Vauxhall’s CEO Tim Tozer is looking to reintroduce the brand under a new, more identifiable image in an attempt to bring the fight to Ford and other leading competitors in Europe’s demanding compact segments, The Telegraph reports.
Former Vauxhall boss Duncan Aldred previously promised to surpass Ford as the number one automaker in the UK in 2014, but Tozer said that commitment was a bit of a “hospital pass.” However  Tozer still believes with Vauxhall’s three new compacts, the Adam city car, all-new 2015 Corsa and the upcoming Agila replacement, the British brand can give Ford a “damn good run for its money next year.”
A revamped version of the Adam will soon be introduced, along with the all-new Corsa, which was unveiled last month. These two models will be followed by the replacement for the Agila, which will share a platform with the next-generation Chevrolet Spark and revive the historic ‘Viva’ name, a nomenclature used by the brand between 1963 and 1979.
While engineers are hard at work on the company’s new products, Tozer will be preoccupied with trying to find a new brand identity for Vauxhall. The Telegraph says Tozer is meeting with different marketing agencies and consulting with Opel marketing chief Tina Müller to help give the brand a true, lasting image.
“Vauxhall hasn’t been invested in, nurtured or developed in the way it should,” Tozer said. “Is it sexy and aspirational? No. It’s been pushed into the market without much pull and it’s a bit of a promotional brand, which is sad, because the cars are much better than that.”
Tozer said he doesn’t want to stray from Vauxhall’s cheap and affordable business model, though.
“Vauxhall is a generalist car brand. It’s clearly not a brand for [marketing social demographic groups] As and Bs, we are a brand for Cs and Ds, offering quality, value for money and an identity that is woven into the fabric of Britain.”
He added that the restyling of Vauxhall’s marketing and image is “still a work in progress,” but that it should have a plan ready in time for the launch of the 2015 Corsa in the fall.
Comments
Vauxhall UK could think of Luxus sedans and SUVs. Englishmen know how to make cars Luxus
Lexus is a complete flop in the UK!
I think every GM brand suffers from this problem, on some level.
Vauxhall should represent “more for less” focused on Audi-like quality at a VW price as demonstrated by Insignia & Cascada.
VW is seen as ‘cooler’ but Vauxhall outranks the People’s Car in quality.
I do not know who is or who lahedmaks VW boring because opinions differ. VW will also, of course, the hard work of advertising, for example, in promoting the history of the GTI, and the cult of funny because GOLF GTI 1 does not have anything in common except the name kolf 7 GTI.
each automaker could sell your product to one name. One funny situation is still hot hatchback war. RENAULT MEGAN RS record. renault megan rs made ​​a record in the Seat Leon Cupra then made ​​a record, and then made ​​a new record for renault megan rs. and PRIUS TOYATA be published in the media in his big RECORDI nyrburg track. doing all the time, and all records are unique, and the world’s best. sometimes things go very funny.
However, in general, has been good vw promotional and businesslike. and vw affairs nin events are more recognized, even though all major car manufacturers are interested circles and events.
VW GOLF, lowered and pink RIMS
opc – The UK is GM Europe’s biggest market for VXR (OPC) models so Vauxhall must be getting something right.
I am more than a bit worried about what Tozer is planning, he didn’t make much impact at Mazda, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Why he is taking any advice from Tina Muller God only knows, she needs to get Opels marketing sorted before worrying about what Vauxhall do.
Stephen Marcus – VW being seen as cooler depends on who you talk to, younger generation tend towards Corsa compared to Polo or Up, older gens tend to get sucked in by VW’s pompous advertising but there is no doubting VW quality but with a few exceptions oh so boring IMO
It’s funny how the US market is always one decade behind Europe. When I was a kid, a Jetta was far ‘cooler’ than anything made by GM.
The tail end of Gen X hated American cars.
http://www.fastcar.co.uk/2013/06/12/performance-vauxhall-show-2013-part-one/
I don’t think Vauxhall has a image problem. If it dose however it’s cars such as Frontera, Antara etc that have gave the haters ammunition. It’s bread & butter range of Adam, Corsa, Astra, Insignia & VXR8 are up there with class best, the quality is there too, niche models such as Mokka, Meriva, Zafira Tourer & Cascada are also up there with class best & quality. I don’t think focusing on cheapening Vauxhall’s image is the answer, yes there’s a need for the Viva (it’s perhaps 20 years late in the market) but Vauxhall has always been a Medium/Upper Medium player & should continue to do so, offering A,B,C,D & E segment cars that are built well, stylish & perform well ether on a performance or MPG. They should be of very good quality & a reasonable price. The cars with the odd exception deliver this, the Vauxhall name is liked, perhaps it’s the dealers that need to be slightly more upmarket to reflect the products sold & the direction the company is aiming at going.
frontera-montery were pretty decent in his time. Antara as Antara, however, I believe that there was no advertising campaign. People just were not very aware of the Opel Antara, they knew Honda HRV, Toyota RAV4
Has anyone considered VW could be reaping the fruits of the Golf GTi. The 1976 model & it’s predicessors could of been the car current buyers had back in the 80’s & so have stuck to the brand & like the brand. (Similarly Audi’s Quattro 1982) just a thought. Likewise Vauxhall’s VXR has a strong following & excellent sales.