Stellantis secures future of Ellesmere Port site with £100m investment

Stellantis has announced £100 million of investment at its factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

It will become the firm’s first factory to focus solely on electric vehicles, producing light commercial vehicles and passenger cars for Vauxhall, Opel, Peugeot and Citroen by the end of the year.

The move is said to have secured the future of ‘thousands’ of jobs in the region and will see the UK Government contribute to the investment.

Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, said: “Performance is always the trigger for sustainability and this £100million investment demonstrates our commitment to the UK and to Ellesmere Port.

“I particularly want to thank our highly skilled, dedicated workforce for their patience and contribution; we never let them down. Equally, I want to thank our partners the Unite Union for their open mind set and strong cooperation and, of course, the UK Government for their continued support.

“Producing battery electric vehicles here will support clean, safe and affordable mobility for the citizens. Since 1903 Vauxhall has manufactured vehicles in Britain and we will continue to do so.”

UK Government Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Ellesmere Port’s proud tradition in auto manufacturing will continue for many years to come thanks to today’s investment. Stellantis’ decision to double down on their commitment to this site is a clear vote of confidence in the UK as one of the best locations globally for competitive, high-quality automotive production.”

The Ellesmere Port site celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, having been built in 1962 and producing its first car, a Vauxhall Viva, in 1964. Since then, it has built a total of 5.2 million vehicles.

Electric vehicle production is becoming more vital as the UK Government will ban the sale of new pure petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030.