Vauxhall has confirmed that its Luton factory will produce its next generation Vivaro from 2013, securing the future of the plant.

The Luton factory could have been closed down in the coming years, but now the new Vivaro will be produced there, 1,100 jobs are now safeguarded.

Today’s announcement follows the joint announcement between Vauxhall and Renault in September 2010, when both companies agreed to continue their cooperation in the light commercial vehicle segment.

This cooperation goes back to 1996 when the first generation of the Vauxhall Movano and Renault Master program was announced.

Since then, the cooperation expanded to include Vivaro/Trafic. In 2010, this new second generation of the Renault Master & Vauxhall Movano van program was launched with an extended model range including rear wheel drive versions and a number of factory produced specially converted vehicles.

The current Vivaro and Trafic models were first produced in 2001, and by the end of 2010 Vauxhall and Renault had built over 1.25 million Trafics and Vivaros.