Vauxhall to follow Saab?
Discussion
There have been mutterings in the media here about how much money Opel are losing every day, only a matter of time before they're gone. My first (and only) Opel was the first car I bought after moving to Germany: an Opel Kadett B coupe in white with red interior, already 17 years old when I bought it.
I've never liked Opel ( I never liked Vauxhalls in England either ), but I'll be sorry to see them go, shame about the jobs involved, in England and in Germany.
I've never liked Opel ( I never liked Vauxhalls in England either ), but I'll be sorry to see them go, shame about the jobs involved, in England and in Germany.
Petrolhead95 said:
I genuinely don't get what people have against Vauxhall and we've had every Vauxhall under the sun.
Well they are cheap so mainly driven by chavs etc, however to biggest issue is that they seem to fall apart after a 3 years and worth about 3-4k. Vauxhal missed a big trick in not making the 100k warranty transferable frosted said:
Well they are cheap so mainly driven by chavs etc, however to biggest issue is that they seem to fall apart after a 3 years and worth about 3-4k. Vauxhal missed a big trick in not making the 100k warranty transferable
Yeah, i cant remember the last time i saw a vectra/astra/corsa/cavalier which was more than 3-4 years old.In reference to the OP, the only reason the police all went to Hyundai's is because they are cheap.
That, and the government has created a national framework so all forces will end up all using the same armour, radios, equipment etc and this includes cars. 5 year warranty makes them more desirable.
However, in the 11,000 mile '11' plate i30 we have at the moment, all is not well. Rear window dropped and wouldnt go back up, headlight is out and it isnt the bulb (needs a new headlight), bettery goes flat if the vehicle is left not running for more than a couple of hours, and the key broke. Literally broke, as in, the key snapped out of the electronic fob. We fixed it with a staple.
Needless to say, our 2006 astra's were nudging 120,000k and still going strong.
Edited by Wafflesmk2 on Friday 17th February 02:00
I remember back in the 80's and 90's my Dad had a long line of Vauxhall Carlton Estates as work horses for his business ....
Would buy brand new, run for 2 years 50'000 miles a year, then hand to my mum for 2 years to even the milage out, whilst buying another one for himself!!!
Indestructible mile munchers they were, think he must have had 5 in a row!!
Would be sad to see Vauxhall go, one of the oldest British car names making "Horseless Carriages" since 1903 ...
Would buy brand new, run for 2 years 50'000 miles a year, then hand to my mum for 2 years to even the milage out, whilst buying another one for himself!!!
Indestructible mile munchers they were, think he must have had 5 in a row!!
Would be sad to see Vauxhall go, one of the oldest British car names making "Horseless Carriages" since 1903 ...
On a slight tangent here, but in Australia where Holden is the equivalent of Vauxhall (being owned by GM and using many rebranded Opel products), it has been announced that Opel will start selling cars, oddly enough, out of Holden dealerships. This is partly due to Holden having ceased selling the Corsa and Astra products and relying on the Korean made products.
GM had too many brands, it has gotten rid of a few through its recent troubles, but surely the money men would be wanting to cut down on the marketing and branding departments. I have no doubt that eventaully Opel will take over Holden for everything but large cars, but even that would be probably rebranded as Chevy. By that stage will there still be a market for a V8 powered family car from a non German manufacturer?
Back in the UK, what is the Vauxhall brand actually worth today though? Many people will hark back to past glories, but how many such fans would walk into a Vauxhall dealership and buy a car today? Maybe as in Australia, bringing in the Opel badge will try to bring up the image closer to VW who seem to be snapping at the heels of Audi to the average punter, not as a competitor to Ford/Vauxhall.
GM had too many brands, it has gotten rid of a few through its recent troubles, but surely the money men would be wanting to cut down on the marketing and branding departments. I have no doubt that eventaully Opel will take over Holden for everything but large cars, but even that would be probably rebranded as Chevy. By that stage will there still be a market for a V8 powered family car from a non German manufacturer?
Back in the UK, what is the Vauxhall brand actually worth today though? Many people will hark back to past glories, but how many such fans would walk into a Vauxhall dealership and buy a car today? Maybe as in Australia, bringing in the Opel badge will try to bring up the image closer to VW who seem to be snapping at the heels of Audi to the average punter, not as a competitor to Ford/Vauxhall.
GM have certainly said they want to be very aggressive with the Chevvy brand in the UK, aiming to double sales in the UK by 2015.
And from Autocar yesterday:
GM’s overall profit for 2011, its first full year of trading since emerging from bankruptcy, stood at $7.6 billion (£4.83bn). Its previous profits record was in 1997, when it made $6.7bn (£4.3bn).
The full-year loss for GM’s European arm, which includes Opel-Vauxhall, was an improvement from the near $2bn (£1.3bn) that it lost in 2010, but fourth quarter losses were $562m (£358m) alone due to the financial insecurity the continent is currently engulfed in.
GM has persistently stated it has no desire to sell Opel-Vauxhall and is committed to fixing it, but it has not ruled out making further cuts. Dan Ammann, GM’s financial chief, said that the restructuring of Opel’s business over the past two years “has not gone far enough and has not reached break even in the environment we're in today”.
He confirmed GM was in talks with unions regarding further cuts, but did not comment on the future of plants including Britain's Ellesmere Port. GM is “looking at all elements of the business," he said, "to make sure that we make the changes we need to make to get the business profitable."
And from Autocar yesterday:
GM’s overall profit for 2011, its first full year of trading since emerging from bankruptcy, stood at $7.6 billion (£4.83bn). Its previous profits record was in 1997, when it made $6.7bn (£4.3bn).
The full-year loss for GM’s European arm, which includes Opel-Vauxhall, was an improvement from the near $2bn (£1.3bn) that it lost in 2010, but fourth quarter losses were $562m (£358m) alone due to the financial insecurity the continent is currently engulfed in.
GM has persistently stated it has no desire to sell Opel-Vauxhall and is committed to fixing it, but it has not ruled out making further cuts. Dan Ammann, GM’s financial chief, said that the restructuring of Opel’s business over the past two years “has not gone far enough and has not reached break even in the environment we're in today”.
He confirmed GM was in talks with unions regarding further cuts, but did not comment on the future of plants including Britain's Ellesmere Port. GM is “looking at all elements of the business," he said, "to make sure that we make the changes we need to make to get the business profitable."
Crafty_ said:
One factory (which IIRC has had issues before?) goes to a 4 day week and therefore its all going to go down the tubes ?
They build Astras there, which until recently Opel were building in Belgium, that work moved to Poland (I think).
You'll probably find they are shifting work elsewhere..
Erm, pre-tax losses of 447 million Euros apparantly.They build Astras there, which until recently Opel were building in Belgium, that work moved to Poland (I think).
You'll probably find they are shifting work elsewhere..
007 VXR said:
Vulgar LS2 said:
JayTee94 said:
Vulgar LS2 said:
would anyone miss them if they were to go?
I might, I have always (mostly) preferred VX to Fords. JayTee94's household have owned a fair few aswell. 
, I think that is where they peaked though.I drive an 05 Astra and really like it. Nothing has gone wrong in 3 years of ownership, and I would have one again over the hateful Focus. I do how ever really like the cars Kia are making...cheaper, better kit, and look very nice.
Have Vauxhall and Ford to some respect missed out on the company car market? I remember when every company car was a Astra/Focus/Vectra/Mondeo...and now its seems its a diesel 3 series, A3/A4 or Golf due to its image of being a premium brand and everyone thinks they will seem to be a success if they drive one.
Have Vauxhall and Ford to some respect missed out on the company car market? I remember when every company car was a Astra/Focus/Vectra/Mondeo...and now its seems its a diesel 3 series, A3/A4 or Golf due to its image of being a premium brand and everyone thinks they will seem to be a success if they drive one.
Vulgar LS2 said:
007 VXR said:
Vulgar LS2 said:
JayTee94 said:
Vulgar LS2 said:
would anyone miss them if they were to go?
I might, I have always (mostly) preferred VX to Fords. JayTee94's household have owned a fair few aswell. , I think that is where they peaked though.
williamp said:
GM have certainly said they want to be very aggressive with the Chevvy brand in the UK, aiming to double sales in the UK by 2015.
Part of the problem for me with them is that they are called Chevrolet, it's like they're trying to ride the coattails of something else. The cars themselves aren't that bad, but if someone told me they drove a Chevrolet I'd think 6.0 litre muscle car, not 0.8 litre postage stamp. They just need their own identify IMO.williamp said:
GM have certainly said they want to be very aggressive with the Chevvy brand in the UK, aiming to double sales in the UK by 2015.
And from Autocar yesterday:
GM’s overall profit for 2011, its first full year of trading since emerging from bankruptcy, stood at $7.6 billion (£4.83bn). Its previous profits record was in 1997, when it made $6.7bn (£4.3bn).
The full-year loss for GM’s European arm, which includes Opel-Vauxhall, was an improvement from the near $2bn (£1.3bn) that it lost in 2010, but fourth quarter losses were $562m (£358m) alone due to the financial insecurity the continent is currently engulfed in.
GM has persistently stated it has no desire to sell Opel-Vauxhall and is committed to fixing it, but it has not ruled out making further cuts. Dan Ammann, GM’s financial chief, said that the restructuring of Opel’s business over the past two years “has not gone far enough and has not reached break even in the environment we're in today”.
He confirmed GM was in talks with unions regarding further cuts, but did not comment on the future of plants including Britain's Ellesmere Port. GM is “looking at all elements of the business," he said, "to make sure that we make the changes we need to make to get the business profitable."
If I were the boss of GM, I'd be looking at making further changes at Opel/Vauxhall. Playing devils advocate, I'm not even that sure of the significance of the Vauxhall brand in the UK. If all the current Corsa/ Astra's etc all moved under the Opel banner, would that hurt sales? And from Autocar yesterday:
GM’s overall profit for 2011, its first full year of trading since emerging from bankruptcy, stood at $7.6 billion (£4.83bn). Its previous profits record was in 1997, when it made $6.7bn (£4.3bn).
The full-year loss for GM’s European arm, which includes Opel-Vauxhall, was an improvement from the near $2bn (£1.3bn) that it lost in 2010, but fourth quarter losses were $562m (£358m) alone due to the financial insecurity the continent is currently engulfed in.
GM has persistently stated it has no desire to sell Opel-Vauxhall and is committed to fixing it, but it has not ruled out making further cuts. Dan Ammann, GM’s financial chief, said that the restructuring of Opel’s business over the past two years “has not gone far enough and has not reached break even in the environment we're in today”.
He confirmed GM was in talks with unions regarding further cuts, but did not comment on the future of plants including Britain's Ellesmere Port. GM is “looking at all elements of the business," he said, "to make sure that we make the changes we need to make to get the business profitable."
It's interesting that Ford has pretty much a centralised brand and it seems to work. VAG have about a dozen brands and that seems to work for them. Regardless, I can see that GM, with their new vision, want to capitalise on their new found success and won't want a loss running monster like Vauxhall/Opel, dragging them down.
PumpkinSteve said:
Part of the problem for me with them is that they are called Chevrolet, it's like they're trying to ride the coattails of something else. The cars themselves aren't that bad, but if someone told me they drove a Chevrolet I'd think 6.0 litre muscle car, not 0.8 litre postage stamp. They just need their own identify IMO.
Yep, I had to laugh when I first saw the 'Chevrolet' Matiz. You could probably put one down each cylinder of a big-block Camaro. I don't know if the perception of 'Chevy' and Corvette's/Camaro's is a British thing or everywhere outside the US. That said, in Costa Del Essex, I see a lot of new Captiva's trundling around. Seem pretty popular.
Fire99 said:
Vulgar LS2 said:
You're not wrong there Mark , I think that is where they peaked though.
I think the VXR8 is a brilliant piece of kit. Not for the shy, but if I were to keep the car for many years, I'd take one over an M5. , I think that is where they peaked though.Vulgar LS2 said:
I suppose the VXR8's are ok, but they just aren't special enough, I certainly would not change my monaro for one.
To be fair, they're just another model from the Holden stable. I like them both for their somewhat 'honest' approach to performance. Like hitting a nail with the biggest hammer you can find. Fire99 said:
I was just thinking about this current situation. Chevrolet is developing a stronger range of cars here in the UK so considering Vauxhall and Opel struggle to get out of the red, I wouldn't be surprised in a shift towards the 'home brand' with Chevrolet taking over the mantle in Europe.
Chevrolet should hang its head in shame. It's not developing a stronger range of cars here in the UK, it is cynically slapping a badge on some horrible Lancias. To then run a TV commercial harping on about "Detroit iron" is laughable. Perhaps the average punter knows or cares little about the actual car underneath, but in reality those punters will have already bought a Jazz. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff