High demand for Vauxhall’s Astra Sports Tourer model, manufactured in the UK at Ellesmere Port, has helped to break record line rates at the plant. An average 47 cars per hour have rolled off the production line since July 2011.
The plant assembled a total of 139,528 vehicles in 2011 of which 129,648 were the Sports Tourer model in its first full year of production.
91% of Sports Tourers were bound for export to mainland Europe and beyond, with a particularly strong uptake in Germany where more than 50,000 were sold in 2011.
Tony Francavilla, Plant Director, said, “We are proud of Ellesmere Port’s outstanding results building cars and vans to great quality standards whilst satisfying high customer demand. I am very thankful for our workforce’s continuous dedication and we are all looking forward to another successful year.”
In July 2011, the 2,100 staff at Ellesmere Port celebrated a manufacturing milestone as the 100,000th Sports Tourer rolled off the production line in Cheshire.
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