Vauxhall’s Luton plant celebrates its millionth Vivaro

VAUXHALL’S Luton plant is celebrating building its millionth Vivaro type van.

The milestone Vivaro was handed over to BT Fleet, Vauxhall’s biggest Vivaro customer.

Vauxhall is the UK’s number one commercial vehicle maker, a position it has held for 13 years since Vivaro production started. The lynchpin of Vauxhall’s top-selling van range, approaching a quarter of a million Vivaros have been sold in the UK including 24,500 so far this year.

Vauxhall’s Luton facility is the sole flag bearer for UK van manufacturing – on a site where over eight million vehicles have been built since 1905 – since  rival Ford shut its Transit factory in Southampton in 2013.

The Luton factory is a major exporter with 52 per cent of production destined for European markets badged Opel. On the road to the millionth Vivaro, the plant had produced Renault Trafic versions but production now is solely for the GM brands.

Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director Rory Harvey said: “We are very proud to celebrate this milestone at our Luton manufacturing plant. Our hardworking and dedicated workforce at Luton produce vehicles of exceptional quality so it is no surprise these UK-built Vivaro vans are so successful in the marketplace.”

Mike Langford, senior customer relationship manager for BT Fleet, said: “We have purchased 13,368 Vivaros from Vauxhall over the past 11 years and they have served us well. The van has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of our workforce, and I believe the vans we are taking delivery of at the moment are their best yet.

“As with all the commercial vehicles on out fleet – circa 30,000 – we work very closely with manufacturers like Vauxhall to source the right product that is able to meet the needs of our people today and for the next five to seven years.

“Key to us when deciding which product to buy is working very closely with the people who will be driving the vans, manufacturers and converters to get the right product aligned to our business needs and strategy.”

Vauxhall’s all-new Vivaro, launched in 2014, secured 1,500 jobs at the UK’s last van manufacturing plant after workers won a 10-year contract and £185 million investment.

It was thanks to the outstanding attitude and work ethic of the workforce that the Luton plant beat world class competition from across Europe to build the new van.

Service firms across the country also benefit from £600m of business over the life of the new Vivaro with 40 per cent of content sourced locally from UK suppliers, up from 24 per cent for the previous generation van.

Vauxhall’s Luton plant has a bespoke van conversion centre. See Vauxhall Conversion Centre producing vans precisely the way you want them.