Times are interesting for Vauxhall, with the British brand and German sister Opel having been bought out by PSA earlier in 2017.
Under the takeover, the company has seen the end of 90 years of association with General Motors, meaning nobody in living history recalls the brand without its GM influences.
But what does the new owner have in-store for the brand, and how will it extract itself from its former parent, with which it still shares a number of powertrains, platforms and technologies?
Here’s what we already know is around the corner…
Vauxhall Viva Rocks
Recently revealed and due to go no sale imminently, the Viva Rocks is Vauxhall’s newest model and it harks back to a type of vehicle that first became popular in the early 2000s. The ‘urban crossover’ was pioneered by the Rover Streetwise, of all cars, and popularized by the Volkswagen Polo Dune and Citroen C3 XTR, meaning this isn’t new territory for PSA.
The Viva Rocks is based on the standard Viva, but comes with a plastic clad lower body and raised ride height.
The compact crossover look – two-wheel-drive only, of course – is aimed at attracting younger buyers to the Viva model.
Vauxhall Grandland X
Another car that’s imminent in showrooms is the Grandland X, which is the first car to arise form a collaborative joint venture between Vauxhall-Opel and PSA, which began before PSA agreed to take over the brands.
It’s based on PSA’s EMP2 vehicle architecture, which means it shares its platform and engines with the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Peugeot 3008.
The Grandland X arrives in showrooms in January 2018, as a rival for the SEAT Ateca, Suzuki Vitara, Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan.
Vauxhall Insignia GSi
The last Vauxhall model to be wholly developed by GM, the Isignia GSi, is due in showrooms in spring 2018 and suggests that Vauxhall will be revisiting names from its past on future performance models – GSi was a favourite back in the Cavalier days.
The GSi is more ‘mature’ than previous VXR-badged Vauxhalls, yet still has 252bhp and adaptable ride and handling settings, along with an eight-speed semi-automatic gearbox. According to Vauxhall, the GSi has already proven itself quicker than the old VXR around the famous Nurburgring.
We look forward to putting it to the test.
Vauxhall Combo
It’s not exactly the last word in desirability, but the Combo has long been one of Vauxhall’s strongest selling vehicles. The compact van, traditionally based on the Corsa, but more recently as part of a joint venture with Fiat. The next generation model, though, will be based on PSA’s own van architecture, which will underpin the new Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo, which are due to be revealed next year.
This also means that an EV variant is likely, as Peugeot and Citroen are known as pioneers in the electric delivery van market.
Vauxhall Corsa
It won’t be on sale until 2019, but the all-new Corsa is likely to be seen in the metal for the first time before 2018 is through. As well as conventional combustion-engined models, there’ll be an all-electric Corsa for the first time.
Here’s what we already know about it: https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/the-new-vauxhall-corsa-all-you-need-to-know
Vauxhall GT
Whether or not the long-awaited Vauxhall sports car will ever appear is still a question we don’t know the answer to, but before the PSA takeover the company’s bosses were adamant that the two-door concept car, first shown at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, points towards a future production vehicle.
It’s quite possible that a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive production version of the concept could be unveiled as an attention grabber in the coming months, to draw people towards the brand as it firms up its recovery plans.
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