| Vauxhall throughout its history has attempted place | | | | and slightly different styling. One example being the |
| cars on the forecourts of dealers that are attractive to | | | | Opel Kadett, which in Britain was labelled the Astra. |
| buyers and above all affordable. They have had | | | | The latter name was seemingly more popular as the |
| serious competition in this role however, particularly | | | | both companies have now adopted it for the most |
| from American company Ford, although British Leyland | | | | modern variant. |
| provided serious competition for many years. The first | | | | That said within Britain there were Opel dealers in |
| Vauxhall factory was opened by Alex Wilson, cars | | | | operation, selling practically identical models to those of |
| however were not the first items to roll off the | | | | Vauxhall. This however changed in the late seventies |
| productions line; originally it was pumps and engines | | | | and early eighties when GM made the decision to faze |
| that were the mainstay of Vauxhall's trade. It was not | | | | out the Opel dealers within the UK, the last Opel sale in |
| until 1903 that the first cars rolled out onto the | | | | the UK being in 1988. Opel cars do however continue |
| forecourts of dealers. | | | | to be sold in Ireland, as the reverse of the closure |
| While the company started out as a British owned and | | | | process happened in this country. Vauxhall dealers |
| run operation this soon changed as in the twenties | | | | were shut or simply taken over by Opel during the |
| Vauxhall was bought out by American car | | | | eighties. The reason behind such a move was |
| manufacturing giant General Motors. The decision to | | | | duplication and GM simply making competition for |
| sell affected the design and sale of the cars for | | | | themselves. Today both companies market cars with |
| generations to come, whilst also tying Vauxhall to its | | | | the same names and design although the prefix |
| new European counterpart Opel. The price of the | | | | naturally differs. |
| buyout was only two and a half million pounds, for this | | | | Another sister of both Vauxhall and Opel is Holden, |
| sum GM received the company lock, stock and barrel; | | | | predominantly operating in Australia. Once again this |
| the factories, dealers and all the assets. Unfortunately | | | | was once an independent company but was bought |
| the parent company was less inclined to inspire | | | | by GM in 1931. This company has a number of models |
| forward thinking design and the cars were somewhat | | | | designed by their European counterparts although has |
| dull and boring, resembling their American and | | | | retained some of their independence by marketing high |
| European counterparts. | | | | powered models for the racing sphere. The most |
| While GM purchased Vauxhall in 1925 taking over | | | | recent being the Commodore, the first vehicle to be |
| production and the running of the company, it was not | | | | completely designed and built by the company for |
| until four years later that this American giant decided | | | | over thirty years. Clearly it is Holden that has managed |
| to buy out the German company Opel. Since this time | | | | to retain the largest amount of independence within the |
| the two companies, their dealers and workers were | | | | GM dominion. |
| intertwined, producing cars that were practically | | | | Vauxhall has had trouble continuing its independent |
| identical in terms of design and build. Opel cars are | | | | nature as one of the subsidiaries of GM. But being |
| common all across Europe and are regarded to be | | | | owned by such a powerful parent company has |
| GM's strongest European brand. However, the | | | | ensured their survival in a UK car industry that has |
| Vauxhall Company have always rejected a name | | | | experienced decline since the mid twentieth century. |
| change for the sake of homogenisation, fiercely clinging | | | | Today the cars on forecourts of dealers owe as |
| to their own identity as a British manufacturer. That | | | | much to GM as they do to the work of Alex Wilson |
| said nearly all models produced by both companies | | | | over one hundred years ago. |
| have been almost the same, just with different names | | | | |