It’s viva Vivaro as production hits milestone!

Production at General Motors’ Manufacturing Luton plant has reached a significant milestone, with the plant’s 400,000th van rolling off the line.

The Vauxhall Vivaro was handed over to Carillion, a civil engineering and building contractors company based in Wolverhampton, W Mids, which has a fleet of 3,000 vans and 3,500 cars.

The Vivaro is built in the Luton plant under a joint venture between Vauxhall and Renault, which began in spring 2001. The factory produces all European specification low-roof versions of the Vivaro in both Vauxhall and Opel guise, as well as under the Renault and Nissan brands. The demand for the van makes GMM Luton Britain’s largest van manufacturer, with total production for 2005 reaching 90,414. The plant employs over 2,000 people in the Luton area, and is a significant contributor to both the British and local economies.

The milestone comes after the Vivaro was named ‘Van of the Year 2006’ by Professional Van and Light Truck magazine, while it also contributed to Vauxhall’s record sales year for light commercials in 2005, which saw over 52,000 vans sold in the UK.

Donna Sanford, Plant Manager of GMM Luton, said: "The recent success of the multi-award winning Vivaro is down to the hard work and dedication of our workforce."

Picture Caption: The four hundred thousandth van rolls off the production line at General Motors Manufacturing Luton.