HI-TECH Automotive: Vauxhall

Showing posts with label Vauxhall. Show all posts

Opel Increases Market Share in Europe, GM Still not Happy

Opel has increased its share in Europe this year, with sales rising 6% up to May, giving the brand a market share of 7.4%, compared to 7% in 2010. So mother company GM must be satisfied, right?
Well, not entirely, according to Automotive News. And that’s because Opel’s cars are technologically advanced and due to high German working rates, are quite expensive to manufacture. However, they cannot be sold in prices similar to direct competitors such as Volkswagen because they lack their rivals’ image.

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Today’s Cars Are Nigh Impossible to Steal, Says Motor Industry

In the UK, car theft is down by more than 60% over the last seven years thanks to improvements in anti-theft technology. Coded car keys, alarms, immobilisers, better locks, strengthened glass and built-in tracking devices have made the modern automobile virtually impossible to steal.
Some 80% of car thefts now require would-be thieves to steal the owner’s keys or otherwise load their targets onto trailers for transport. And even then, tracking systems in some high-end cars mean these cars are recovered rather quickly.

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2013 Opel Astra Convertible Spy Photos and Video Outline New Softop Model

Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.

Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.

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Report: GM Fed up with Opel, but a Sale isn’t on the Table

They say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and true enough in the case of GM’s relationship with its European subsidiary Opel, there seems to be a lot of smoke piling up lately. Just yesterday, press reports from Auto Bild and Spiegel Online said that GM is looking for a buyer, but the news was quickly dismissed by spokespeople from both Opel and the government of Germany's state of Thuringia, home to one of the brand’s factories.
Today, Reuters came out with a new report saying the Detroit automaker is “frustrated” with its money-losing Opel brand and is “considering options for a turnaround”, noting, however, that a sale of the Opel brand is highly unlikely.
"Akerson is fed up with Opel, and the turnaround isn't gaining traction," a unnamed source who is close to the GM CEO told Reuters. "He is trying to think of all possibilities to improve performance. But a sale is wishful thinking,” the source added.

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