There is an opinion that the automotive industry in the country is in a deep crisis.
In the UK, one of the oldest car factories has been closed down. Last Friday, the last Vauxhall Vivaro rolled off the assembly line at the Luton plant.
Parent company Stellantis had already announced the closure of the site, and the plans went ahead without any obstacles. The production of electric minivans and vans will be transferred to another British plant in Cheshire. The closure of the Vauxhall factory in Luton has put 1000 jobs at risk.
The history of the Luton plant began in 1903, and in 1905 the Vauxhall company moved to the site. The fate of the plant owned by Stellantis is uncertain: municipal authorities were interested in buying the land, but the automotive giant ignored the offers. The assembly of the Vivaro family will continue at another site in Cheshire, with investments in the project exceeding £50 million.
A representative of Stellantis promised to establish in Ellesmere Port a "center for commercial transport in the UK." As for the workers in Luton, their future is uncertain: the car manufacturer limited their comments to general statements, mentioning that "employees remain our priority," and "we will act responsibly towards our colleagues." Skeptics believe that the situation at the Vauxhall plant reflects general trends in the British automotive industry.
The issue is that producing cars in the United Kingdom is becoming unprofitable, and Stellantis is not the only one resorting to cutbacks. For instance, BMW postponed investments of £600 million in the MINI plant in Oxford and changed plans to produce electric cars in England, citing "bureaucracy after Brexit" as one of the reasons.