Vauxhall‘S New Astra It’s been a long time coming but according to Deputy Editor Sean Carson, it’s well worth the wait – it’s a very good car. “Very Golf-like,” were Sean’s words. Very commendable, really.
The Astra may not be what it used to be in terms of sales (and it’s no longer made in the UK) but the class it competes in is still critically important to everyone involved – and that still is. quite a lot for every manufacturer.
With Corsa dominate UK Sales Rankings, things are looking pretty good for Vauxhall. Especially when you dive into the latest results for parent company Stellantis and see how important Vauxhall and UK are to the group. We recently spoke with Stellantis UK boss, Paul Willcox, and he revealed that Vauxhall accounts for over 40% of Stellantis’ entire UK business. In addition, it has important factories in Luton and the Port of Ellesmere.
But what about the other weapons of the Stellantis empire in England? Willcox will be happy to see the results of this week’s test of New DS 4. The emerging upmarket area has been targeted Audi since the French brand was founded in 2015, so it seems only right to put its latest car up against Audi A3 – with a shocking result.
Stellantis has learned many things from Volkswagen Coporation, group. So just like the A3 shares much with the Golf, DS 4 shared many things with Astra and Peugeot 308. What works well for Volkswagen seems to be working well for Stellantis as well, although the customer is the ultimate judge and time will tell.
We are also admirers of the newest and new 308 Peugeot British owner Julie David recently gave us an insight into the many changes there. She told us about her plans to “rejuvenate the brand”, telling us that Peugeot should be more popular in the UK than it is now. Focusing on charm – brand appeal – and customer service is key. Going forward, a third place for the brand’s dealers in Driver source survey is a step in the right direction.
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