Vauxhall — A Historic Marque Moves Into The Electric Age
Vauxhall UK produced its first car with an internal combustion engine in 1903, and according to Rob Llewellyn of Fully Charged, it will produce its last in 2028. The first Vauxhall was a 5-horsepower single-cylinder model with a tiller for steering. It had two forward gears and no reverse gear.
After 125 years of internal combustion engines, from 2028 onward, all Vauxhalls will be 100% electric.
Vauxhall was bought by General Motors in 1925 and produced many remarkable cars over the decades of its operation, some of which were exported to the US and Canada. Quite a few found their way into the right-hand-drive markets of the British colonies.
My first car in fact was a Vauxhall Viva, a wedding present from my wife’s uncle. He paid $100 for it. We found out quickly why he got it so cheap. The structural beam under the gearbox was rusted out. Every time we hit a bump, the gearlever went up and down. It was actually held up by a coat hanger.
Luckily, someone rear ended me and their insurance company wrote it off and paid me out, noting the payment was worth more than the car.
GM sold Vauxhall to Groupe PSA in 2017. In 2021, Groupe PSA merged with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to become Stellantis. It aims to make the total cost of owning an electric vehicle the same as a petrol version by 2025. And so, the move to electric is fast and furious. Famous and historic brands can only survive as they make this great leap forward.
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