Vauxhall workers face 140-mile relocation or job loss as Stellantis shuts factory

An employee works on the engine compartment of a Vauxhall Vivaro medium sized van on the final assembly line at the Vauxhall plant in Luton, U.K., on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. (Credit: Chris Ratcliffe—Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Automaking giant Stellantis has announced plans to shutter its 120-year-old factory that makes several Vauxhall vehicles, leaving more than 1,000 employees with the daunting dilemma of relocating 140 miles north or losing their jobs.

The $205 billion automaker said it planned to cease operations at its Luton van manufacturing facility north of London in April to consolidate Vauxhall manufacturing at its Ellesmere Port factory in the North West county of Cheshire, which Stellantis described as the U.K.’s first EV-only manufacturing facility.