Vauxhall is the UK arm of General Motors European operations, although with GME's takeover imminent and several bids being considered, it is difficult to say who will own Vauxhall - the Mangna group is currently looking favourite at time of writing. Vauxhall rebrands all of GM Europe's Opel models for sale in the UK, as Vauxhall was a UK brand that was felt the public identified with, so despite being rebadged Opels owned by a US firm there is a sense of "Britishness" about the brand as it is not on sale anywhere else.
Current UK Vauxhall Models:
Vauxhall Agila
The Vauxhall Agila is the smallest model that Vauxhall make, and it shares a platform with a Suzuki model - the first generation was a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R, with no real modifications, this second generation is shared with the Suzuki Splash, which while having some shared body panels, has a different nose and interior. The Vauxhall Agila is available as a 5 door hatch only and starts from £8295 on the road.
Vauxhall Corsa
The Vauxhall Corsa is one of the most popular cars in the UK. Now in its 3rd generation, it was originally an evolution of the Vauxhall Nova model (that was badged Opel Corsa in Europe) and is a supermini class car similar in size to the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo models, who are 2 of its biggest competitors. The Corsa is available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback, with a wide range of engines, and prices starting from £8695 in the UK.
Vauxhall Astra
The Vauxhall Astra is a mid size hatchback that again is very popular in the UK, selling against the VW Golf and Ford Focus models. It is available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback, a hard top convertible model known as the Twintop, or an estate version, with a huge combination of engine and trim levels (184 at the last count). The 3 door differs in style significantly from the 5 door, being much more overtly sporty, and the Twintop model is much longer than either replacing the previous generation Astra Coupe model.
Vauxhall Insignia
The Vauxhall Insignia is the executive flagship model in the range that rivals the VW Passat and Ford Mondeo for sales, and sells both as a family car and an fleet car - the diesel models in particular are popular with company car fleets. The Insignia takes over from the previous Vectra model, which was a replacement for the long running Cavalier model.
Vauxhall Meriva
The Vauxhall Meriva is the smallest of the MPV people carrier models in the Vauxhall range, being based on a floorpan the size of the Corsas, but with a raised roof line and individual seats. The Meriva has the firms flexible seating option also seen on the Zafira, to allow individual seats to be folded or removed for flexible storage, but is considerable more expensive than the Corsa on which its based.
Vauxhall Zafira
The Vauxhall Zafira is the manufacturers compact mid size MPV, and is based on the Astra Platform. It has the companies Flex Seven seating which gives a 3rd row of seats in the back that fold from the floor allowing whole families to be transported, or the seats can be stowed and boot space freed up. The Zafira sells against the Ford C-Max and Renault Scenic models.
Vauxhall Tigra
The Vauxhall Tigra is a compact 2 seat convertible based on the Corsa platform, and similar in size to a supermini. It has an ever popular folding hard top roof that folds in just 2 parts giving a neat style either up or down, and does not suffer from the swollen rear end syndrome most Coupe-cabriolets compromise with.
Vauxhall Antara
The Vauxhall Antara is a compact 4x4 SUV off roader similar in size to a Toyota Rav4 or VW Tiguan. It replaced the popular but unreliable Frontera in the line up, and despite the proliferation of SUV's in GM's US range, this is the only SUV model offered by Vauxhall in the UK. The Antara also sells as the Saturn Vue in the US and the Holden Captiva in Australia.
Vauxhall VXR8
The Vauxhall VXR8 is a rebadged Holden HSV Clubsport model brought over from Australia to give Vauxhall a performance flagship. It features the 6.2 litre V8 GM engine from the Corvette model and is a powerful brute of a car with many reviewers describing it as unsophisticated fast fun. It also sells in the US as the Pontiac G8 model.
Manufacturer website:
www.vauxhall.co.uk
Vauxhall is the UK arm of General Motors European operations, although with GME's takeover imminent and several bids being considered, it is difficult to say who will own Vauxhall - the Mangna group is currently looking favourite at time of writing. Vauxhall rebrands all of GM Europe's Opel models for sale in the UK, as Vauxhall was a UK brand that was felt the public identified with, so despite being rebadged Opels owned by a US firm there is a sense of "Britishness" about the brand as it is not on sale anywhere else.
Current UK Vauxhall Models:
Vauxhall Agila
The Vauxhall Agila is the smallest model that Vauxhall make, and it shares a platform with a Suzuki model - the first generation was a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R, with no real modifications, this second generation is shared with the Suzuki Splash, which while having some shared body panels, has a different nose and interior. The Vauxhall Agila is available as a 5 door hatch only and starts from £8295 on the road.
Vauxhall Corsa
The Vauxhall Corsa is one of the most popular cars in the UK. Now in its 3rd generation, it was originally an evolution of the Vauxhall Nova model (that was badged Opel Corsa in Europe) and is a supermini class car similar in size to the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo models, who are 2 of its biggest competitors. The Corsa is available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback, with a wide range of engines, and prices starting from £8695 in the UK.
Vauxhall Astra
The Vauxhall Astra is a mid size hatchback that again is very popular in the UK, selling against the VW Golf and Ford Focus models. It is available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback, a hard top convertible model known as the Twintop, or an estate version, with a huge combination of engine and trim levels (184 at the last count). The 3 door differs in style significantly from the 5 door, being much more overtly sporty, and the Twintop model is much longer than either replacing the previous generation Astra Coupe model.
Vauxhall Insignia
The Vauxhall Insignia is the executive flagship model in the range that rivals the VW Passat and Ford Mondeo for sales, and sells both as a family car and an fleet car - the diesel models in particular are popular with company car fleets. The Insignia takes over from the previous Vectra model, which was a replacement for the long running Cavalier model.
Vauxhall Meriva
The Vauxhall Meriva is the smallest of the MPV people carrier models in the Vauxhall range, being based on a floorpan the size of the Corsas, but with a raised roof line and individual seats. The Meriva has the firms flexible seating option also seen on the Zafira, to allow individual seats to be folded or removed for flexible storage, but is considerable more expensive than the Corsa on which its based.
Vauxhall Zafira
The Vauxhall Zafira is the manufacturers compact mid size MPV, and is based on the Astra Platform. It has the companies Flex Seven seating which gives a 3rd row of seats in the back that fold from the floor allowing whole families to be transported, or the seats can be stowed and boot space freed up. The Zafira sells against the Ford C-Max and Renault Scenic models.
Vauxhall Tigra
The Vauxhall Tigra is a compact 2 seat convertible based on the Corsa platform, and similar in size to a supermini. It has an ever popular folding hard top roof that folds in just 2 parts giving a neat style either up or down, and does not suffer from the swollen rear end syndrome most Coupe-cabriolets compromise with.
Vauxhall Antara
The Vauxhall Antara is a compact 4x4 SUV off roader similar in size to a Toyota Rav4 or VW Tiguan. It replaced the popular but unreliable Frontera in the line up, and despite the proliferation of SUV's in GM's US range, this is the only SUV model offered by Vauxhall in the UK. The Antara also sells as the Saturn Vue in the US and the Holden Captiva in Australia.
Vauxhall VXR8
The Vauxhall VXR8 is a rebadged Holden HSV Clubsport model brought over from Australia to give Vauxhall a performance flagship. It features the 6.2 litre V8 GM engine from the Corvette model and is a powerful brute of a car with many reviewers describing it as unsophisticated fast fun. It also sells in the US as the Pontiac G8 model.
Manufacturer website: www.vauxhall.co.uk
