According to media reports, Stellantis has confirmed to British media that its van manufacturing plant in Luton, near London, will close in the second quarter of 2025. This means that the previously announced plan to produce electric vans at the Luton plant will not be realized.
Located northwest of London and adjacent to London Luton Airport, the Luton plant still requires an hour's drive from central London. In February 2022, Stellantis announced plans to transform the facility into its second electric vehicle production site in the UK. However, in November 2024, the group threatened to shut down the plant, citing the UK's aggressive Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations. These regulations require automakers to meet specific EV sales quotas or face fines from the British government.
When Stellantis first threatened to close the Luton plant last year, it had pledged to shift production to Ellesmere Port near Liverpool. "Hundreds" of jobs would be relocated from Luton to Ellesmere Port to support electric van production, though not all 1,100 positions would be transferred. For affected employees unwilling or unable to relocate, Stellantis promised retraining or alternative job placements.
Later, Stellantis announced plans to lay off 1,100 employees at the Luton plant, a move believed to have influenced the UK government's decision to consider relaxing ZEV regulations. Reports indicate that negotiations on the issue are expected to continue until February 18. However, Stellantis did not wait for the final outcome before announcing the Luton plant's shutdown.
Stellantis told foreign media: "Production at the Luton plant will cease in the second quarter of 2025, after which equipment and production will be transferred to Ellesmere Port. The group's medium-sized fully electric light commercial vehicles will enter production at the Ellesmere Port plant in the fourth quarter of 2026." British media reported that the Luton plant would shut down in April this year, but Stellantis only specified that production would stop in the second quarter.
The Luton plant currently manufactures internal combustion engine vans, including the Opel and Vauxhall Vivaro, Peugeot Expert, Fiat Scudo, and Citroën Dispatch. Stellantis originally planned to produce electric versions of these models at the facility. However, due to the UK's rigid ZEV targets and the lack of government support for automakers, Stellantis expressed concerns that producing electric vans in Luton would not be financially viable.
