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n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - focussed

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/04/16/vauxhall-t.../

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Kekettykek

I feel for Vauxhall, they are producing some decent cars right now but their sales have sunk by a lot more than seen by the rest of the industry. Badge snobbery is probably a huge factor and it's hard for them to compete when the unwashed masses can now get a premium German motor on angel dust finance.

Sadly I think once the Astra K has had its run then the doors will be shut on Ellesmere Port. Doesn't make much sense to build them both here and in Poland especially since all of the engines are made in Hungary.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - RobJP

A rather shocking part of the article :

Sales of Vauxhall cars have been falling for some time but the decline accelerated last year, dropping 22pc - more than three times the 5.7pc fall seen across the wider UK market. Last year Vauxhall sold 195,000 cars in the UK.

They need to look at their market positioning, warranty coverage and length and their pricing as a matter of some urgency. Before they become the next Rover.

Edited by RobJP on 16/04/2018 at 20:16

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - skidpan

We liked the current Astra when we looked earlier this year but under close scrutiny it fell from grace.

Like many cars it has no spare but unlike many cars there is actually no well in the boot to put one. You need a raised boot floor which reduced the boot capacity greatly, no isea of the actual figure since they are too embarased to have one. But with the raised floor in we could not fit the MIL's fold up wheel chair. It fits in the Note, it fitted in the Leon and it fits in the soon to arrive Fabia. All of those have a spare in as well.

Then there is the fact that the salesman never actually contaced us as promised to arrange a drive in a petrol modol, all their demo's were diesels.

Any wonder we bought the Fabia. Bigger boot, cheaper and the dealer sells petrols.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - focussed

I'm guessing that they will take back the dealers on a revised contract, that have a record of good sales figures with premises in good locations.

And a new dealer discount structure - less discount up front with bonus discounts for hitting sales targets, (if they don't do that allready)

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - oldroverboy.

Vauxhall have had a silly pricing strategy for years, along with some of the worst customer services in their dealerships for ages, and the usage of poor quality engines, gearboxes and not least the publicity surrounding the "burning zafiras..."

Won't be sorry to see them disappear. In future they will only be rebadged peugots or citroens anyway.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - KJP 123

They are franchised dealers so I don’t see how this helps PSA except for what focussed has said which is probably the case.

But if you live away from a major centre of population where most marques are represented then what your most local dealer sells might influence your choice. Cutting the dealer network does not seem to help you sell more cars.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - SLO76
Years of cost cutting and mass discounting left too many poorly designed and built cars using a patchwork of components from whoever was the cheapest supplier at the time. You had to do your homework when buying a Vauxhall, get the wrong engine and you were almost guaranteed a nightmare at some point but get the right one and it could run and run. But back in the 70's,80's and 90's they were very well thought of and known for their mechanical simplicity and robustness.

Think of the Cavalier Mk III. These would run to huge mileages if looked after with few common issues to worry about and even these were an easy fix. While the Insignia is a disaster by the time it gets to six figure mileages, often well before.

Why did they offer the Astra with such a confused range of engines over the years too. The previous model had a 1.4 and 1.6 petrol, a 1.4 turbo, 1.6 turbo and 2.0 VXR missile while they also offered Fiat 1.3,1.6 and 2.0 diesels alongside the well liked Isuzu 1.7 diesel in two power outputs. It confused buyers and dealers who've no idea how to price half of them. Doesn't help that the Fiat motors tend to explode by 80,000 miles which tarnishes the rest of the range.

The current Corsa is dull as hell to look at and again has a confusing array of engines. 1.2,1.4 petrol, 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 turbos and 1.3 diesels. There's no need for half of them and each extra option on the assembly line adds costs. Less choice but improve what's there and make the damn things reliable. It's daft to offer so many engines in a super mini.

PSA should slim down the range, simplify it plus they'll save a fortune via quantities of scale, buying components much more cheaply and through saving on development costs by sharing the same basic platforms across the firm.

They do need to push Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall/Opel futher apart though as they currently compete head to head. But how do they do this? There in lies a challenge, one I hope the lessons from Saab have been learned. It's a shame they pulled the plug before this deal went through though as PSA have been looking to enter the premium market for many years and the Saab badge could've been the door to this.
n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - colinh

Are they sold as Vauxhalls in other countries? Never really understood the marketing logic of just relying on home sales. The England v. Germany football match last November is a classic - on TV, to presumably an UK and German audience - advertising Vauxhall, which is only a meaningful name to part of the audience - whereas the cars are basically German with a different roundel stuck on

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Falkirk Bairn

Vx has a broad product range but

1) none are best in the class

2) Lots sold @ big discounts to Day rent

& cheap leasing deals to large fleets.

3) Indifferent quality

4) Indifferent dealers

New owners, Franch - are they the ones to invest, raise quality & start selling cars the man in the street wants to buy? I doubt it but if they merely rebadge Pug/Citroen.

They do not know what part of the market to compete in

There are cheaper makes eg Dacia

There are some better quality mass market cars from Korea - Hyundai/Kia

There are mass market quality makes Toyota, Honda

There are badge sellers - BMW/MB

Vx/Opel are not competing seriously in any market - Hence GM sold them off before they became a SAAB - premium priced but mediocre quality.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Warning

Vauxhall made a very interesting electric car - the Vauxhall Ampera (original one).

I saw a used one for sale at Vauxhall, booked an appointment for a test drive.

I drove one hour with to reach the dealership. I had borrowed someone's car to get there. As my car was not working.

Only to be told, the car was sold!!. Sold in one hour?. They did not bother to call me, so I don't have a wasted journey.

The person who bought it, turned out to be a sales guy who worked at the same Vauxhall dealership.

They had a second Ampera, but the battery was flat. It would take time to re-charge it!. They wanted me to come back another day for a test drive!!

After much frustrattion, the dealership let me test drive the car which he said was sold, but it was full of dirty sweet wrappers, coke cans. How can that be?

He let me test drive this Ameria. It seems the car was being used as a personal joyride by the salesguy.....

The second Ampera which was still for sale, had higher mileage, but was more expensive!. He would not budge on price.

Reading the reviews of the Vauxhall dealership, put me off, people complaining about poor servicing etc..... The Ampera, is a specialist electric / petrol car. If they struggle with a regular car, how can they service a unique offering?

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - KJP 123

Are they sold as Vauxhalls in other countries?

Not that I know of: In Australia they would be Holdens.

But at one time what Ford and GM sold in mainland Europe varied to what was sold in UK: Taunus v Cortina, Kadett v Viva.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - daveyK_UK

There appears to be plenty of manufacturers with major gaps in their dealership coverage in major cities.

They should pick up new manufacturers to represent, but these new manufacturers are unlikely to push the same volume of cars which could leave some sales staff strugling.

It appears the new Vauxhall Grandland X and Crossland X are re-bagged Peugeots, and both are only offered by vauxhall with minimal discounts compared to the remainder of the Vauxhall range which are all GM products which are avaialble at big discounts as part of the GM philosophy of chasing volume.

I do wonder if Peugeot/Citroen will position Vauxhall as the budget brand of the 4 brands or will they demote Citroen to the budget brand?

DS will stay the sports/style brand, they have ambition to push Peugeot up market (still not happened), but Citroen and Vauxhall are both currently fishing in the same middle ground crowded pond.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - SLO76
In the late 80’s and into the mid 90’s Peugeot’s ( 205, 306 and 405) sold on their looks and driver appeal, dealers didn’t have to give them away but PSA took their eye off the ball, allowed the accountants to overrule the engineers and the rot set in with half hearted efforts like the 206, 307, 308 and 407. These sold on price alone. They’re making good efforts to turn things around with some genuinely interesting new models coming along. Some of the best drives I’ve had in my life were in Peugeot’s, I hope they return to form.
n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - daveyK_UK

I still havent read one compelling reason why PSA purchased vauxhall/Opel

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - SteveLee

I said on the day of the announcement PSA are buying Vauxhall/Opel simply to kill off a budget/mid-range competitor. They'll probably only exist as a badge in 5 years time - if at all. Perhaps they'll try to go more upmarket with the existing PSA brands and use Vauxhall/Opel to sell bare-bones Peugeot/Citroens at the bottom end of the market? Much like the Renault/Dacia model.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Avant

I think Steve has it right. Vauxhall / Opel have made huge losses over tha past few years, and if they don't turn a profit soon PSA will close them down - simple as that. Possibly sell off the Luton van operation which I think does better.

Vauxhall have made losses while their direct competitors have made money. I presume that's mainly because thre bulk of their sales are to fleets who screw them for massive discounts. For private buyers like me, there never seems to be a compelling reason to put a Vauxhall on a shortlist. The only one that ever really tempted me was the Mark 2 Cavalier back in the 1980s. The semi-automatic Corsa that I once had as a courtesy car for a few days was the worst car I've ever driven, bar none (and I speak as one who has driven a Chrysler Horizon).

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - focussed

"Possibly sell off the Luton van operation which I think does better"£

I doubt they will sell it off Avant, PSA have just invested £100 million +

Earlier this month Vauxhall was given a boost in the UK when its parent agreed a £100m-plus investment in its Luton plant which produces vans, securing production there for at least the next decade.

I've got a bit of a soft-spot for Luton as it was:-

My grandfather worked at Vauxhall Luton for 40 years, my great-uncle worked at Skefco Luton, now SKF, and my mum worked in the straw hat trade in Luton - all commuting daily from Bedford by train.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Gibbo_Wirral

I still havent read one compelling reason why PSA purchased vauxhall/Opel

I wondered if it was for the Astra. Peugeot's current range just seems to be SUVs, which not everyone wants.

I did read on another motoring page today that it was so PSA could focus Vauxhall on fleet vehicles.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - focussed

Sold as Opel in Europe - the Corsa is strangely popular here in north-west France, I see quite a few about, we have a large Opel dealer in our nearest big town.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - dadbif
Remember the HA Vivas??? There weren’t around for long before they returned to the earth
n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - barney100

Shame if Vauxhall go the way of Saab, Rover, Simca, the list goes on. First car was a Vauxhall Viva HB but the engine blew, bought a Victor, rusted badly as did the next Viva. I've been reluctant to buy them ever since but to be fair my daughter's Insignia estate is a decent car.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - skidpan

Remember the HA Vivas??? There weren’t around for long before they returned to the earth

Agreed but Anglias and BMC 1100's were no better. If you had a Renault 4 they lasted well as did small Simcas and even Peugeots (but they were relatively expensive).

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - barney100

I think they called the HA 'the Marsbar" if I remember.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - colinh

"Badge snobbery is probably a huge factor and it's hard for them to compete when the unwashed masses can now get a premium German motor on angel dust finance."

Selling them as Opels rather than Vauxhalls would give them instant "German" appeal

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Manatee

Selling them as Opels rather than Vauxhalls would give them instant "German" appeal

I've wondered before why they never did that - based in research I expect. The 'traditional' people who look for a 'British' marque perhaps wouldn't want them. And the Peugeot/Renault/Fiat customers (for example) would be able to see easily enough that they were the same as Vauxhalls anyway.

I haven't had a Vauxhall since the late 80s (a Carlton estate and a Cavalier, both with the 8 valve 2.0 litre engine). I loved them. The current Astra is said to be a good car. I can't get excited about the [insert whatever the Vectra's successor is called, I can't even remember the name].

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - daveyK_UK
It’s runoured they can build the Vauxhall Viva and ship it to the UK for £4,000 before taxes and OTR costs.
No wonder there are hundreds pre-reg on 18 plates.
n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - daveyjp
I have long lasting memories of my dad limping a mid 70s Viva home from Dover to Yorkshire after a holiday in France.

He then spent hours stripping it down and rebuilding the engine.

My sister's first car was a Nova with a gearbox which felt like the gears had been thrown in and it was luck they aligned when required.

I did have a Cavalier 1.8 on hire in the late 80s which was a reasonable car. A few years later I was given a Corsa 3 cylinder as a loan car folliwng an accident, what were they thinking?

Needless to say you will never see a Vauxhall in my drive!

History is now repeating itself as, despite my sister's and dad's protestations and memories of nightmare Vauxhalls, my nephew wants a Corsa as his first car!

Its what the yoof have apparently. No doubt he will learn.
n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Manatee
It’s runoured they can build the Vauxhall Viva and ship it to the UK for £4,000 before taxes and OTR costs.

That wouldn't surprise. Car making is a largely fixed cost business and I suspect that number is the marginal cost.

Taking all the fixed costs into account it's almost certainly much higher. Hence the obsession with volume.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Gibbo_Wirral

Vauxhall's latest media marketing campaign does press heavily on being British. "A British company since 1902" I think the tagline is.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Snakey

I've had plenty of Vauxhall over the years and currently have one now, I would be sad to see Vx decline especially when a rotten company like VW seems to cling on!

Badge snobbery and 'perceived quality' have always been against Vauxhall (and probably the likes of Ford) - I've have more issues with toyotas and VWs then Fords or Vauxhalls in the past - they're far from perfect but usually cheaper to fix anyway.

There also still seems to be a halo over the likes of toyota/vw based on past glories - ok I'm sure toyota still rate higher in the reliability stakes, but vw's are surely one of the bigger liabilities on the roads these days!

I notice a lot of people complaining about their dads 70s/80's Vauxhalls, as if every car built back then wasn't a rusty old skip!

I agree with the previous comment though about engine range, Vx really need to tighten the engines available - stick to turbo petrols and their latest diesels to simplify things.

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - Chrome

My friends dads fern metallic green Cavalier 1.6 Mk2 GLS with velour seats the colour of tomato plant stalks was a very comfortable car. I always liked the dashboards of the mid 1980's Vauxhalls as they were designed and angled around the driver with good looking clear instruments. Vauxhall were also class leaders in developing modern vans which drove well, the Astra van was excellent. Remember the Astramax van? Clarkson used to consider these the 'fastest' vehicles on the road back in the day!

n/a - Vauxhall & Opel to terminate all dealer contracts. - daveyK_UK
The astravan was a great, I never understood why GM moved away from a niche product that had appeal and a following.