PSA Group and Vauxhall-Opel has been agreed for a full take over including finance arm.

Today, EU antitrust authorities approved the proposed acquisition of GM’s Opel/Vauxhall automotive business by Groupe PSA.

This proposed acquisition, announced on March 6th of this year, will position Groupe PSA as the second-largest automotive company in Europe and will serve as the basis of the Group’s profitable growth worldwide. 

The proposed transaction also includes the acquisition of GM Financial European operations by BNP Paribas and Groupe PSA. 

This proposed acquisition of GM’s European financial operations is also subject to EU antitrust authority’s review and the decision is expected in the second half of this year.

On this occasion, Patrice Lucas, Manager of Programs and Group strategy declares: “Today, we have taken a substantial step. The teams are now focused on the achievement of all other conditions necessary for the closing, planned for later this year”.

Vauxhall's OnStar has worked, and recovered a stolen vehicle for it's owner.

A stolen Vauxhall has been quickly reunited with it owner thanks to Vauxhall OnStar, the personal connectivity and service assistant that includes stolen vehicle assistance.

Having parked up outside his workplace in central Glasgow, James Watson was forced out of his vehicle by a thief, who stole his new Vauxhall Astra. When reporting the incident to the police, Watson pointed out that the vehicle was equipped with Vauxhall OnStar, meaning it had a GPS locator that would help recover the vehicle.

Working directly with the OnStar team, the police found the car at a petrol station four miles away and apprehended the offender. 

OnStar’s stolen vehicle assistance feature also allowed the operator to remotely deactivate the ignition when the thief turned off the engine, giving the police the opportunity to recover the vehicle undamaged.

“It was a terrible experience, one I wouldn’t wish on anybody else,” said James Watson. “After the initial shock of what happened subsided, I realised that we could locate the car – and probably the offender – through OnStar. I’m really grateful that the technology was in place to recover the vehicle so quickly, helping me to get back on the road knowing the thief had been caught.”

“This was a horrible experience for James and we are sorry to hear that he was a victim of crime,” said Mike Lee, UK Head, OnStar Strategy and Planning. “We are relieved that the technology in the car could assist the police in recovering his car and apprehending this criminal.”

OnStar is available across the Vauxhall range, and includes a number of safety and convenience functions to support drivers. In addition to stolen vehicle assistance, features include automatic crash response, destination download, 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, smartphone connectivity and vehicle diagnostics.

Following the recovery of the vehicle assisted by Vauxhall OnStar, the offender was sentenced to 10 months, 15 days in jail and disqualified from driving for nine months

Business Car Manager - vauxhall takes Six Best Small Trades awards in the recent ceremony.

Vauxhall has scooped a total of six top honours at the Business Car Manager Awards, across car and van categories, which were presented today in London.

Beating off stiff competition, the Astra was the big winner at the ceremony, picking up the headline award of “Business Car Manager SME Company Car of the Year 2017”, while the Astra 1.6-litre CDTi Design (110PS) Start/Stop ecoFLEX variant was named as the “Best Value SME Company Car” too. 

Vauxhall was also recognised in the “Best Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Company Car Programme” category, again taking away the top prize.

The success didn’t stop there for Vauxhall though, as its van range won a hat-trick of accolades in the Business Van of the Year 2017 awards. The Corsavan picked up the “Best Small Delivery Van” award, while the accolade of “Best Small Trades Van” was given to the Combo. The Movano rounded off the success, being named as the winner in the “Best Heavy Van” category.

“The independent judges placed the Astra ahead of highly competitive opposition – but it’s not hard to see why,” said Ralph Morton, Editorial Director at Business Car Manager. “From the fantastically low operating costs to really competitive benefit-in-kind company car taxation, the Astra has it all – and that’s before we get to the brilliantly competitive specification.

“Each year Vauxhall has been refining its company car programme for SMEs, and each year it has got better and better to the point that is has knocked BMW/MINI Partnership programme off its perch as the best in the business.”

Consisting of a group of independent experts in the SME field, the judges used criteria such as company car tax and whole life costs to judge and rank each entry.

“We’re delighted Vauxhall has been recognised by Business Car Manager and Business Vans,” said James Taylor, Vauxhall’s Fleet Sales Director. “The company car market is an important sector for the Astra. It’s great to see how well-received it has been so far, and we are also pleased to be recognised for our company car programme, and that Corsavan, Combo and Movano remain firm favourites.”

The UK hits a 17 year high for exports with Jaguar Land Rover leading the UK Charge.

1.7 million cars built in the UK in 2016, an increase of 8.5% and the highest output for 17 years. Exports at record levels for second consecutive year as more than 1.35 million cars shipped worldwide. More than one in two cars exported to Europe, our single biggest trading partner, with demand up 7.5%. Growth driven by multi billion pound investments in previous years – not post Brexit bounce.

UK car production achieved a 17-year high in 2016, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).  1,722,698 vehicles rolled off production lines last year from some 15 manufacturers,1 an 8.5% uplift on total production in 2015 – and the highest output since 1999.2 More cars are now being exported from Britain than ever before, the result of investments made over recent years in world-class production facilities, cutting-edge design and technology and one of Europe’s most highly skilled and productive workforces.  Ten brand new car models began production in the UK last year, nine of them from premium brands which has helped make the UK the second biggest producer of premium cars after Germany and the third biggest car producer in Europe.3   Total committed investment announcements in the automotive sector in 2016 were approximately £1.66 billion across a number of companies. This figure is down from  £2.5 billion in 2015. Production growth was predominantly driven by overseas demand, with global appetite for British-built cars rising by 10.3% to an all-time high of 1,354,216 – a second consecutive annual record. Around eight out of every 10 cars manufactured in the UK is now exported, bound for one of 160 markets worldwide. It was continuing economic recovery across Europe, however, that accounted for the bulk of the growth. Exports to the rest of the EU grew 7.5% to 758,680 and accounted for more than half of all UK car exports.  Furthermore, Europe supplies the majority of components within UK-built vehicles, underlining the critical importance of tariff and barrier-free trade to future UK automotive production. Growth was strong across a number of markets, notably the US – the UK’s biggest export destination after the EU – where demand rose by almost half (47.2%) meaning it now accounts for around 14.5% of all UK car exports.  Notable uplifts were also seen in Turkey, Japan and Canada whilst China, third on the list of export markets, grew by a more modest 3.1% with 88,610 vehicles exported last year. Domestic demand for UK built cars also grew last year, up 2.4% in the year, and the UK remains the second largest car market in Europe, again after Germany.4 One in seven new cars registered by UK buyers is now made in Britain, up from one in eight three years ago. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The tremendous growth in UK production is testament to the global competitiveness of the UK automotive sector.  High class engineering, advanced technology and a workforce committed to quality have helped turn around the industry, making the UK among the most productive places in Europe to make cars.  Significant investment in new plants and products over the past few years has driven this growth, not a post-Brexit bounce. We want trade deals but they must be the right deals, not rushed deals. Failure to do so could damage UK automotive manufacturing beyond repair.” 1. The UK’s 15 manufacturing plants are owned by a range of independent and multi-national-owned companies: Aston Martin (Gaydon); Bentley (Crewe); Caterham (Dartford); Honda (Swindon); Jaguar Land Rover (Castle Bromwich, Solihull, Halewood); Lotus (Norwich); McLaren (Woking); Mini (Oxford); Morgan (Malvern); Nissan (Sunderland); Rolls Royce (Goodwood); Toyota (Burnaston); Vauxhall (Ellesmere Port). 2. 1,799,004 cars were produced in the UK in 1999. 3. New UK models starting production in 2016: Aston Martin DB11; Bentley Bentayga; Jaguar F-Pace; Infiniti Q30; Infiniti QX30; Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible; McLaren 540; McLaren 570; Rolls Royce Dawn; Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer. 4. ACEA data for 2016.

2016 see's European growth of 6.5% to 15.14 million sales, of whch 25% are SUV/Crossover models.

• European car registration volume at second-highest point since 2007
• The market was boosted by the launch of additional SUVs and higher demand for premium brands
• Volkswagen Golf maintained its position as Europe’s most popular car model

The European car industry boomed in 2016 - with new car registrations for the year totalling 15.14 million units, a 6.5% increase when compared to 2015. 

This is the second highest volume seen since 2007 when total registrations exceeded 16 million units, demonstrating that the market is proving resilient in the face of the geopolitical events of 2016 which have rocked consumer confidence.

The results show that the continuing SUV boom was the overwhelming trend of the year, with registrations growing by 21.4% - increasing from 3.2 million units registered in 2015 to 3.9 million last year. In contrast, the traditional segments grew by just 2.2%.

In fact, European consumer preferences shifted further towards SUVs, and away from hatchbacks, sedans, station wagons and MPVs. SUVs accounted for more than a quarter of total registrations at 25.6%, an increase in market share of 3.1 percentage points when compared to 2015. 

In contrast, MPVs lost 0.9 percentage points, with its market share falling to 9.5%, whilst subcompacts lost 0.8 percentage points and accounted for 21.2% of the market.

In a show of resilience, Volkswagen Group maintained its lead of the market, and despite 2016 being one of its most challenging years ever - the German car maker still managed to increase its registrations by 3.3%. 

The overall market grew by 6.5%, meaning that Volkswagen Group’s market share fell from 24.8% in 2015 to 24.0% last year. This was the highest market share decrease of all car groups. 

In contrast, FCA, Daimler, Renault-Nissan and Tata Group all increased their market share, thanks to their wider SUV ranges and the increase in sales seen in Southern European markets. 

As other manufacturers gain ground, Volkswagen Group will need to work hard to maintain its position as Europe’s leading manufacturer.

EUROPE-29 FULL-YEAR 2016 VOLUME BY COUNTRIES

“2016 was a great year for the industry, with the second highest volume of registrations since 2007. European car registrations have shown good momentum, with 27 out of 29 markets in Europe recording positive growth last year, and 14 of those markets posting double-digit increases. 

I believe car makers are now better prepared to face the challenging times ahead,” said Felipe Munoz, JATO’s Global Automotive Analyst.

TOP SELLING BRANDS

Regarding the performance of brands in 2016, Munoz said “The challenges seen by VW benefitted mainstream brands such as Renault and Fiat.

The premium brands also performed very well, increasing their market share by almost 1 percentage point from 23.0% in 2015 to 23.8% last year.”

TOP SELLING MODELS

The Golf maintained its lead but lost ground in the model ranking. The Opel/Vauxhall Astra, Renault Captur, Fiat Panda, VW Tiguan and Peugeot 2008 also performed well. The highest market share gains were posted by the Hyundai Tucson, Renault Kadjar and Fiat Tipo.

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