How did Vauxhall make the Union Jack out of 128 New Astra's, well, watch the video.

128 new Vauxhall Astras choreographed to create Union Jack 

Patriotic display marks 36 years of the British best-seller

Flag display welcomes new seventh generation model

Vauxhall has revealed how they built the Astra Union Jack flag through a film launched recently. 

To celebrate the launch of the all-new seventh generation Vauxhall Astra, workers at the Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant – home of the Astra for over 36 years – choreographed 128 new models to create the image of the Union Jack flag. 

Construction of the display was captured using a state-of-the-art drone giving a birds-eye view of the build. 

Commenting on the launch at Ellesmere Port, Business Minister Anna Soubry said: “This is a proud day for Vauxhall and its workforce at Ellesmere Port. Manufacturing the seventh generation Astra onsite secures 2,000 jobs into the next decade, boosts productivity and further demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to the UK.”

Vauxhall’s seventh generation Astra is the eleventh major model-line to be built at Ellesmere Port and guarantees 2,000 jobs at the Cheshire plant over the next decade.  The plant secured a long-term contract in 2012 and a £140 million investment which further demonstrates the brand’s continued commitment to manufacturing the iconic car in Britain. 

The image, orchestrated in under 24-hours, pays tribute to over 36 years of manufacturing the Brit-built best-seller, which has seen over five million cars roll off the Ellesmere Port production line. 

Three million have been sold in the UK alone – with 50,000 in the past 12 months and 2 million exported to 25 European markets. It is estimated that at full production in 2016, the plant will build approximately 680 Astras per day with further growth in subsequent years.

The British success story extends beyond the Astra itself – as for over 50 years, Ellesmere Port has been the manufacturing home of every compact class Vauxhall in the UK. 

With nearly 25 per cent of parts sourced locally from UK suppliers, the plant is a significant contributor the local economy and the continued investment at the facility is set to boost UK manufacturing, utilities, construction, transportation and storage companies by at least £70 million.

New Brit-built Vauxhall Astra – In Numbers:

• One in four Britons has either owned or driven 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