A further 250 jobs will go at Vauxhall, Ellesmere Port.
These are in addition to the 400 posts it announced in October and follow a dramatic slowdown in UK sales at a time when the company’s new parent in France, PSA Group, is looking for greater efficiencies at it rolls out a new business plan.
The Ellesmere Port plant makes the Astra and it will move staff from two shifts to one. Higher efficiencies are vital if the plant is to stand a chance of winning any replacement model for the Astra and not close.
There have been suggestions if the plant becomes more efficient it could also take on assembly of new Peugeot and Citroen models which will share architecture of the next generation Astra due in a few years.
Behind the scenes, designers and engineers have been working on common engineering and powertrains for new models in the expanded PSA Group after it acquired Vauxhall and Opel last year and post Brexit it could be a strong advantage to the company to have a UK factory.
Vauxhall also make vans at Luton and the CV sector is another where sharing of facilities might be advantageous in the long run.
