Currently reading: Stracke: “Vauxhall needs flagships”
Opel-Vauxhall will need more flagship models to achieve an improved brand image, says group chief

Opel-Vauxhall will need more “flagship” models, at least one of them positioned above Insignia, if it is to achieve the improved brand-image its new management seeks, according to group CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke.

Speaking in Frankfurt last week, Stracke made it clear, however, that any discussion of a range expansion would have to wait until four other “white space” models the company is about to launch — the Ampera range extender, the Mokka B-segment SUV, the “Junior” city car and a new luxury convertible — were well established in the market.

“I believe we need a top of the line car,” says Stracke, “to be positioned in the luxury segment. The Insignia car has done a great job of showing we can make premium-like products, but establishing ourselves properly in this territory will be a long journey.

“We would also benefit from launching a large crossover, something to fight the BMW X5 and Mercedes ML, and possibly another roadster — a car with a deeper connection into the company than the Opel-Vauxhall VX220 (which everyone knows was a Lotus underneath) and the Opel Speedster that came from the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.”

Stracke believes the way to improve a brand is through better products and customer service. “It is not easy,” he says, “but if you can do it the image comes along, too. The way to succeed is to build the best cars in each class, even against VW and Ford. It’s a tough assignment, but we think we know how to do it.”

Steve Cropley

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Rich boy spanners 20 February 2012

Re: Stracke: “Vauxhall needs flagships”

Anything larger than an Insignia on British roads would require a 'wide load' sticker on the back and flashing lights.

Vauxhall had cars that gave them image, the Carlton, Senator, Omega etc. They cut them because they claimed they didn't sell. If they couldn't sell them against BMW/AUDI/Merc then what on earth do they think will? People won't buy an expensive Vauxhall because it loses too much money in depreciation.

And yes, the Germans do think OPEL is pants as the British do with Vauxhall. It seems over there private money goes on VAG group and it's companies that buy OPEL...

xxxx 20 February 2012

Re: Stracke: “Vauxhall needs flagships”

ThwartedEfforts wrote:
xxxx wrote:
ThwartedEfforts wrote:
Vauxhall's image is fleet fodder (as mentioned in another thread, 80% of all sales are to the fleet market) and you're not going to turn private buyer perceptions around by cranking out a luxury car. It's a monumentally dumb idea
Yep you did mention it before, you mentioned a blogger who saw a screen pop up once and that's how you got 80% of vauxhalls go to the fleet market.

It's amazing what people believe on the web with no true facts behind them

Given the "no true facts" you speak of came from the Associate Editor of Autocar, maybe you'd like to a) take it up with him, or better still b) present evidence to the contrary? Actual sales vs fleet sales show that well over half all Vauxhall passenger cars end up in the fleet market (with a whopping 90% of Insignias becoming repmobiles) and that commercial vehicles push the average higher. Which is presumably where the 80% figure comes from.

Using the top 10 figures, the Vauxhall cars fleet percentage is 63% for BMW it's 68% i.e. higher percentage of sales going to fleet.

If you were to add the 1 series the figure for BMW would probably be higher, and the figure for Vauxhall would be lower if you were to add the Meriva and Zafira.

TheWizardWeb 17 February 2012

Re: Stracke: “Vauxhall needs flagships”

Bin Vauxhall, which in my head is still the Viva's and Carltons my dad had in the 70's & 80's and the countless repmobiles that were exchanged for BMW's in the 90's. At least Opel has the Germanicness to it, that 'might' add to perceived quality. I think a point already raised about renaming the whole operation Saab, would have been the best idea but it seems GM only know how to churn out domestic appliances.