Astra factory faces closure without government deal

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The boss of newly-formed car giant Stellantis has warned that a decision about future investment into the UK operations of Vauxhall could come "within weeks".
A Cheshire plant producing the Vauxhall Astra could permanently close in April 2022.

Vauxhall will stop producing the Astra at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire and close the plant entirely in April next year if the government fails to incentivise it to build a new and electric model at the site.

A briefing on manufacturing volumes issued by Vauxhall’s parent company Stellantis showed the production of the current model of the Astra is expected to end in a year, the Telegraph first reported.

Stellantis recently abandoned plans to build a new car with an internal combustion engine at Ellesmere Port after the government said it was banning the sale of new cars with conventional engines from 2030.

Last month Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, said continuing production at the Cheshire port would mean building electric cars there, which would require greater investment, and the company had already earmarked other plants to build battery-powered vehicles, the Telegraph reported.

Without support from the UK, it would not be economic to replicate production of electric vehicles being built elsewhere, he added.