... well giving them 2 years notice and new franchises with two thirds will be up for grabs. Not good news for the staff.
Vauxhall (PSA then) say no jobs at risk as a direct result... how does that work then if 1/3 of dealers will close or have to find a new franchise? A quote:
About 12,000 staff are employed in franchisees' UK dealerships but Stephen Norman, Vauxhall's UK boss, insisted that staff would not lose their jobs as a "direct result" of Vauxhall's decision to refranchise the network.
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Unless you regard franchise and location as the same thing, which they are not, a franchise may own more than one location. Reducing the number of franchises does not necessarily reduce the number of locations.
How the franchises are split or owned makes no difference to how many cars need sales, servicing and repair.
Stephen Norman's statement was accurate. Though clearly didn't mention other trends which will directly affect the number of employed and are largely the same factors that are driving this change.
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There are a lot of dealerships in the North West that have two or more franchises for various marques.
Don't see the problem, especially as Vauxhall seems, to me at least, to be a fading light in the motor industry - its sales, sadly, nosedived last year. It needs new, more exciting models to bring back buyers.
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There are a few franchises near me with multiple marques. One has at least 4 or 5. Vauxhall moved on a few years ago locally... a sign of them not selling so many cars at a guess. Quite a drive to another in Manchester.
Other "local" dealers to me include (not exhaustive):
Ford
Mercedes
VW
Audi
Tesla
Lamborghini
Jaguar Land Rover
Honda
Volvo
Skoda
SEAT
FIAT
Renault
Dacia
Toyota
Lexus
Mazda
Nissan
Citroen
MINI
Huyndai
Kia
... you get the drift.... nearest VX dealer for a few years has been 10 miles. It was where the current Volvo dealer is (different franchise). The only main one missing is Vauxhall it seems.
But people buy good cars that they like. PSA snapped up Vauxhall/Opel cheap because they had their time and there are better cars I guess and PSA will change things for the better.
Local Vauxhall went before the BREXIT referendum. Nobody locally seems to want their cars. Neither do I.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 17 Apr 18 at 02:12
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VxFan will be KiaFan soon.
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Just wondered how far the nearest Ferrari dealer was.. closer than Vauxhall. And a bit further is Aston Martin.. but it is 20 miles. A fair few movements... closest Super Car dealer was Lamborghini but you might say its now Tesla.
I think PSA have taken a risk on Vauxhall/Opel. Maybe they will become a budget brand called Opel.
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Lamborghini are owned by VW.Nothing to do with the dealers tho'.
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Funnily enough my nearest Vauxhall franchise closed last week, the nearest is 9 miles away.
Within that 9 mile radius I have 2 VW dealers, 2 BMW dealers, 2 MB dealers and an Aston Martin dealer. You may think that says more about the spending power of the local populace, until I say that we also have two ford dealers.
I'll predict that vauxhall, as a brand is dead in the UK and will disappear within ten years. GM too,
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 17 Apr 18 at 08:45
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>> VxFan will be KiaFan soon.
;) Not ruddy likely.
A Dacia seems good value for money though. Crikey! Did I actually just say that aloud? Quick nurse, pass me my medication.
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>> fading light in the motor industry - its sales, sadly, nosedived last year. It needs
>> new, more exciting models to bring back buyers.
The latest offers from GM, the Insignia and Astra are very sharply attractive styled cars that have generally received very good reviews.
I am not sure how anyone who has bought and runs a string of VW saloons (a model so rejected by the UK population that it sold in minuscule numbers and was there therefore discontinued) is qualified to comment on automotive excitement.
Thats not sarcasm by the way its banter.
To prove it here is a smiley ;) (thats sarcasm btw)
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>> The latest offers from GM, the Insignia and Astra
But now PSA cars.
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>> >> The latest offers from GM, the Insignia and Astra
>>
>> But now PSA cars.
But both GM designs and build.
As far as the PSA acquisition goes, it was clearly designed to remove a competitor and reduce over capacity. Given that and Brexit, Vauxhall are toast. As a car brand and a builder in the UK.
Ironically a Brexit future means it will make economic sense to build vans in the UK for the home market, and the luton plant is the last one left, they are sitting pretty there, its going to be a Brexit goldmine.
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I have no idea who buys new Vauxhalls privately these days. Over 85% of new cars are now PCP'd or personal leased, and if you look at the total outlay over a 3 or 4 year period, the sharp depreciation of a Vauxhall or Ford makes them significantly more expensive when financed this way, than a more expensive model from other brands. That said, they make a lot of sense as a cash purchase at 3 years old. A colleague has recently bought a very tidy 2015 Insignia 2.0 CDTi Elite, direct from a major leasing company with 45k an impeccable history, and everything on it for £7,900 - less than a third of its new list price. Of course, the leasing companies get them for virtually nothing, but those discounts aren't available to Joe Public.
Without getting into the rights and wrongs, or the sustainability of leasing and PCP, it is a fact that if you're not fussed about actually owning a depreciating asset, you can drive a new BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW, or Volvo for 2-4 years for a fixed cost, that is lower than it would be for a 'cheaper' Vauxhall or Ford.
Even the fleets, who traditionally bought Vauxhalls in their thousands, are offering alternatives these days. Whereas at one time it was "here's a Cavalier 1.8 GL, what colour do you want?" now most employers offer a choice list brimmed with options. I opted out (another increasingly popular route that is fuelling the demand for personal leasing and PCP), but had I stayed in, I had a choice of all the big four VAG brands, BMW, Mercedes, MINI and Volvo, as well as the traditional Ford and Vauxhall options.
Last edited by: DP on Tue 17 Apr 18 at 09:44
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Only about 25-30% of new cars are bought by private owners-most are bought by companies for their own use or for leasing/hire.
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>> Whereas at one time it was "here's a Cavalier 1.8 GL, what colour do you
>> want?" now most employers offer a choice list brimmed with options.
>>
That's largely driven by finance, we had a "Vauxhall only" policy in the 90s mainly because Vauxhall negotiated a very cheap deal based on supply monopoly at the "essential user" level
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>>...you can drive a new BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW, or Volvo for 2-4 years for a fixed cost, that is lower than it would be for a 'cheaper' Vauxhall or Ford....>>
Thanks, of course, to superior residual values, which was the key reason I encouraged a close friend a couple of decades or so ago to switch his company's leased vehicles from Citroen, Ford, Peugeot etc to Mercedes, BMW etc.
Apart from the improved prestige value, it was also an additional spur to employees to aim for a superior model through their efforts working for the company.
Today the business has a turnover of more than £100M annually. Not trying to take any credit for that, but it showed the value of initial impressions noted by potential major customers hopefully ready to place contracts.
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>>.. who has bought and runs a string of VW saloons>>
The reason is simple, I've always preferred a saloon to a hatchback - the Americans are the same on a three to one basis.
There's also the bonus that the saloon versions of VW hatchbacks (built and specced to similar standards) are cheaper to buy used. I also don't especially like diesels, so have always personally owned a petrol powered vehicle.
Did 15 years as a motoring correspondent so had a new road test car every week, plus regular car launches home and abroad, which meant plenty of "automotive excitement" throughout the year, including super cars...:-)
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Relative to income, a company car would have been "worth" much more in the 60s, 70s and maybe even 80s than it would be now. Think I read somewhere that the average company car driver back then was often getting a car that had a forecourt value almost equivalent to a year's salary. So, by default, even a boggo spec Cortina would have been seen as a real perk.
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>> Relative to income, a company car would have been "worth" much more
For me the first company car made more emotional difference than financial.
The life changer was the fuel card which was all private and business fuel with minimal tax implications
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I can still remember the thrill when having had a a bit of a promotion at work, they replaced my Cortina 2.0 GL with...wait for it...bet you are excited too now...a...Cavalier SRi !
Puppy's gonads as far as I was concerned.
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Cavalier GL to Frontera LWB and then......
BMW 525i. I knew I had reached the summit of the universe. I think I smiled for a month.
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Of all the mid sized hire cars to get the Astra is, in my experience, by far and away the best all round package.
The BMW 1 series, generally in M Sport trim with a 116/118 engine is always a disappointment because it’s interior (as for my 2 series) is not up to scratch interior quality and space wise. The MB A class in SE trim and lacks equipment and torque. The VW Golf looks quite sharp, but has an average interior and the 1.4 (1.5 now?) petrol engine is not as quiet as the BMW, MB or Vauxhall’s. The Focus is poorly equipped an ugly nowadays with, in petrol form, a weak engine. The Peugeot has a better quality interior than most, but an annoying touch screen interface
But would spend my own money on a new Astra? No, the depreciation is shocking. it’d be an MB A class in a higher trim level. A nearly new Astra for £10k though...? Probably...
It’s yonks since I’ve had an Insignia or a Mondeo though
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>> the 1.4 (1.5 now?) petrol engine is not as quiet as the BMW, MB or Vauxhall’s.
Really? Mine is pretty much silent in the Skoda and was in the Audi A3 saloon too. Unless you rev it hard. Far nicer than an equivalent powered diesel for sure.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 17 Apr 18 at 23:06
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>> >> the 1.4 (1.5 now?) petrol engine is not as quiet as the BMW, MB
>> or Vauxhall’s.
>>
>> Really? Mine is pretty much silent in the Skoda and was in the Audi A3
>> saloon too. Unless you rev it hard. Far nicer than an equivalent powered diesel for
>> sure.
>>
They’re hire cars... they get revved hard ;)
Though, more seriously, yes, it’s much quieter than a diesel and if that’s the comparison of course it’s almost silent. But compared to other petrol engines it’s middle of the road. I can also comment on the one in our A3, which is definitely a 1.4, and also has an acoustic windscreen; It’s quiet and refined, but not as good as the BMW, MB or Astra I don’t think. I haven’t had an A3 hire car for ages, but I usually do around 200 miles in these cars, mostly on autoroute / motorway/fast A roads. So engine and road noise become relatively esasy to compare.
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PeterS, as someone who hires lots of cars, how do you deal with the increasing amount of tech within cars for things like bluetooth, music etc? Even basic settings like heating are now controlled in many cars through touchscreens? Differences in cruise controls? Auto lights, the list is endless.
Or can you still jump in, make sure indicators are left stalk, wipers are right stalk, and go?
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>> PeterS, as someone who hires lots of cars, how do you deal with the increasing
>> amount of tech within cars for things like bluetooth, music etc? Even basic settings like
>> heating are now controlled in many cars through touchscreens? Differences in cruise controls? Auto lights,
>> the list is endless.
>>
>> Or can you still jump in, make sure indicators are left stalk, wipers are right
>> stalk, and go?
>>
Apologies Bobby; I missed your post last week.
I have a dislike of touchscreens in cars, but it’s not usually too difficult to work out what’s what. The basic controls are almost always easy enough, as is climate control. Likewise all cruise control systems operate in a similar way, adaptive or not. Pairing a phone can be a faff. Changing the sat nav / infotainment into into English when abroad is usually the hardest thing!
Different manufacturers implementations of electric handbrakes (in manual cars; I never use it in an auto...) an be annoying; push or pull to activate? Auto release or not? Auto applying?
But getting in and driving is never a problem; the basics are the basics!
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>> a phone can be a faff. Changing the sat nav / infotainment into into English
>> when abroad is usually the hardest thing!
Just like the old days, if you left your Nokia unlocked on the desk, you would come back to find it was in Finish. After a few times of this you got to remember the correct number and sequences of key presses to get it back to English.
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>> Changing the sat nav / infotainment into into English
The Jaguar X type Sat Nav defaults to Belgium maps etc. No idea why.
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>> PeterS, as someone who hires lots of cars, how do you deal with the increasing
>> amount of tech within cars for things like bluetooth, music etc? Even basic settings like
>> heating are now controlled in many cars through touchscreens? Differences in cruise controls? Auto lights,
>> the list is endless.
>>
>> Or can you still jump in, make sure indicators are left stalk, wipers are right
>> stalk, and go?
>>
Another quick update on this, simply because we’re in Crete and the Citroen C3 (it’s a Greek island - small and basic is surely the way to go), whilst exactly the same as every other PSA group car in its use of the touchscreen interface for everything, is fitted with a lane departure warning system that chimes and flashes a warning light every time you cross a white line at the edge or centre of the carriageway without indicating. It’s irritating because the Greeks love to make extra lanes where they don’t really exist... but, in hire car spec it seems to have had the ability to disable it removed. That, or it’s not possible to turn it off.
I say basic. I assume it’s a low-ish spec one by the plastic steering wheel and hub caps. It’s got climate control, folding mirrors, cruise, electric windows all round and a reasonably hi-res touch screen infotainment system. Its brand new, looks neat enough (white of course), a reasonably funky and functional interior and with, I think 82PS, perfectly nippy. It’s also got Apple CarPlay, which (a) means that it was pointless Avis trying to rent me sat nav at €12 a day, and (b) means you won’t where you want because Apple mapping is shocking. We used google maps and Bluetooth audio to navigate to the dialysis clinic, the largest on the island, as Apple maps doesn’t have it... Still, I’ve done my bit by sending the location to them and saving it so we can have a nice map when we go back tomorrow :)
On the plus side, the car has a remarkably well resolved ride. It really is far more comfortable than a car of its size has any right to be. In fact it’d put much larger cars to shame. And that’s no mean feat, as the roads here are shocking...even worse than at home.. 15†wheels, 65 profile tyres and good damping all help I am sure.
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That C3 sounds just like the oddly-specced Opel Crossland X that I am running around in! Maybe we are out of touch with what kind of spec people expect in a car today?!
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Bar the folding mirrors I suspect everything else is either cheaper than the manual equivalent (windows, heater controls etc) or just software (cruise) and a bit of licensing (Apple CarPlay) so cheap,as chips. And I imagine everyone expects smart phone integration with Bluetooth etc?
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And I imagine everyone expects smart phone integration with Bluetooth etc?
>>
I wouldn't expect it but then I've never integrated my phone with a car's radio.
That probably makes me sound like a luddite, I'm not really, just happy with music on the radio.
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>> That C3 sounds just like the oddly-specced Opel Crossland X that I am running around
>> in! Maybe we are out of touch with what kind of spec people expect in
>> a car today?!
>>
Does sound odd - normally if you get a few creature comforts you also get relatively (for the size of car) large wheels with stupidly low profile tyres.
When we got daughter's Golf a few years ago we looked at Astra and the above was true of the Astra back then.
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On another forum someone reported that he was told by his dealer yesterday that the service discount card is being discontinued from some unspecified future date.
Shame as it gets something like 25% discount on parts and services, and half price MOTs (which I know are widely available elsewhere).
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I never had any success with the service club. It was dearer than my local VX dealer's own pricing. The dealer was very clear it was their service schedule. not VXs, but they kept the car ticking over for many years at around £150 to £170 for a service and MOT.
Anyway they were taken over by a bigger outfit a couple of years ago. The new lot's price went up to £240. Guess what? The branch closed yesterday with immediate effect and no prior notice to staff.
First of many?
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It's weird about Vauxhall but there's never really been a model that has drawn me to them. When I look through Autotrader for potential used buys I never click on a Vauxhall. I suppose my attitude is a little if you're thinking of a Vauxhall just buy a Ford.
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My next car is going t o be a higher up car - fed up of trying to get in and out of my Civic!
When i got my ix35 in 2013, the Mokka was newish out and ticked a lot of my boxes but I thought their radio set up was antiquated.
I see the new Grandlands etc have flat screen displays, heated windscreens and lots of toys - I will certainly have closer look when I come to change.
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The C3 seems a little higher than a normal superminis, as far as I can tell. Another irritation has become apparent though...using the steering wheel controls to adjust the volume dims the infotainment screen and superimposes a line showing how far towards ‘max’ the volume is. Trouble is, thats on top of the the sat nav map display. Might only be for a few seconds, but approaching a motorway junction that can be important!
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Vauxhall to 'terminate' dealership network - No FM2R
