Author:
Robin Roberts
It’s the end of the road for the Astravan.
Vauxhall only sells about 3,000 Astravans in the UK in a year and there will not be a direct replacement when the new Combo, made in Turkey, is gradually rolled into British showrooms from this year.
The decision to end Astravan building alongside the hatchback Astra was given by Vauxhall chairman and managing director Duncan Aldred at the CV Show in the NEC.
He said that Vauxhall parent GM had seen a turnaround in its fortunes in the last 12 months and after announcing the €150 Million investment in Luton to build the next generation of medium sized vans it was now well on track to bring them to market in 2014.
The show debut of the new Combo van series will see the latest models in dealerships over the next few weeks and these bring cutting edge design and engineering as well as low emissions and running costs to operators.
The demise of the Astravan should not raise fears about Ellesmere Port’s future, said a Vauxhall insider.
“Astravan was peculiar to the UK and the numbers are very small and will be matched by the availability of the new Combo derivatives. While it has been linked to announcements due this summer about plant closures there is still enormous potential and plans for Ellesmere Port.”
Astravan has been popular with small fleet operators and you can see how it compares with rivals in our business van comparison tables.
