Stellantis is poised to announce as early as Tuesday it will make electric vans at its plant in Ellesmere Port, northeast England, ending months of speculation over the factory’s future, according to a new report.
Stellantis confirmed it will make an announcement on Tuesday concerning Ellesmere Port’s future plans, but gave no further details.
The plant will make a version of the compact van badged the Opel/Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo, a source told Automotive News Europe, without specifying which badge the new vans would wear.
No passenger versions are being considered at the moment, the source added.
The expected annual volume of 50,000 vans is well below Ellesmere Port’s capacity, which has been as high as 160,000 for the Opel/Vauxhall Astra that is made there.
The sum to be invested in the plant will be the “low hundreds of millions” according to a report in the Financial Times.
The future of the plant has been uncertain since Stellantis, which was formed when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group merged in January, decided to build the new Astra at Opel's home factory in Ruesselsheim, Germany.
Britain's exit from the European Union's single market also added to fears for the factory’s future.
In March, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the company was looking at whether to focus the Ellesmere Port site on electric mobility, but added that any investment in the factory would depend on financial support from the British government.
Workers at the plant last week agreed to a new deal that paves the way for the production of a new model.
Meanwhile Vauxhall is recruiting for a site civil engineer to oversee "construction works to buildings" for a two-year fixed term.
The construction work is expected to involve reducing the size of the factory site, allowing Stellantis to sell any unused land.
Tavares will outline Stellantis’ electrification strategy on Thursday, July 8.
