Why would you get so worked up about their brand name ? Whether or not I am a fan of a car I don't see getting excited about what they choose to call it.
As it happens they use GM in South America.
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I agree with Imagos here. Why not simply call them the Opels or Holdens or Suzukis or Isuzus they really are? Most ridiculous of the lot was to call the Holden Monaro the Vauxhall Monaro. Sure the Vauxhall name has a glorious history. But its history is in the past.
HJ
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So was the Monaro brought in to sell, or brought in to give an image boost to the Vauxhall brand?
My thoughts
General Motors (or GM) has no meaning here at all. The vast UK car buying public has no idea what it means.
Opel is known as German, German = quality (true or no thats what people think)
Vauxhall means rust to the old ones (50 & above) and Luton (the place) to everyone. (yes I know that they have a plant at Elesmere - most of the rest of the country dont tho). They know Luton has shut so they think all Vauxhalls are imported from somewhere.
So - dump the name, it really does not have that much of a glorious past (none in fact - its always been a maker of averagely good non descript cars) and go.........
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OPEL
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Not quite right. There was an article on Vauxhall ( when they were named after Faux Hall) in the Telegraph ages ago. Apparently when they first started they made racing cars, and their biggest rivals were Bentley.
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Here's a bit of non motoring trivia
The Russian word for railway station is "Voksal" but in cyrillic. This is because the first railway station ever built in Russia is a copy of Vauxhall station in London. Don't worry, they did build another one so the trains had somewhere to go.
So (back to motoring), if GM did kill the name, it would sort of live on....
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"The Russian word for railway station is "Voksal" but in cyrillic. This is because the first railway station ever built in Russia is a copy of Vauxhall station in London. Don't worry, they did build another one so the trains had somewhere to go."
You what?> you pulling my plonker or what? Who would want to copy Vauxhall station? Does the russion one say "Alight here for the Oval"
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You what?> you pulling my plonker or what? Who would want to copy Vauxhall station? Does the russion one say "Alight here for the Oval"
The bloke who had the great idea was a Tsar, and sometimes there's no accounting for taste. He got the idea while visiting his cousins in London.
Never been to Vauxhall station, that bad is it? The Russian copy's not much to shout about from memory. They should have gone for a nice GWR station....
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I suppose calling it a Vauxhall links it to the rest of the "family" of Vauxhalls past and present.
Now you may argue that is a good, or perhaps bad thing but where Holden as a brand, has little or no brand value or awareness in the UK, Vauxhall has....
Though admittedly in the case of the Monaro, it's market would probably be more motoring "aware" and know the Monaro's background anyway.
That's my 2p worth....personally I'd prefer if they called all Vxs, Opels, like the rest of EMEA.
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EMEA?
I know where you work!
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I truly don't see the point. It has two names - e.g. Vauxhall Vectra. It is what it is and I see no more relevance from one name than the other.
Or did you really care that Jif was really Cif and Ulay actually Olay?? In which case you should never look at the names of Audio, Video or computing equipment - it just might finish you off permanently.
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You may not see the problem Mark(*1) - but ......
Cars are sold on two things(*2) Looks and Image. Image is almost always created by Brand marketing and Advertising. Hence Brand name matters. I expect GM go through this "shall we dump it or keep it exercise every year" As soon as there is a sniff thaqt another name would be better the Vauxhall name is dogmeat. Tell me - if the company went bust would anyone want to buy the brand name vauxhall?
(1*) The fact that it has not been dumped indicates there is no problem
(2*) Dont start bitching and whining at me saying you chose your car on its technical merits and you did huge research, as have I have told you before, because you are on this board you are not normal.(*3)
(3*) Possibly even with respect to your car knowledge ;)
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I suppose it's down to the fact that they do still get people buying it because it's a UK name, even if logically they do know that it's not a UK company any more.
Were they to change to Opel, I don't think they would benefit from the German = quality POV. In this country while BWM et al are regarded in that way (rightly or wrongly) Opel just doesn't mean that to most people.
If anything, I think the majority of UK buyers would connect the Opel name with that rusting Monza down the road!
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To answer the first question - Vauxhall is named after the Vauxhall area of London where the company was founded.
Vauxhall has also been around longer than Opel (Vauxhall established in 1857, Opel in 1898. If they hand't both become part of GM, then this whole topic would be irrelevant.
I suspect that this country is one of the few where badge snobbery is alive and well (witness the success of BMW and the attitude to Mercedes in Europe).
At the end of the day, if it's the badge means so much to you, buy something else.
Andy
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Don't know how to link to it, but this whole Vauxhall/Opel thing was discussed last year on 14-15 July under the thread "Vauxhall/Opel"
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Don't know how to link to it, but this whole Vauxhall/Opel thing was discussed last year on 14-15 July under the thread "Vauxhall/Opel"
I've combined the two threads. DD.
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If anything, I think the majority of UK buyers would connect the Opel name with that rusting Monza down the road!
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Yes, the old Opels rusted as badly as any old Vauxhall did.
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Yes, the old Opels rusted as badly as any old Vauxhall did.
My old Vauxhall Chevette rusted in the sills as badly as its Opel equivalent, but also had an extra Vauxhall-added rust trap. The addition of Vauxhall's scoop-nose had been done without any attention to rust-proofing, so (like all Chevettes) the wings rusted through in a vertical line which would have marked the front of the equivalent Opel Kadett.
And the Vauxhall engine lasted about half as long as its Opel equivalent.
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The addition of Vauxhall's scoop-nose had been done without any attention to rust-proofing, so (like all Chevettes) the wings rusted through in a vertical line which would have marked the front of the equivalent Opel Kadett.
Mine did that too. Ended up with holes.
And the Vauxhall engine lasted about half as long as its Opel equivalent.
Mine succumbed to HGF at 130,000 miles. No point replacing the engine as the rest of the car was falling apart. 1982 X reg in 1993.
Eleven year old cars last a bit longer now!
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Mine succumbed to HGF at 130,000 miles. No point replacing the engine as the rest of the car was falling apart. 1982 X reg in 1993.
You did well! Mine was a 1980 V-reg, died at end of 89 at 65,000 miles, which my mechnaic said was par for the course. Not sure exactly what happened, but it lost power, made a noise like giants fighting with spanners, and the engine was dry of oil. Scrap.
Got a rebuilt engine installed for £150, which was probably a waste of money, cos everything else then started failing.
Eleven year old cars last a bit longer now!
Yes, thank goodness!
I liked the Chevette a lot, though. Not fast or fancy, but very easy to drive: the rwd gave it a very smooth and direct gearbox and light unassisted steering. Pity it was so badly made.
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I liked the Chevette a lot, though. Not fast or fancy, but very easy to drive: the rwd gave it a very smooth and direct gearbox and light unassisted steering. Pity it was so badly made.
Mine was a barrel scrapingly bottom of the range ES. The seats didn't recline! Less to go wrong though.
You're right, nice car to drive, got 35mpg no problem, even handled nicely. I can almost see the USP of the BMW 1 series (small rear wheel drive), apart from the ticket price and the styling.
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>>Mine was a barrel scrapingly bottom of the range ES.
You were lucky. I drove a Chevanne.
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My happy thought for the day. Mark forced to drive a Chevanne
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Why on earth would a company that alternates most months with Ford to have the largest new car/van sales in the UK want to change its name?
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Maybe so, change the name, it's seemed to work for dawoo
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i had my dads viva
the rust ahad rust spots on it
they dont nake em like that now
"yes there are laws against it!"
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Well said Victor. Regardless of whether a brand name reflects the heritage of the design/build, regardless of whether some people consider it a 'naff' brand name, the sales don't lie. It works, don't change it.
Something those who changed Royal Mail (second most recognised brand in the world after Coca Cola) to 'Consignia' didn't appreciate. Was 'Consignia' considered a good idea in hindsight?
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Royal Mail use Vaxhalls.
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Probably because they fit their needs.
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Something those who changed Royal Mail (second most recognised brand in the world after Coca Cola) ......
Slightly off topic (not that that seems to stop anybody ;-) ) but I would have thought anyone of Pepsi, McDonalds, Mercedes, Ford, Toyota, Sony etc. would be a more regcognisable global brand than Royal mail?
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Why on earth are we Brits such brand snobs? Does this largely emanate from people who know so little about cars that the only thing they can make a judgement on is a name. The truth of the matter is there is a great deal of cross pollination in the motor industry which I believe would surprise many. In Germany Opels are still seen as a reasonable quality car and no great distinction is made to BMW for example until you get to the larger and more expensive models.
There seems little point in condeming modern day Vauxhalls on experiences with Chevettes.
If you look around at say Mk2 Cavaliers from 1989 onwards they are no more rusty than anything else and indeed two years ago I sold a 1996 Vectra which was then seven years old and bodywise was immaculate. One of the cars that parks near me in the works car park is an 'L' reg 320 BMW and it has two ripe front wings rusting in a way that I have not seen for quite a while.
I'm sure it is not typical but it perhaps illustrates that the world is noy so simplistic as some of these 'knocking'threads would suggest.
SR
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But most of all, GM, don't bother branding Daewoos as Chevrolets. I really, really, really, can't see what this is supposed to achieve.
To me, Daewoo is synonymous with cheap and cheerful motors made in Dullsville, Korea. Pays yer money, makes yer choice.
Chevrolet on the other hand is synonymous with appallingly built lumps of angle iron. Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap. No class, no quality, no style, in fact no nothing, and I include all Corvettes here, too; As well as having seen several older ones in the past, I took a detailed look at a brand new one a few weeks ago. Complete carp beyond the gloss, all of them.
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'L' reg 320 BMW and it has two ripe front wings rusting in a way that I have not seen for quite a while.
I don't know the rust reputation of this model, but this could be the result of a poor quality accident repair in the past.
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In america they turned a Omega into a Cadalac, no changes just the badge. What a way to ruin a car.
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Schoolboy look on this link,
www.familycar.com/RoadTests/CadillacCatera/Photos....m
If your familier with the Omega you'll notice the subtle diffrences inside and out. Actually I quite like it. Never seen one here though and if there is one i'm sure it'll be a headturner to people in the know.
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I like the new recessed centre console and the upside down tail lights! They look more menacing. That huge 3rd brake light isn't too bad either and that grille - wow! You would move out fo the way for that!
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Adam
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