Vauxhall will close its Luton plant in April, the parent company Stellantis announced.
More than 1,100 jobs at the van-making factory are at risk, but Stellantis said it is hoping to transfer “hundreds” of Luton jobs to the group’s Vauxhall site in Ellesmere Port.
It is now in consultation with unions and employees over the proposals, which will also see it invest £50m into the Ellesmere Port factory.
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The company said it would offer “relocation support” and “an attractive package” to sacked employees who want to transfer to Ellesmere Port in the North West of England from Luton, north of London.
The closure had been warned of by the company’s managing director Maria Grazia Davino. In June he told an industry event, “Stellantis production in the UK could stop” as more needs to be done to spur consumer demand for electric vehicles.
An industry-wide phenomenon
It’s the second British car producer to announce job losses in less than a week. Just six days ago Ford revealed plans to cut 800 roles in the UK as part of a cull of 4,000 jobs across Europe.
Pressures have been on UK car makers to meet the government’s electric car mandate with talks on the 2030 deadline taking place between government and industry.
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Financial penalties are currently levied against manufacturers if zero-emission vehicles make up less than 22% of all sales. This will rise to 80% of all sales by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
Across Europe, the automotive sector has been feeling the pressure of slowed sales and competition from China. On Friday Bosch, the world’s biggest car parts supplier reported the loss of 5,500 jobs, predominantly in Germany.
A government spokesperson said: “We have a longstanding partnership with Stellantis and we will continue to work closely with them, as well as trade unions and local partners on the next steps of their proposals.
“The government is also backing the wider industry with over £300m to drive uptake of zero-emission vehicles and £2bn to support the transition of domestic manufacturing.”
