Vauxhall Astra: Ellesmere Port manufacture 'depends on Brexit' - BBC News

The next generation of the Vauxhall Astra will be built at its Ellesmere Port car plant if a satisfactory Brexit deal is reached, its owners have said.

The PSA Group said it will also invest in the Rüsselsheim plant in Germany to manufacture Opel Astras from 2021.

It said the decision would also be conditional on the New Vehicle Agreement, negotiated with Unite.

A statement said the news "demonstrates the continuous effort and commitment" of the group.

Currently the Vauxhall and Opel Astra are built in Ellesmere Port and in Gliwice, Poland.

It said the decision on the allocation to the Ellesmere Port plant "will be conditional on the final terms of the UK's exit from the European Union and the acceptance of the New Vehicle Agreement, which has been negotiated with the Unite trade union".

Japanese car producers, including Nissan, have said that Brexit uncertainty is not helping them "plan for the future".

Earlier this year Nissan recently opted to build the next X-Trail model in Japan, rather than in Sunderland.

Vauxhall has previously said it faces falling sales and relatively high manufacturing costs at the Ellesmere Port plant, which builds the Astra, and employs about 1,100 people.

Vauxhall Motors opened the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire in 1962.

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