Vauxhall is using Britain’s imminent exit from the EU as the backdrop for its boldest marketing campaign in years. The move is part of a bid to boost its UK market share for cars and vans by a third – from 7.5% to double figures – by 2022.
Managing director Stephen Norman believes Vauxhall has a unique opportunity to benefit from a possible post-election change in the UK’s social landscape. It has already begun using a challenging new strapline – ‘New Rules, Britannia’ – for a radical, all-media advertising campaign that started last month with the launch of the all-new Corsa.
Building on the successful ‘British brand since 1903’ campaign that he launched soon after his appointment two years ago, Norman intends to position Vauxhall more directly as a maker of cars and vans ‘Built in Britain’ or ‘Made exclusively for Britain’. The move will make Vauxhall one of the country’s biggest spenders on automotive advertising.
To achieve his double-digit goal, Norman admits he needs to more than double Vauxhall’s conquest sales, potentially gaining many new customers – mainly from Ford. The plan depends on four main themes: boosting retail car sales from its current 6.6% market share to double digits; doubling light commercial vehicle sales from its current 10%; making the Corsa-e the top-selling electric car in the UK; and more than halving Vauxhall’s sales to the less profitable daily rental market, which currently accounts for a fifth of volume.
Vauxhall wants to achieve its aims with a vehicle range that Norman describes as “six plus three”: six passenger cars and three vans. Although the current range is smaller than in recent years – the unprofitable Viva and Adam have been dropped – Norman believes the far greater market appeal of the forthcoming models will more than make the difference.
“The new Corsa is a terrific car,” he said, “and when the new Mokka arrives, it will double our small-car appeal. The new Vauxhall Astra, which we’ll start selling in 2021, offers improvements that are almost exponential compared with its predecessor. Our other models will provide important support but these three will be the brand drivers we’ll need to more than double our conquest sales.
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Is anyone who reads Autocar proud to British anymore?!?!
The lack of pride in our country is what has held us back for at least 50 years! So Vauxhall isn't "British" so what? Opel Astras have been built here for 40+ years and exported all over Europe. It's about time people woke up to the fact we are about to go it "alone" again and hope our weak-willed politicians start representing the people who voted them in.
There is no shame in making your country of birth or residence a strong economic force, the UK has lived in the shadow of the USA & Europe for too long, no doubt all the hairy-arsed Guardian readers will throw accusations of jingoism, imperialism and some other -isms but the fact remains we need to put the GREAT back into Great Britain for all our sakes.
Here endeth the rant....
[quote=Pietro Cavolonero]
Pietro Cavolonero wrote:
What you mean the MINORITY of the people - 46% - that voted them in ? Welcome to democracy the British way, where the minority wins, I m not sure this warrants "pride in our country" more like shame and embarrassment. Oh and the "Great" in Britain is there because it mean "big Brittany", NOT "great" in the way you use it, learn some facts before you start preaching right wing rubbish.
Boris's Brexit edition.
Wheels fall off it after the 31st.
They have an image problem
Vauxhall has had an image problem for years - they usually fell short of the competitive offerings from europe. I don't think launching a campervan and calling it the Vauxhall Blighty has helped them or will change anything.
It all just smacks of jumping on the Brexit bandwagon, is cheesey and takes punters for mugs. Britishness matters not if your car's depreciation is eye watering. Vauxhalls will be bought because the buyer wants a Vauxhall and/or because it has an attractive finance deal attached. Trying to compete with other offerings on the basis of Britishness is a very poor strategy... imho.