New Vauxhall automobiles leaving the factory in Luton, in 1940.
Photographer: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis Historical/Getty Images
Transportation
The EV Transition Is Leaving the UK Auto Industry Behind
Stellantis is shutting down its Vauxhall factory in Luton after 120 years, as the UK government grapples with the balance between new vehicles and older jobs.
Tony Vitty hasn’t worked at the Vauxhall van plant in Luton, north of London, for years. And yet, the retired 74-year-old speaks about parent company Stellantis NV’s plans to shutter the site as if he were losing his own job.
“It’s devastating,” the former quality control manager said of the 1,100 workers now at risk. “At least half of them have got mortgages, and there isn’t that kind of work around. It’s going to end up possibly being a ghost town.”