Vauxhall will enter the leisure MPV segment with the all-new British-built Vivaro Life. Due to go in to production at Vauxhall’s manufacturing facility in Luton, Bedfordshire, the Vivaro Life is described as “a comfortable MPV” that will be offered in two lengths, tailor-made to customer requirements: the 4.95m “Medium” and the 5.30m “Large” – each of which comes with up to nine seats.

The Vivaro Life will celebrate its world premiere at the Brussels Motor Show on 18^th January 2019. Order books will open in February. Vauxhall’s all-new vehicle, which is based on Groupe PSA’s EMP2 platform, will be built at the company’s Luton manufacturing plant, helping to secure 1,250 jobs. Investment in the new vehicle will help increase the plant’s production capacity to 100,000 units per year.

Vauxhall will offer a purely electric version in early 2021, another milestone on the journey to electrifying the brand.

With the new Vivaro Life, Vauxhall continues to implement its PACE! strategic plan. By the end of 2020, the British brand will bring to market a total of eight new or refreshed models, including the next generation of the best-selling Corsa. The company says it is investing above all in profitable, growing market segments with high volumes and it will soon have one of the youngest product portfolios of all volume manufacturers.

Vivaro Life Medium and Large both have a 3.28m wheelbase which means they can compete with midsize vans in the D market segment. Compared with the competition, the Vauxhall is also claimed to feature a larger tailgate and easier access for loading/unloading, plus a higher payload of more than one tonne, with the Vivaro Life “Large” being a rival for even bigger vehicles.

Vauxhall offers leather seats on aluminium rails that allow full and easy adjustment for all versions of the Vivaro Life. Four, seven or eight leather-seat configurations are available. Five, six, eight or nine cloth-seat configurations are also available.

The folding back of the front passenger seat allows the transportation of objects up to 3.50m in length. The removal of the seats raises the total cargo capacity to as much as 3,397 litres.

Luxurious “Lounge” trim is available for the Large versions – in front, seats with massage and electric heating, two movable leather chairs behind, each with a 48cm wide seat cushion. The movable table also folds away to provide additional storage space for small objects. Passengers can charge their mobile devices using the 230V plug socket.

All versions of the Vivaro Life are less than 1.90m high and can access typical underground garages – important for use as hotel shuttle.

For traction on loose surfaces, the Vivaro Life is equipped with the advanced IntelliGrip traction control.