Vauxhall Astra birthday stunt

Vauxhall has celebrated the launch of its all-new British-built Astra by creating a giant Union Flag made up of 128 of the new cars.

The patriotic picture pays tribute to more than 36 years of production of the popular family car at Ellesmere Port.

“The Vauxhall Astra has been one of Britain’s best-selling and most-loved cars produced for over three decades,” said Tim Tozer, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director.

“The next generation Astra not only continues to drive this legacy and celebrate the strong British heritage of the brand, but is also a key investment for the home of the Astra – Ellesmere Port – and celebrating the workers who have built the vehicle to world class levels of quality and productivity, making it a household name.”

Vauxhall Astra: in numbers

• One in four Britons has owned an Astra
• 25% of a Vauxhall Astra is produced from British sourced materials
• It takes approximately 24 hours to build an Astra, from sheet steel to the finished article – this is expected to reduce to just 22 hours as production grows
• 3 million Astras have been sold over the past 36 years – 50,000 in the past 12 months
• 5 million vehicles have been manufactured at Ellesmere Port, with 2 million exported to 25 European markets
• £140m investment in the Ellesmere Port factory
• The Ellesmere Port plant will build approximately 680 cars per day and 120,000 per year

The new Vauxhall Astra will hit showrooms from October, priced from £15,295.