Vauxhall Builds Last Current-Generation Vivaro Van

Vauxhall closes the book on the current-generation Vivaro as the 957,107th unit rolls off the production line and heads to the automaker’s Heritage Centre at its headquarters in Luton, U.K.

Workers at the Luton plant, 35 miles (56 km) north of London, begin building the all-new model later this month with 52% of production destined for export markets.

The all-new Vivaro secures 1,200 jobs, a 10-year contract and a £185 million ($312.3 million) investment at Luton. Vauxhall announced earlier it will add a second shift at the plant in January, creating 250 jobs.

The General Motors subsidiary’s Luton facility now is the sole flag-bearer for U.K. van production – on a site where more than 8 million vehicles have been built since 1905.

Rival Ford shut its Transit factory in Southampton last year.

Vauxhall Chairman and Managing Director Tim Tozer says the outgoing Vivaro has been a huge success. “The Vivaro van is of critical importance to Vauxhall and its manufacturing facility in Luton,” he says in a statement.