VAUXHALL

Vauxhall Motors Limited is a British car company headquartered in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Vauxhall became a subsidiary of PSA Group in 2017, and later, its successor Stellantis in January 2021, having previously been owned by General Motors since 1925. Vauxhall is one of the oldest established vehicle manufacturers and distribution companies in the United Kingdom. It sells passenger cars and electric and light commercial vehicles under the Vauxhall marque nationwide, and previously sold vans, buses, and trucks under the Bedford brand. Vauxhall was founded by Alexander Wilson in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer. It was purchased by Andrew Betts Brown in 1863, who began producing travelling cranes under the company, renaming it "Vauxhall Iron Works". The company began manufacturing cars in 1903, and changed its name back around this time. It was acquired by American automaker General Motors (GM) in 1925. Bedford Vehicles was established as a subsidiary of Vauxhall in 1930 to manufacture commercial vehicles. It was a luxury car marque until it was bought by General Motors, which thereafter built mid-market offerings. Since the Great Depression, Vauxhall has become increasingly mass-market. Since 1980, Vauxhall products have become largely identical to those of Opel, and most models are principally engineered in Rüsselsheim am Main, Germany. During the early 1980s, the Vauxhall marque was withdrawn from sale in all countries apart from the UK. At various times during its history, Vauxhall has been active in motorsports, including rallying and the British Touring Car Championship. After 92 years under GM's ownership, Opel/Vauxhall was sold to Groupe PSA in 2017. Vauxhall has one active commercial vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellesmere Port. It formerly operated the IBC Vehicles plant in Luton, which was closed in April 2025. In 2012, the Ellesmere Port plant employed around 1,880 staff and had a theoretical (three-shift) capacity around 187,000 units a year. Vauxhall-branded vehicles are also manufactured in other Stellantis factories across Europe. The current car range includes the Astra (small family car), Corsa (supermini), Frontera (subcompact crossover SUV), Mokka (subcompact SUV), and Grandland (compact SUV). Vauxhall sells high-performance versions of some of its models under the GSe sub-brand. Significant former Vauxhall production cars include the Victor, Viva, Chevette, and Cavalier. Vauxhall closed its Luton plant, claiming the decision was partly driven by government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles that adversely affected ICE vehicle sales, despite the plant being ready to transition to a new all-electric Vauxhall Vivaro 3 line in 2025.