IBC Vehicles

IBC Vehicles Limited was a British automotive manufacturing company based in Luton, Bedfordshire and since 2021 a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational corporation Stellantis. Its principal operation was an assembly plant located in Luton, Vauxhall Luton, which produced light commercial vehicles sold under the Citroën, Opel, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Fiat Professional and Toyota brands. Production ceased in April 2025.

History

IBC Vehicles has its roots in Bedford Vehicles, the truck and bus manufacturing subsidiary of Vauxhall.

In 1986 the Bedford Vehicles van factory in Luton was reorganised as a joint venture with Isuzu. The resulting company was named IBC Vehicles (Isuzu Bedford Company Limited). Its first product was the Bedford Midi - a badge engineered clone of the Isuzu Fargo midsize panel van, intended to replace the ageing Bedford CF. The Suzuki-based Bedford Rascal microvan followed in 1987. In 1992 the factory produced a European version of the Isuzu MU aka Amigo 4WD called the Opel/Vauxhall Frontera Sport and the Isuzu MU Wizard aka Rodeo 4WD called the Opel/Vauxhall Frontera and a range of Renault-designed vans sold under the Opel, Vauxhall and Renault brand names. The Bedford name was dropped completely as were all of its preceding range apart from the Midi. The Frontera A was produced from 1992 to 1998 and the Frontera B 1998 - 2004.

In 1998 GM bought Isuzu out of the IBC partnership and renamed the plant GMM Luton (GM Manufacturing Luton).

General Motors sold Opel, including Vauxhall and the Luton plant, to Groupe PSA in 2017. Groupe PSA merged with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in January 2021.

Products

GMM Luton produced the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro A, Renault Trafic II and Nissan Primastar from 2001 to 2014. The Hi-top roof versions were built in Barcelona, Spain by Renault at the former Nissan Plant because the Luton IBC building was not high enough to accommodate the Hi-top vehicles. By 2011, the plant had produced 1.25 million vehicles since the 2001 launch, with production now down to 68,000 vehicles a year, with a capacity for 100,000. Between 1997 and 2001, IBC produced the Renault Trafic I as well as the Opel/Vauxhall Arena. Only the right-hand drive without the high roof were built at the IBC plant. The left-hand drive versions and the high-roof versions were built in Batilly, France by Renault at the SOVAB plant because the Luton IBC building was not high enough to accommodate the Hi-top vehicles.

Opel/Vauxhall announced in 2011 that the 2013 Vivaro would continue production at Luton and the high roof versions and the Renault Trafic would be manufactured at Sandouville, France.

Between 2015 and 2019, Renault, Opel, Vauxhall, Nissan and Fiat Professional announced that all the high-roof variants of the Trafic, Vivaro, NV300 and Talento will be built in Sandouville. The brands also announced that all left-hand drive variants for Renault, Opel, Nissan and Fiat Professional will be built in Sandouville. But all right-hand drive low-roof variants for Renault, Vauxhall, Nissan and Fiat Professional will be built in Luton.

In August 2014, the factory began the production of the Renault Trafic III and the Vauxhall Vivaro. In July 2016, the plant started building the Fiat Talento, then, in November 2016, the production of the Nissan NV300 began.

The Renault Trafic III + the Renault Trucks Trafic III and its clones the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro B as well as the Nissan NV300 then the Nissan Primastar II are transformed (body, stickers, conversion, interior of the loading zone, wheel chair accessibility) in France, at the Heudebouville Qstomize transformation site, by Renault Pro+. , However, the Fiat Talento II is transformed (body, stickers, conversion, interior of the loading zone, wheel chair accessibility) in Italy by Fiat Professional. The Renault Trafic II and its clones the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro B as well as the Nissan Primastar I are transformed (body, stickers, conversion, interior of the loading zone, wheel chair accessibility) in France, at the Heudebouville Qstomize transformation site, by Renault Pro+.

At the end of 2018, the plant move the Renault Trafic, the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, and the Renault Trafic-based Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro to Sandouville Renault Factory.

In early 2020, in addition to the Vauxhall Vivaro, the plant started building Citroën Dispatch + Citroën SpaceTourer and Peugeot Expert + Peugeot Traveller and Toyota ProAce + Toyota ProAce Verso vans. In May 2022, the factory began to produce the Fiat Scudo + the Fiat Ulysse.

2019 Vauxhall Vivaro 2700 Edition 1.5 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Vivaro
2016 Citroen Dispatch 1000 BlueHDi X S 1.6 Front.jpg, Citroën Dispatch

Notable people

* Irish poet and TV presenter Pat Ingoldsby worked in the factory for a number of years in the 1960s.

References

External links

Luton Plant. Facts and Figures

{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom

Companies based in Luton
Motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Manufacturing companies established in 1986
Motor vehicle assembly plants in the United Kingdom
Opel factories
Vauxhall Motors