VAUXHALL

Vauxhall Motors Limited (/ˈvɒksɔːl/) is a British car manufacturer based in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. The company, along with the Vauxhall marque, a sister brand of Opel, has been owned by Stellantis since January 2021.

Vauxhall's vehicle lineup is identical to that of Opel with the Vauxhall brand being exclusively used in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Vauxhall is one of the oldest established vehicle manufacturers and distribution companies in the United Kingdom.

Vauxhall sells passenger cars, electric and light commercial vehicles under the Vauxhall marque, and formerly sold vans, buses, and trucks under the Bedford Vehicles brand. Vauxhall has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for more than two decades.

Vauxhall was founded by Alexander Wilson in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer. It was bought in 1863 by Andrew Betts Brown, who began producing travelling cranes; he named the company Vauxhall Iron Works. It began manufacturing cars in 1903. 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 brand until it was bought by General Motors who thereafter built mid-market offerings. From the time of the Great Depression Vauxhall became increasingly mass-market. Since 1980, Vauxhall products have been largely identical to those of Opel, and most models are principally engineered in Rüsselsheim am Main, Germany. During the early 1980s, the Vauxhall brand was withdrawn from sale in all countries apart from the UK.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, Vauxhall was sold to Groupe PSA in 2017.

Vauxhall has major manufacturing facilities in Luton (commercial vehicles, IBC Vehicles) and Ellesmere Port, UK (passenger cars). The Luton plant employs around 900 staff and has a capacity for building around 100,000 units a year. The Ellesmere Port plant currently employs around 1,880 staff and has a theoretical (three-shift) capacity around 187,000 units a year. Vauxhall-branded vehicles are manufactured in Opel factories in Germany, Spain, and Poland as well as in the UK.

Significant former Vauxhall production cars include the Victor, Viva, Chevette, and Cavalier. The current car range includes the Astra (small family car), Corsa (supermini), Insignia (large family car), Crossland X (subcompact crossover SUV), Mokka (subcompact SUV), and Grandland X (compact SUV). Vauxhall sells high-performance versions of some of its models under the GSi sub-brand.