Stellantis waiting for UK support on Vauxhall plant – Automotive News Europe

PARIS — Any investment by Stellantis in its Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port, England, is dependent on support from the British government, CEO Carlos Tavares said in an interview with a French newspaper.

Tavares said the automaker was now looking at whether to focus the site on electric mobility.

“An investment of this type, on top of what is already planned for continental Europe, does not make industrial sense as we have enough capacity elsewhere,” Tavares was quoted as saying by Les Echos on Wednesday.

“If we do it, it will have to be with support from local authorities. This support needs to be concrete, binding, and not just a communications gambit,” he said.

The British government said earlier this week it was hopeful a good outcome could be found for the factory, which builds the Opel/Vauxhall Astra, following Britain’s exit from the European Union and a UK plan to end the sale of new combustion engine-only cars by 2030.

Stellantis is considering revamping the factory for production of full-electric cars but is seeking financial incentives and commitments on post-Brexit trade of auto parts, Bloomberg reported last week.

Britain’s business minister Kwasi Kwarteng told parliament on Monday he was very hopeful of a good outcome for the factory as talks continued.

Kwarteng also cited a nearly 500-million pound ($700 million) previously announced fund to help support the industry in the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains.