PSA’s UK Vauxhall car factory to resume output after September 1

LONDON (Reuters) – Peugeot-maker PSA’s Vauxhall car factory in Britain, which stopped production in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, will not resume production until after Sept. 1, the company said on Wednesday.

The Ellesmere Port location in northwest England made just over 60,000 Vauxhall/Opel Astra cars last year.

The company said it was hoping some staff from the plant would temporarily work at its van site in Luton, north of London, which restarted on May 18 and will move to a third shift to increase output of light commercial vehicles (LCV).

“The company proposal will protect employment and support the ability to respond to significant demand for LCV production with highly trained and skilled workers … while demand for Astra is building sufficiently,” PSA said.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Stephen Addison)