While we have been hearing reaction from politicians, councillors, unions and workers, Luton News has put together a selection of photos to look back at the company’s history and ensure the Vauxhall legacy in Luton is never forgotten.
It was in 1905 when Vauxhall Motors moved the majority of its production to Luton, settling in Kimpton Road.
General Motors bought the company for $2.5m at a time when only 17 cars were made each week. As demand increased, the factory moved to 24-hour shift work and cars like the Cadet and the Vauxhall 10 started to be produced.
The plant produced Churchill tanks and over 250,000 lorries for the war effort during the Second World War. Women joined the workforce during this time.
In 1940, a German bomb killed 39 employees after hitting the factory.
At its height, the firm employed 37,000 people - cementing itself as part of the town’s history and identity.
By the late 1960s, Vauxhall was bringing in five-figure sales on its most popular models and the last Vauxhall car to be largely designed and produced in the UK was manufactured from 1972 to 1976
The headquarters moved to its former design and testing building, Griffin House, in 1991.
Workers protested plans in 2000 to halt car production at the Luton plant, with the loss of around 2,000 jobs. But two years later, car production ended at the site.
Fast forward to 2017 and Groupe PSA bought GM’s Vauxhall and Opel companies. And in 2021, Groupe PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged to form Stellantis.
For months there has been talk about the future of the Luton plant, and how it would survive under the ZEV mandate. This week, Stellantis announced its plan to close the Luton plant in April 2025 - putting over 1,000 jobs at risk.
While Vauxhall may be soon leaving Luton, its legacy and mark on the town will remain.
Do you have any old pictures of Vauxhall you’d like to show people? Share them with us by emailing: [email protected]
1. Vauxhall in Luton
30 years after the plant opened in the town in 1905, workers were seen working on sections of car body produced by a giant metal press. These were the days when there were not any robots or AI to streamline the car manufacturing process! Photo: Heritage Images
2. Vauxhall in Luton
1930: Draughtsmen in the drawing office of Vauxhall Motors in Luton. Photo: Heritage Images
3. Vauxhall in Luton
Men working on the assembly line at the Vauxhall Motors car factory in 1959. Photo: Evening Standard
4. Vauxhall in Luton
The first batch of 500 1940 Vauxhalls move off from the Vauxhall factory in Luton. Photo: Fox Photos