Established in 1903, Vauxhall is the only volume manufacturer continuously building vehicles in the UK for over 100 years. Their Ellesmere Port plant, in Cheshire, produces the sixth generation Astra 5-door hatchback and is the sole manufacturer in Europe of the Astra Sports Tourer. The plant has a headcount of 2,100 and the capacity to produce 187,000 units a year on three shifts. In 2007, Ellesmere Port became the first UK manufacturer to receive the Energy Efficiency Accreditation and in 2010 became the first European manufacturing plant to achieve the Wildlife Habitat Accreditation.
In May 2012, GM announced that it would build the next generation Astra in the UK, safeguarding the Ellesmere Port plant until at least the end of the decade. Then in November 2017, the PSA Group completed its purchase of the Vauxhall and Opel brands from GM. The latest generation Astra Hatchback and Sports Tourer remain in production at Ellesmere Port.
Vauxhall also build the 'medium-sized' van, the Vivaro, at their plant in Luton, for sale in the UK and Europe.
