Stellantis has celebrated 60 years of making Vauxhall cars at its manufacturing hub in Ellesmere Port, marking a historic milestone for one of the most famous facets of British vehicle making.
Production at the hub began on June 1, 1964, when the Vauxhall Viva started being manufactured in the Cheshire town.
Ellesmere Port was constructed in 1962 and opened in 1964 and has gone on to create legendary models including the Vauxhall Chevette and Vauxhall Astra.
The hub has produced over a million Viva models, 250,000 Chevettes, and roughly 4.1 million Astras - one of the UK's most popular cars.
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The hub has produced over a million Vauxhall Viva cars
STELLANTIS
As the plant continues to roll out new vehicle models for the British public it will shift its focus to creating electric cars at the port.
It follows a £100million investment by parent company Stellantis to help meet its 2030 commitment to become carbon neutral by 2038.
Production of EVs began at Ellesmere Port in September last year, with the Vauxhall/Opel Combo Electric, Citroen e-Berlingo, Fiat e-Doblo and Peugeot E-Partner being produced there.
Among the first EVs to be produced at Ellesmere Port, the Vauxhall Combo Electric, is powered by a 50kWh lithium-ion battery paired with a 100kW electric motor.
It has a range of 175 miles and can be charged from zero to 80 per cent in just 30 mins from a 100kW rapid charger.
Diane Miller, Ellesmere Port plant director, explained that the group are excited to mark such an “impressive milestone”, celebrating production that began 60 years ago with the Viva, and now continues with electric vans from Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, Opel and Vauxhall.
For six decades, Ellesmere Port has been a “central pillar” of the local area and has provided millions of vehicles for the UK and beyond, with the ultimate goal of transitioning to a more sustainable future, she added.
In 1970, Ellesmere Port occupied over 350,000 square metres and has had many upgrades since then to make it more efficient.
The changes include the addition of a battery assembly area, upgraded General Assembly and relocation of the body shop.
This has contributed to a 60 per cent reduction of the total site area for improved “energy efficiency and productivity”, making it now smaller at 118,000 square metres.
Vauxhall cars have been built in the UK since 1903, originally being made in Luton. From next year, Stellantis announced that its Luton site will begin producing medium electric vans for Vauxhall, Opel, Citroen, Peugeot and Fiat Professional.
Maria Grazia Davino, group managing director at Stellantis UK, said: “It is gratifying to celebrate six decades of vehicle production at Ellesmere Port, which continues to produce the latest generation of electric vans.
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The size of the site has reduced as it becomes more efficient
STELLANTIS
“I would like to share my congratulations to the employees at the plant, who continue to work incredibly hard to produce the vehicles that will help to electrify businesses across the UK and in the more than 20 countries to which we export electric vans.”
