| Vauxhall dealers in the past have had a range of cars | | | | variety of models. The primary Vauxhall model of the |
| on their forecourts to suit even the lowest budget. The | | | | period was the Chevette, a three door hatchback |
| company itself, if not the dealers, has been in | | | | representing a new trend in the car industry for smaller |
| existence for more than one hundred and fifty years. | | | | family cars while the Cavalier, a saloon car produced |
| The founder of Vauxhall Motors was Alex Wilson, the | | | | by Vauxhall was finally beginning to compete with the |
| factory he opened originally manufactured pumps and | | | | dominant Cortina from Ford. By the end of the |
| engines, it wasn't until the turn of the century, or more | | | | seventies the gap between Vauxhall and Ford was |
| precisely 1903 when the company produced its first | | | | closing, although Ford were still the most popular car |
| motor car. At this time the dealers were in a minority | | | | company in Britain in terms of sales by dealers. |
| and those who wished to buy this car will have had | | | | Dealers were blessed with a complete revolution of |
| trouble finding one. | | | | the Vauxhall range during the eighties. Some of the |
| Twenty years later the Vauxhall Motor company | | | | cars that rolled onto the forecourts of dealers during |
| made a deal that would affect its dealers and | | | | this period are in fact still in production today, although |
| customers for generations to come. Put simply, the | | | | heavily revised. The Astra was one of this new |
| British company was bough out by American car | | | | generation and continued the trend for small family |
| manufacturing giant General Motors. At this time, GM | | | | cars replacing the rather tired Viva. More importantly, |
| only had to spend two and a half million dollars to | | | | the eighties saw the release of the Mk 2 Cavalier, now |
| purchase the entire Vauxhall company, factories and | | | | competing against the Ford Sierra, the replacement of |
| dealers included. The American influence on design and | | | | the Cortina. In addition, a foray into the executive |
| manufacture meant that for almost sixty years | | | | saloon market was undertaken by Vauxhall with the |
| Vauxhall cars were very similar to their American | | | | Carlton rolling out to dealers all over the land. This car |
| cousins. A brief interlude during the war years saw car | | | | was rather successful, packing a punch in terms of |
| production cease for the manufacture of the Churchill | | | | technology and comfort. |
| tank for the war effort. | | | | More recently the nineties saw Vauxhall building upon |
| After the war it took Vauxhall and its dealers another | | | | past successes. The Astra was still the core car in the |
| twenty years to achieve a revival of fortunes. Two | | | | range and the most popular amongst dealers. This |
| cars, namely the Viva and Victor were instrumental in | | | | decade did see the release of the Corsa representing |
| this resurgence during the late sixties. Ford has always | | | | a move by all the major car companies to produce a' |
| been a major competitor for Vauxhall and the | | | | supermini' car. These two models have continued |
| seventies were no different. While the dealers | | | | being produced going into the new century with a |
| reported high sales of the Viva countrywide, the Ford | | | | variety of facelifts and minor changes. Today, the cars |
| Cortina was still a far more popular option of motorists. | | | | produced by Vauxhall range from small hatchbacks to |
| At this time it was also the case that as well as Ford | | | | large MPV family vehicles. Ford are still their main rival |
| being a major rival, British Leyland was considerable | | | | and only in recent times have the Vauxhall Motor |
| competition. | | | | company's dealers released figures showing that they |
| The mid seventies were a battlefield in the British | | | | have finally taken the mantle of Britain's most popular |
| motor market with dealers making fortunes selling a | | | | car manufacturer. |