New Vauxhall Vivaro van revealed as lifeline for Luton plant

Vauxhall has revealed its new Vivaro van, joining the Vivaro Life MPV as the two models credited with saving the brand's Luton factory.

Going on sale next month ahead of summer deliveries, the Vivaro and Vivaro Life will be joined by an electric version of both models in 2021.

Both versions will be built alongside each other at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, and share their platforms and much of their underpinnings with the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. The decision to keep building the Vivaro, of which over one million have left the factory since 2001, effectively safeguards the future of the plant and workers within it for a decade.

The investment in the new model also sees Luton's production capacity increase to 100,000 units annually. PSA has given Vauxhall/Opel the responsibility of developing commerical vehicles for global use. 

The van and passenger Vivaros will be offered in two lengths (4.95 metres for the Medium model and 5.30 metres for the Large), but both variants have a wheelbase of 3.28 metres. The Life can seat up to nine people, while the van is capable of storing loads up to 4.02m long and offers a payload of up to 1400kg.  

The Vivaro Life features a two-piece panoramic roof, an opening tailgate window, movable leather seats and electrically powered sliding doors (which the van version also carries over). Up front is a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system that features a rear-view camera and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The seats are installed on an aluminium rail system for versatility, with four, seven and eight leather seat and five, six, eight and nine cloth seat configurations offered.

Vauxhall says the MPV will have a payload of more than one tonne and a larger tailgate than rivals for easier loading. With its rear seats removed, the Vivaro Life has a luggage capacity of 3397 litres.

A range of driver assistance features is offered, including pedestrian cross alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and, later this year, the Vauxhall Connect telematics service.