Stellantis/ Vauxhall pressure rises on UK Government

Vauxhall parent Stellantis says its up to the UK Government to secure the future of the Ellesmere Port, Cheshire car plant.

Any investment by Stellantis depends on support from the British government, CEO Carlos Tavares told a French paper this week.

Stellantis is considering the site for electric mobility development but the high costs  may not make business sense as the UK Government has accelerated the ban on internal combustion engines and exports of cars from there would be hit by EU tariffs, Tavares said.

“An investment of this type, on top of what is already planned for continental Europe, does not make industrial sense because we have enough capacity elsewhere,” Tavares was quoted as saying by Les Echos on Wednesday.

“If we do it, it will have to be with support from local authorities. This support needs to be concrete, binding, and not just a communications gambit,” he said.

Ellesmere Port employs about 1,000 workers, including 300 from the Welsh borders and the Budget this week highlighted future technology and investments in the North East and North West as well as North West Wales.