Production of next-generation Vivaro set for Luton
24-Mar-2011
Vauxhall and Renault have announced that production of the next generation of the successful Vauxhall Vivaro and Renault Trafic models will take place in Luton, UK, and Sandouville, France, starting in 2013.
Luton and the Vivaro
The next generation Vivaro will be built at the Vauxhall plant in Luton, so Luton continues to play an important role in the Opel / Vauxhall manufacturing network.
Sandouville, the Trafic and the Vivaro H2
Renault will produce the next generation Renault Trafic model in Sandouville, as well as the next generation of the H2 (high roof) version of Vauxhall’s Vivaro. The production of this new van in Sandouville is expected to reach 100,000 units a year once all versions have been launched.
Long-term cooperation
This announcement follows the announcement in September 2010 when Vauxhall and Renault agreed to continue their successful cooperation in the Light Commercial Vehicle segment.
Cooperation between the companies goes back to 1996 when the first Vauxhall Movano and Renault Master partnership programme was announced. Since then, cooperation has expanded to include the Vivaro and the Trafic. In 2010, the second Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano collaboration programme was successfully launched with an extended model range including rear-wheel-drive versions and a number of factory-produced, specially converted vehicles.
The current Vivaro and Trafic models were first produced in 2001, and by the end of 2010 Vauxhall and Renault had built over 1.25 million of them. While the sister models are being jointly developed and produced in Opel / Vauxhall and Renault-Nissan plants, they are independently marketed and sold through their respective brand-distribution channels.
Production of next-generation Vivaro set for Luton