Vauxhall: Crunch talks to save Ellesmere Port plant continue

Vauxhall: Crunch talks to save Ellesmere Port plant continue

By Simon JackBusiness editor

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image captionThe Ellesmere Port plant currently builds an old model of the Vauxhall Astra.

Talks to secure the future of Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant will continue after no firm decision was taken on Wednesday.

A board meeting of Vauxhall's parent company ended without agreement on its fate, although an announcement is expected within 48 hours.

Over 1,000 people work at the plant, with many more in the supply chain.

The Business Secretary has met the management of parent company Stellantis three times in the last six months.

The most recent meeting took place on Monday night, with talks involving government officials along with company management and representatives of the local authority.

The BBC understands that there are three main options on the table for the Cheshire plant:

Continue production of internal combustion engine-powered cars - with the possible addition of a new hatchback model - for the short-term until the prospect of the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030 makes the plant obsolete within a few years.Make plans to wind down production at Ellesmere Port completely. Secure the plant's long-term future by committing to making a new generation of electric cars in the North West.

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