GM’s Vauxhall Subsidiary Marks Production Milestones

Vauxhall’s two U.K. manufacturing plants reach production milestones within 24 hours of each other as the 250,000th Astra Sports Tourer rolls off the line at Ellesmere Port and the Luton facility builds its 900,000th Vivaro-type van.

Workers at Ellesmere Port celebrated as the quarter of a millionth Sports Tourer, the U.K.’s best-selling station wagon, is driven off the line.

The Astra consistently is one of the region’s best-selling cars with more than 2.8 million sold since it went on sale in 1980. Production of the current model began in 2010.

General Motors’ Vauxhall subsidiary is the U.K.’s No.1 commercial-vehicle maker, a title it has held for 11 years since Vivaro production started. More than 150,000 Vivaros, the linchpin of Vauxhall’s top-selling van range, have been sold in the region.

The milestones at the U.K. production facilities come in the auto maker’s 110th anniversary year.

Both Vauxhall plants have been allocated new models, securing production into the next decade. Ellesmere Port will lead European manufacturing of the next-generation Astra. Luton will build the next-generation Vivaro van starting next year.

At Luton alone, the auto maker will spend £81.9 million ($121.5 million) in specific plant changes; £96.5 million ($143.2 million) in vendor tooling, including £29.3 million ($43.5 million) within the U.K.; and £10.3 million ($15.3 million) on facilities. The plant will source 40% of the new vehicle’s content locally.

The Luton plant built 53,000 vans in 2012 and 22,000 so far this year, running at a rate of 198 units a day. Ellesmere Port built 95,000 units last year and 37,000 thus far in 2013 at a rate of 530 a day.

Some 76% of vehicles built at the two plants are destined for the export market.