Didn't the French government pump millions into the French car companies to bail them out of trouble and still own 14% of the merged company.?so it's ok for the French government to bail out their troubled car company's.

27 minutes ago, Sad555 said:

Didn't the French government pump millions into the French car companies to bail them out of trouble and still own 14% of the merged company.?so it's ok for the French government to bail out their troubled car company's.

 

Just like the British Government bailing out RBS and HBOS with ten times that amount of money there are rules that allow this.  Lots of companies in several industries got bailed out in the 2008/10 crisis. 

 

 

Just now, lol-lol said:

 

Just like the British Government bailing out RBS and HBOS with ten times that amount of money there are rules that allow this.  Lots of companies in several industries got bailed out in the 2008/10 crisis. 

 

 

The biggest was Obama's bailout of GM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39016604

 

Kiss of death.

 

I just can't see much of a case for keeping production in the UK.

I love the 'News Paper Reviewers' on Sky & BBC,  they talk the loss of Iconic British, Vauxhall, & Marmite (Unilever)

Well Vauxhall might have been British and has British Manufacturing plants but it is a long time since Vauxhall was British.

 

As to Theresa May MP/PM & Len McCluskey going to 'Talks' on Continental Europe they might as well send Nigel Farage MEP or Alastair James Hay "al Murray's famous character over.

 

***Contains  ADULT HUMOUR AND THE USE OF BAD WORDS, a bit racist even / maybe.***

 

Edited 19 February, 20179 yr by Offski

GM bought Vauxhall when I was a kid in the 50s.

Australia didn't own Holden either.

IIrc GM bought Vauxhall in 1925

1 minute ago, P6bJOHN said:

IIrc GM bought Vauxhall in 1925

Ok

The 'kid' next door thought their Vauxhall Cresta was a superior car to our Holden and wasn't impressed when I told him GM owned them .

Looking back, obviously without the www, I'm not sure how I would have known it.

But think of the fun you had sat on a chair watching the Cresta rust before your very eyes.......

6 minutes ago, P6bJOHN said:

But think of the fun you had sat on a chair watching the Cresta rust before your very eyes.......

That might happen if you washed it often .....he polished it so often the paint slowly disappeared.....duco 

4 hours ago, Ryeman said:

That might happen if you washed it often .....he polished it so often the paint slowly disappeared.....duco 

 

Lol reminds me of the famous pink Novas.

Can't remember why (unsealed paint or something) but every red Vauxhall of the 80s/90s slowly turned pink over time.

I think when it got to a certain shade it was time for the scrapper

 

3 hours ago, Aspman said:

 

Lol reminds me of the famous pink Novas.

Can't remember why (unsealed paint or something) but every red Vauxhall of the 80s/90s slowly turned pink over time.

I think when it got to a certain shade it was time for the scrapper

 

The old duco used to 'chalk' when exposed to the sun for any length of time and was not protected by today's clearcote.....wasn't long before the undercoat was coming thru........oops

Ive seen plenty Pink Ford Focus and mk1 Octavias, mk4 golfs... 

Old Toyotas in Particular.

 

Iirc its something to do infrared/UV sunlight breaking down the pigment faster in red paint. 

It was. And FIAT were one of the first to crack the issue and they did this first on Fiats before they applied the finish on Alfa-Romeo's & Ferraris.

 

The issue shows most now that many of the Royal Mail Vans that never got a polish or wax are no more on Orange Vehicles like the Dyno-rod vans that are now being replaced and on my Orange Jimny that never got expensive enough orange paint.

Edited 20 February, 20179 yr by Offski

interesting comment, post article 50 no doubt.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/vauxhall/98596/vauxhall-takeover-psa-confirms-no-plant-closures-in-germany-but-what-about-the-uk

Opel/Vauxhall are beginning to churn out some far better cars nowadays.

 

The Mokka is a good car (not my cup of tea though) but the new Astra is teriffic.  Runs the Mk7 Golf v close....in some areas its probably better......price particularly.  

 

I had a Zafira Tourer for a while recently.....was determined not to like it but it really stole my heart.   Drove fantastically for a greal lump of MPV.....I could throw it down country roads no differently to my Mk7 GTD of old and no complaints.  Even the 1.6 diesel was terrific....had no trouble hauling the weight and was quiet and frugal too.  About the only bad thing I have to say about it was it didnt have Bluetooth! (It was a 15 plate Elite).

 

A nearly new Vauxhall tends to represent a bit of a steal too.

 

The new Insignia is on the way and dare I say it, its a bloody handsome thing if the real deal looks anything like the press shots in the flesh.

 

Opel have been working with PSA on the Crossland X and Grandland X, also GM have been haemoraging money on Opel/Vauxhall for years so it was more of a case of when than if.  Brexit may have been the final straw where Vauxhall was concerned.  The irony is that much of what GM do in Europe (engine and tech wise) is replicated in the States and helps them sell cars.....god knows what their own cars will end up like without any Euro influence.....back to wood panelled station wagons and whitewall tyres probably!!

 

I think its bound to have a far reaching impact on Elsmere Port and Luton as I doubt muchly PSA will want or need the manufacturing capability here....and yet again Brexit may well seal that fate.  Dealers will probably be left alone initially but will be subtly rebranded likely with some PSA influence.  TBF I think PSA can learn alot from GM Europe as much as perhaps they can learn from PSA....probably actually a good thing for them.

 

Does make me wonder whether the Vauxhall brand will end up being dropped in favour of Opel......I dont think that'd be such a bad thing.  I prefer the Opel branding myself.

 

 

 

 

Edited 22 February, 20179 yr by pipsypreturnsagain

Is the R.o.I. the only RHD market that the Opel brand is sold in?

 

I saw an Insignia with the Vauxhall grille badge missing, revealing an Opel 'template' (for want of a better word) behind. 

Malta & Cyprus.

9 minutes ago, Awayoffski said:

Malta & Cyprus.

Ah.

 

All very small markets. I suppose the costs involved in smacking Opel badges on them as opposed to selling them as Vauxhalls must be small. 

Edited 22 February, 20179 yr by Brian69

......and Australia for just one year 2012/13

Brian i was getting Vauxhall badges for people in Hungary that wanted to put them on their Opel's.

They were surprised when i told them people here put Opel badges on Vauxhalls.

Edited 22 February, 20179 yr by Awayoffski

2 minutes ago, Awayoffski said:

Brian i was getting Vauxhall badges for people in Hungary that wanted to put them on their Opel's.

They were surprised when i told them people here put Opel badges on Vauxhalls.

I mind one of the PE teachers at my school came back from a school trip* to the Continent with a RHD Ascona (equivalent at the time to a MKII Cacalier) - obviously he had made a tidy saving. 

 

*This was a long time ago (early / mid 80s), so not 100% certain about the school trip bit, but pretty sure it was. I vividly recall the car - it was a red hatchback. 

4 hours ago, Brian69 said:

Ah.

 

All very small markets. I suppose the costs involved in smacking Opel badges on them as opposed to selling them as Vauxhalls must be small. 

 

I wonder if there was worry that the Opel "Blitz" (Lightning) symbol might be thought to be a bit provocative in the UK as the word Blitzkrieg still had connotation in the UK.

 

Had one of the very pretty Opel Manta GTE that was marketed in the UK without being rebadged as a Vauxhall (Blue but the insignia against a white background is clearer).

 

 

Saw a Zafira this morning on my morning run (well, light jog) - again, Vauxhall grille badge was missing, revealing the Opel 'lightning' behind.

 

'Opel' does sound sexier than 'Vauxhall'.

Edited 23 February, 20179 yr by Brian69

4 minutes ago, Brian69 said:

Saw a Zafira this morning on my morning run (well, light jog) - again, Vauxhall grille badge was missing, revealing the Opel 'lightning' behind.

 

'Opel' does sound sexier than 'Vauxhall'.

Maybe the owner is a 'remainer'.....?