly area and create an on-site battery pack assembly at the plant.
When work completes, the plant will be dedicated solely to the manufacturing of battery-electric vehicles. It will make both commercial and passenger for Stellantis, the company that owns Vauxhall, Opel, Peugeot and Citroën. The start date for making those zero-emission vans on the site is 2022.
Stellantis is also looking to consult on possibly creating a new UK parts distribution centre at the Cheshire site.
One of Britain’s largest mass production plants, the investment marks the beginning of a new era for the former Vauxhall factory.
For decades, the Vauxhall plant had been in decline. Built in 1962, the plant has made more than 5.2m vehicles. But it went from producing 250,000 cars a year in its heyday to just 32,000 in 2020. Stellantis said that making the plant electric-centric will sustain 1,000 jobs and boost production.
The company aims to also make the plant carbon neutral by 2025. Ambitions call for it to be fully self-sufficient for electricity, with the company looking to build wind and solar farms.
Stellantis’s £100m investment is supported by the Government. Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and Chester College also worked with the company.
“Performance is always the trigger for sustainability and this £100m investment demonstrates our commitment to the UK and to Ellesmere Port,” said Carlos Tavares, chief executive officer at Stellantis.
“Producing battery electric vehicles here will support clean, safe and affordable mobility for the citizens,” he added later. “Since 1903, Vauxhall has manufactured vehicles in Britain and we will continue to do so.”
Wow! Amazing news
By David
Very pleased that Ellesmere Port has been chosen for this investment and hopefully for more to come.
I was involved with a waste to energy project a few years ago to supply a steady and cost effective energy supply to Vauxhall to enable them to become more cost efficient in their energy use. Most parties involved in the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire councils were happy to co-operate, except the MWDA, who for some reason blocked our access to the domestic waste streams we required to fully create the energy output we needed. The waste was eventually contracted to go to Teeside and create jobs there instead of the NW. So I do hope that any plans for renewable energy generation do materialise and secure the plants future for a long time to come.
By Liverpolitis