Latest News
Thursday 24th November 2011 - 11:31
VAUXHALL ASTRA GTC
Closely based on last year’s stunning GTC Paris concept, the Astra GTC enters the UK market – the biggest in Europe for this model – priced from just £18,495, nearly £1,350 less than the basic VW Scirocco. But even in entry-level trim, the Astra GTC adopts the sophisticated HiPerStrut front suspension derived from the Insignia VXR, offering precision handling and unmatched stability.
The third body style to come off the Astra’s Delta platform (following the Hatch and last year’s Sports Tourer), the only exterior design elements the GTC shares with its siblings are door handles and the roof aerial – even the wheelbase and tracks are different. Brit, Mark Adams, Vauxhall’s Vice President of Design, has aimed to create a car that looks like it’s been plucked from the class above, with its low, wide stance and simple, yet rakish lines.
UK Coupe market & rivals
Vauxhall’s current Astra has already laid down successful foundations on which the GTC can thrive. In 2010, it was the UK’s second best-selling car overall, as well as the best-seller in its segment, with sales of 79,330, beating both the Focus (76,892) and the Golf (62,912).
The Astra’s lower medium segment is the second largest in the UK, accounting for 20.9 per cent of the total new car market, and coupe and three-door hatch sales make up 11.7 per cent of this segment (figures based on YTD April ’11).
And in previous years, the Astra Sport Hatch – GTC’s predecessor – dominated this class. In 2007 and 2008 it out-sold its nearest competitor by three-to-one, and up until last year was still the clear leader with total registrations of 11,451 in 2010 (Scirocco was 2nd, Audi A3 3rd, Megane Coupe 4th).
Overall in this segment, fleet and retail sales are split evenly at around 50:50 per cent and the GTC is expected to account for around 20 per of all Astra sales, much like its predecessor.
Naturally, the three key rivals Vauxhall identifies for the GTC reflect the main players in the current market: Volkswagen Scirocco, Renault Megane Coupe and the Audi A3 3-door.
However, given the GTC’s premium design and sophisticated underpinnings, Vauxhall also expects the BMW 1-Series to be potential competition.
Vauxhall’s traditional rival, Ford, has already announced that there will be no three-door Focus, giving the GTC a real advantage in this arena.
Thursday 24th November 2011 - 10:42
STAY SAFE ON THE ROADS THIS WINTER WITH VAUXHALL MASTERFIT’S
•Free Autoglym Winter Care Pack for each Winter Safety Check customer4
•Suggested retail price of safety check just £35
With cold winter weather on the horizon, Vauxhall owners can make sure their car is ready for any adverse conditions with Vauxhall MasterFit’s Winter Safety Check.
With the Winter Safety Check, available at a suggested retail price of just £35, expertly-trained Vauxhall MasterFit technicians will visually check your car for any potential safety issues, ensure tyres are inflated to their optimum, perform any advised software updates and top up all vital fluids (500ml max.). Each Winter Safety Check customer will also receive an Autoglym Winter Care Pack, worth £20, consisting of: 500ml de-icer, 500ml screenwash, an ice scraper and a Hi-Tech Interior Microfibre cloth.
“The Vauxhall MasterFit Winter Safety Check offers Vauxhall owners outstanding value and peace of mind that their vehicle is ready to face the winter months,” said Belinda Craik, Vauxhall Service Channel manager.
Vauxhall also asked Peter Rodger, Chief Examiner and Head of Driving Standards at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, for some top tips for motorists on driving in winter. Peter has provided the following advice:
•Keep your windscreen clear and clean your windows inside the car as well
•Check your car’s electrical systems are all working properly on a regular basis
•Use the air-conditioning to keep the air dry and reduce any misting-up
•Ensure your tyres have adequate tread (1.6mm is the legal minimum)
•Keep tyre pressures at the levels in your car’s handbook
•Plan your journeys and take weather conditions into account
•Carry a suitable emergency kit in the car with you
•In severe conditions, think hard about the need to travel
•If you do have to drive on icy or snowy roads, drive very smoothly
•Slow down gently by easing off the throttle and try to avoid applying the brakes
Tuesday 8th November 2011 - 12:33
Help for heros
Help for Heroes concert, 12 November
Why not join us on Saturday 12 November for a charity concert by the Vauxhall Male Voice Choir to raise money for Help for Heroes? There’ll be a chance to meet our Help for Heroes ambassador, Private Derek Derenalagi, who’ll be telling us how he has adjusted to life since losing his legs in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Venue: St Mary's Parish Church, Luton. Doors: 18:45. For tickets, call 01582 427630 or email vauxhallhelpforheroes@vauxhall.co.uk
Wednesday 26th October 2011 - 10:42
VAUXHALL ADVISES WHAT KIT TO FIT THIS WINTER
•Tyre covers are easily stored and fitted
•Priced from £49.95 RRP
•Autoglym Winter car care products also available
Vauxhall Retailers are once again offering a comprehensive range of accessories in preparation for the winter months, including the popular and highly effective AutoSock Snow Socks, tyre covers to get you out of a slippery situation in snowy and icy conditions.
AutoSock Snow Socks were a massive hit in 2010 with Vauxhall Retailers selling out rapidly. Vauxhall was one of the first car retailer groups to offer the innovative product, which give motorists assistance in making unavoidable or emergency journeys more safely throughout the unpredictable British winter. They are far less bulky and awkward than snow chains and simply slip over the driving wheels of a vehicle and work by creating friction.
During the heavy snow falls and plummeting temperatures last winter, insurers paid out £530 million to motorists in 278,000 claims*, many of which were for accidental damage caused by driving on slippery roads - a risk that could be reduced by the extra grip afforded by AutoSock Snow Socks
“It’s often difficult to avoid driving on snow and ice during the winter and the weather forecast for the next few months suggests that we will be challenged again very soon,” said Sophie Thomas, Vauxhall Accessories Manager. “For the journeys we have to make, whether it’s getting home from work or picking the kids up from school, AutoSock Snow Socks provide extra grip that could make all the difference when the roads are slippery.”
AutoSock Snow Socks are available from Vauxhall Retailers starting at £49.95 RRP and can be used on all makes and models of vehicles. In addition, Vauxhall Retailers are also offering a range of Autoglym products including De-Icer and Concentrated Screenwash, both available at £3.99, which will help to keep your windscreen clear and give you a better view when behind the wheel.
Thursday 29th September 2011 - 10:56
VAUXHALL ROADTRIP APP KEEPS JOURNEYS ON TRACK
The free new app offers a range of smart features for tracking business miles, to make creating mileage claims quicker and easier. It simplifies the process by allowing drivers to automatically build up a library of locations and favourite journeys, without needing to enter the same information more than once.
Road Trip goes further than other smart phone map applications by suiting its functionality to drivers; especially those calculating business expenses.
The app allows users to choose from any vehicle from Vauxhall, as well as other manufacturers, enter a destination and plan a route. The app can then work out any mileage rates, what the journey will cost and any other likely expenses.
Vauxhall recognises that the end of a business day is not always the end of the working day. RoadTrip has been developed to include a selection of utilities that make business drivers’ lives easier by simplifying their administration.
The application produces previews of expense reports that can then be emailed as CSV files that company car users can then send to their managers or other staff.
The app is designed to reduce errors and make accounting for business trips more accurate. All essential data can be backed up, password protected and accessed on other devices.
“When travelling on a daily basis, recurring expenses can cause frustration for employees,” said Steve Catlin, Vauxhall’s Fleet Marketing Manager. “The Road Trip app combines navigational tools with smart calculation software to offer an easy-to-use app for any employee on the road.”
The Road Trip app can be downloaded from the App store now – search for ‘Vauxhall Road Trip’.
Wednesday 21st September 2011 - 09:53
Do you own the UK's oldest Vauxhall?
Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty has just celebrated one year on the market. More than 207,000 owners have benefitted from our groundbreaking offer since it launched in August 2010.
Lifetime Warranty is unique in the UK. It provides first-registered keepers of a new Vauxhall with no time limit on their warranty until the car has covered 100,000 miles.
To celebrate Lifetime Warranty's first anniversary, we're out to find the oldest car in the UK wearing the Griffin badge that's still road legal, has covered less than 100,000 miles and has been owned by the same person from the date of first registration.
So, if you still own a Victor, Viva, Ventora, or even a Lotus Carlton, and you bought it new all those years ago, we'd like to hear from you.
How to nominate your car
Just fill in the entry form using the button below, detailing the model you own, its current mileage, when you bought it new and from which dealer. Entries must be received by 16 October 2011, and the owner of the winning car (subject to verification*) will receive an exhilarating half-day performance driving course in the latest 325 horsepower Insignia VXR at Vauxhall's proving ground in Bedfordshire.
"There's huge loyalty among our owners," says Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall's Managing Director. "And for average-mileage customers who plan to keep their new Vauxhalls for the medium to long term, Lifetime Warranty is a valuable and reassuring asset for as long as they own the car. No other manufacturer has been able to offer such complete peace of mind for their customers."
*The winner will need to send Vauxhall a copy of the entered vehicle's V5 registration document and current MOT certificate along with a picture of the vehicle - details of postage addresses will be supplied.
Prize draw closes on 16 October 2011.
Monday 15th August 2011 - 12:11
VAN-TASTIC VAUXHALLS TOP THE CHARTS FOR PRIVATE BUYERS
The British-built Vivaro was also number one in the highly competitive retail medium van segment, with sales up by 88 per cent on last year. Vauxhall’s retail van sales were buoyed by the offer of four years’ 0% APR finance, four years’ free servicing, a four year warranty and four years’ AA cover.
The British-built Vivaro was also number one in the highly competitive retail medium van segment, with sales up by 88 per cent on last year. Vauxhall’s retail van sales were buoyed by the offer of four years’ 0% APR finance, four years’ free servicing, a four year warranty and four years’ AA cover.
Vauxhall is the UK’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with over 77,000 vans rolling off the production lines at its plants in Luton, Bedfordshire and Ellesmere Port, Cheshire last year.
In January, Vauxhall became the first manufacturer to offer an ‘eco’ product for each model in its van range with the launch of ecoFLEX commercial vehicles. ecoFLEX models include Corsavan, Combo and Movano and the British-built Astravan and Vivaro.
Monday 8th August 2011 - 14:53
Watch the England squad in training
We're giving away four pairs of tickets to watch the England Senior Men's Football Team train at a London venue. (Watch this space for full details of where and when!) This prize draw is exclusive to Vauxhall drivers.
And it gets better. As well as seeing some of the world's greatest footballers in training, each of our winners will also receive two tickets to watch England play Wales at Wembley Stadium on 6 September 2011.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience – enter the draw today.
Prize draw closes on 24 August 2011.
Friday 22nd July 2011 - 09:57
VAUXHALL LAUNCHES NEW TRADE CLUB WEBSITE
•One-stop shop for Trade Club resources, information and benefits
•Easy-to-use site now live
Luton – Vauxhall is ensuring its Trade Club members have the best online resource for Vauxhall parts with the launch of its new Trade Club website, www.tradeclub.co.uk
The site contains information on the Trade Club products and pricing, news and latest offers. The Trade Club Book is available on-line with comprehensive functionality allowing members to build a ‘wish list’, which they can email straight through to retailers. Links to detailed technical information is also available through the improved site, as well as sales and marketing tools.
Vauxhall Trade Club Programme Manager, Clifford Walpole, said: “The new Trade Club website is easy to use, quick and in-tune with the needs of our members, allowing them to efficiently find the information they want. This helps them to make the right decisions saving both time and money.
“Our new electronic Trade Club catalogue covers older Vauxhall cars as well as the latest vehicle range including Insignia and Astra, providing users with both the retail and Trade Club prices,” Clifford continued. “By using the website members can provide accurate quotes to customers as well as having a clear understanding of the margins they will make.
This added to the peace of mind that comes when fitting OEM quality parts means Vauxhall Trade Club is a great choice when Vauxhall parts are required.”
Vauxhall Trade Club supplies genuine parts at competitive prices to the independent motor trade. Members benefit from Vauxhall parts support, OEM components and a range of special offers on promotional items throughout the year. Vauxhall Trade Club only supplies parts manufactured to GM engineering standards, helping to ensure that the optimum safety, performance and efficiency of the vehicle are maintained.
Thursday 21st July 2011 - 10:07
New Flexible Finance From Murketts Vauxhall
To enjoy 0% APR Representative finance with no hidden extras, just follow these simple steps:
1.Choose your car. Select any new Vauxhall.*
2.Choose your deposit. Any deposit. We’ll even give you at least £500 to get you started.
3.Choose your term. From 24 to 60 months, and own the car at the end of the term.
4.Lifetime Warranty. All models come with a lifetime 100,000 mile warranty.


