Vauxhall to offer £1000 contribution on insurance for younger drivers for the Corsa L.E.

• Young drivers (18-24) can get a £1,000 insurance contribution when they buy a Corsa
• Deal can be combined Vauxhall’s great finance offers for even greater affordability

Vauxhall is helping young drivers (aged 18-24) cover the initial cost of getting on the road, with a £1,000 (including VAT) insurance contribution when they buy a Corsa Limited Edition.

Young drivers can combine the insurance contribution with one of Vauxhall’s great finance offers, helping to make the cost of motoring more affordable. 

With a variety of competitive offers to choose from, including Personal Contract Payment plans, the Corsa is a fantastic option to get young drivers on the road.

The Corsa Limited Edition is ideally suited as a first car, with a host of features that make the model stand out from the crowd. 

On the outside, 17-inch black alloy wheels, front lower spoiler, side sills, VXR-style roof spoiler and a chrome-effect exhaust give the model an imposing road presence, while sports suspension and LED daytime running lights enhance performance and driver visibility.

Inside, the Corsa Limited Edition offers exceptional comfort and connectivity. Sports-style front seats, VX-Line interior pack (VX-Line leather covered flat-bottom steering wheel, VX-Line leather covered gear knob and handbrake lever), air conditioning and tinted rear windows give all occupants extra comfort. Vauxhall’s latest generation IntelliLink system with smartphone integration and audio streaming keeps the driver connected and able to change the journey playlist to suit, when it’s safe to do so.

“We are all aware of the high insurance premiums faced by young drivers, so to help young drivers get on the road Vauxhall has introduced a £1,000 insurance contribution programme,” said Leon Caruso, Vauxhall’s Retail Sales Director. “The Corsa Limited Edition is a great choice as a first or second car, with dynamic design features and superb connectivity, all backed up by excellent safety equipment.” 

The insurance contribution programme is available now for a limited time while stocks last, and is eligible on new Corsa Limited Edition models ordered and registered before 30th June 2017. Customers must be aged 18-24 and hold a full driving licence.

Tracker announces that the bulk of it's recovered cars are less than £20,000

• 32% of stolen vehicles recovered, valued at under £5,000 reveals TRACKER
• www.tracker.co.uk

A whopping 32% of all stolen vehicles recovered by TRACKER in 2016 were valued at less than £5,000. The age, mileage and even brand of a vehicle doesn’t appear to matter to vehicle thieves as much as motorists may think, which should serve as a stark warning to the average car owner, advises stolen vehicle recovery expert, TRACKER. 

Interestingly, confirming the demise of the prestige car as the thieves’ number one target, the average value of cars stolen and recovered by TRACKER in 2016 was just over £16,000, down from over £19,000 in 2015 – a 13% drop in value. Over £11.5 million worth of stolen vehicles were returned by TRACKER to their rightful owners last year, a notable 10% year-on-year increase for TRACKER.

Whilst the most expensive car recovered by TRACKER in 2016 was a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG worth £120,000, the reality is that less than 1% of stolen vehicles TRACKER recovers are worth between £75,000-£120,000. 

Andy Barrs, Head of Police Liaison at TRACKER and a former Chief Superintendent for South Yorkshire Police, comments, “Understandably, many vehicle owners think that organised car thieves typically target high end prestige cars. Yet our data tells us that criminals continue to target more affordable, popular brands, such as Ford, Vauxhall, and VW models. Indeed, these were stolen in record numbers last year, with the lowest value car stolen and recovered being a VW Golf worth £400. 

“If people think their car isn’t worth enough for thieves to steal it, think again. 3 out of 4 stolen cars we recovered were worth less than £20,000. The message for all motorists is to protect their car from thieves or as we say at TRACKER – if you love it, track it!” 

Unlike other devices, TRACKER’s unique technology can locate stolen vehicles anywhere, even when they are hidden in a garage or shipping container. TRACKER has been reuniting car lovers with their vehicles for over 20 years, and it’s this expertise which makes TRACKER the leader in stolen vehicle recovery. TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there.

Percentage of vehicles stolen and recovered by TRACKER, by value
£1000 or less 3%
£1001-£5000 29%
£5001-£10,000 17%
£10,001-£15,000 11%
£15,001-£20,000 11%
£75,000-£120,000 0.8%
£10,000 or less 49%
£20,000 or less 72%
£20,001-£74,999 28%

FLEET WORLD - The Vauxhall Corsa takes the Best Supermini title in the awards for 2017.

Vauxhall’s Corsa has been chosen as one of the top models in the fleet industry, taking home the Best Supermini award at the 2017 Fleet World Honours.

Announced at the annual Fleet World Honours awards ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in London on Tuesday, the Corsa topped its extremely competitive Best Supermini category. 

The judges, made up of influential decision-makers and fleet industry journalists, praised the model for its efficiency, running costs and technology.

“The Corsa is a staple part of the UK fleet sector, popular enough to outsell entire model ranges single-handedly,” said Alex Grant, Fleet World Editor. “Driving the latest version, that’s no surprise. It’s fun to drive, great value and feature-rich, while the model range includes low-CO₂ engines and trim levels to suit all business needs.”

“We’re delighted the Corsa has been recognised at the Fleet World Honours,” said James Taylor, Vauxhall’s Fleet Sales Director. “The fleet market is an important sector for our best-selling Corsa and we are pleased that it remains a firm favourite.”

In its fourth-generation, the Corsa has achieved exceptional sales, thanks to buyers’ familiarity with its name, looks, value and fondness for its compact dimensions and interior packaging.

It has also been Vauxhall’s best-selling car for many years, vying with Fiesta for the UK’s Number One spot and topping sales charts in Scotland and Northern Ireland outright.

Vauxhall today is calling for the establishment of a national vehicle fire database.

Vauxhall today is calling for the establishment of a national vehicle fire database.

Speaking to the Transport Select Committee this afternoon, Vauxhall representatives called on Government to help the automotive industry gain access to information about vehicle fires held by insurers.

Encouragingly, Vauxhall understands that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has written to the Transport Select Committee to say that, in principle, it supports the proposal.

Vauxhall believes that by accessing information from insurers, manufacturers may be able to identify potential issues earlier than at present.

Estimates for the number of vehicle fires vary widely, ranging from 18,000 per year (Auto Express) to 100,000 per year (fireservice.co.uk).

By collecting data from insurers it will be possible to gain a much more accurate picture of the number of fire cases and how they relate to specific models.

Whilst the data will not reveal the causes of fire, it can nevertheless play an invaluable role in alerting manufacturers to potential issues much earlier than is possible at present.

As Vauxhall’s experience with Zafira B shows, manufacturers have limited visibility of fires in their vehicles. Many Zafira B fire cases, for example, were reported to Vauxhall several years after they took place and only as a result of publicity in October 2015.

Vauxhall also told the committee about the challenges manufacturers face in completing safety recalls. For example, whilst 166,000 UK-registered Zafira Bs have now had their second and final fix, 55,000 have not had the work done, despite owners receiving up to seven letters.

These include thousands of vehicles without an MOT and thousands more ‘sold to trade’. Vauxhall is doing everything it can to reach the remaining vehicles, including co-operating with the AA and RAC to gain access to alternative contact information for owners.

However, Vauxhall believes that industry and government can work more effectively together to close the gap; for example by incorporating a check on outstanding safety recalls into the MOT process.

UK SALES - November see's a 2.9% growth and is still running ahead for the YTD.

• UK new car market rises 2.9% in November, with 184,101 vehicles registered on British roads.
• Alternatively fuelled vehicles achieve record market share of 3.6% in the month, with demand up by a quarter.¹
• 2,514,764 new cars registered from January to November – a record for the period.

184,101 new cars were registered in the UK this November, with the market increasing by a steady 2.9%, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 

The growth has helped deliver more than 2.5 million new cars on to British roads so far this year – the first time the milestone has been reached in November.

Demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) remained strong in the month, growing 25.1% to 6,663 units, representing 3.6% of the market – the highest ever achieved. 

Petrol registrations grew 7.9% to 88,541 units, while diesels just edged ahead on market share with 88,897 vehicles registered, a fall of -2.9%.

Superminis continued to be the most popular body style – making up more than a quarter (29.7%) of all cars registered in November, followed by small family cars and SUVs. Executive and city cars enjoyed the biggest growth, up 27.7% and 25% respectively. 

Meanwhile, fleets accounted for more than half of the market, as registrations to private buyers fell slightly by -1.2%.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Our industry continues to make vehicles that are ever safer, more refined, more efficient and more enjoyable to drive – and the latest advanced technology and cutting-edge designs are continuing to attract buyers into showrooms. 

It's encouraging to see that alternatively fuelled vehicles, although still a small proportion of the market, have seen strong growth this month achieving a record market share. 

Long-term government support and incentives are essential if these vehicles are to command a larger market share in the future.”

Vauxhall opens Europe's biggest Emergency Services production facility at Luton, specialising in Police, Fire and Ambulance models,

• Largest Police car factory in Europe opens in Luton, Bedfordshire
• 2,500 vehicles per year converted for Police, Fire and Ambulance
• 50 new jobs in Luton after production moved in-house
• UK supplier firms benefit with 90 per cent material sourced locally

Vauxhall has officially opened its Police car factory, the largest of its kind in Europe, at its manufacturing plant in Luton, Bedfordshire.

The factory will convert 2,500 vehicles per year, including cars and vans, for use by Police forces, and Fire and Ambulance services nationwide.

Bringing 50 new jobs to Luton, the new facility has been created after moving production in-house from its previous location in Millbrook, Bedfordshire.

Supplier firms around the country also benefit with 90 per cent of blue-light content, the materials used to convert a standard car in to a Police car, sourced locally from UK suppliers. Local firms include Border Engineering in Luton who make brackets and AV Engineering in Royston who make fascia mouldings.

An array of Vauxhalls will be converted for use by the emergency services at the Luton facility with cars including Corsa, Astra, Insignia and Mokka, and CVs, such as Combo, Movano and the Luton-built Vivaro vans.

Vauxhall is the only manufacturer to offer a one-stop shop for blue-light vehicles. Everything is done in-house from testing to converting and even remarketing of decommissioned vehicles.

Policing has changed dramatically in recent years with new types of crimes and the increased terror threat. With technology like 4G Wi-Fi and rugged Toughbook tablets, Vauxhall can offer the emergency services everything they need to stay connected on the move.

“Through our flexible production facility, Vauxhall is able to offer a one-stop shop purchasing experience to UK emergency services,” said Dick Ellam, Vauxhall’s Manager, Special Vehicles.

“We can deliver a wide choice of car and van models, specifically designed and rigorously-tested to meet the stringent demands of our emergency services. We can also supply turn-key vehicle solutions that enable rapid turnaround of replacement vehicles, plus we can now offer a unique in-house de-commissioning and re-marketing service.”

Vauxhall is the number one supplier to Police fleets with a 70 per cent market share of competitive segments.

September sees nearly half a million sales in plate change month, with 2.150 million sales year to date.

• 469,696 new cars registered in plate-change September – a steady rise of 1.6% and the highest September
• on record. 
• Increased demand for diesels and alternatively fuelled vehicles, up 2.8% and 32.6% respectively.
• Year-to-date total registrations grow 2.6%, with more than 2 million units registered so far this year.

The UK new car market remained steady in September, rising 1.6%, according to data published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 469,696 cars were registered, as buyers purchased the new 66-plate.

The performance marks the highest September on record, while the total number of cars registered so far this year also grew to  2,150,495 units – up 2.6% compared with the same period last year. 

It is only the second time that the two million mark has been passed in September since 2004.¹

Fleet registrations continued to drive growth, up 7.3%, while registrations to private motorists experienced a small decline, down -1.7% to 223,844 units in the month. Meanwhile, diesel registrations rose 2.8% as petrols declined -1.1%. Alternatively fuelled vehicles continued to outpace the market, up 32.6% against the same month last year with a market share of 3.4%.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, "September is always one of the biggest months for Britain’s new car market. The new 66-plate, combined with a diverse range of exciting new models featuring the latest technology, has certainly helped draw buyers into showrooms and many are taking full advantage of the attractive deals and low interest financing options on offer. However business and consumers place September orders many months in advance, so the ability of the market to maintain this record level of demand will depend on the ability of government to overcome political uncertainty and safeguard the conditions that underpin consumer appetite.”

Vauxhall offers buyers of a limited range of cars and vans a free £500 Fuel card from Tomorrow until Monday. T&C Apply.

Customers of Vauxhall retailers across the country can get £500* worth of free fuel, with selected car and van purchases between Thursday 8^th September and Monday 12^th September.

The offer is available on Vauxhall’s multi-award winning Astra, as well as the popular Corsa supermini, fashionable ADAM and Mokka compact SUV.

In addition to passenger cars, the offer is open to commercial vehicle customers across Vauxhall’s van range, including the Corsavan, Combo, Brit-Built Vivaro and Movano. Customers will be able to take home their £500 Fuel Card when placing an order for a new car or van that is registered on or before 30^th September 2016.

The £500 free fuel offer is available in addition to Vauxhall’s other great discounts including a range of finance offers and Flexible Personal Contract Purchase Plans (PCP). Customers can choose from a selection of Vauxhall models with low monthly payments and all the flexibility that PCP finance allows at the end of the chosen term.

“Our free fuel offer this September is a great opportunity for customers to take advantage of our other fantastic finance deals and drive away with a new car or van,” said Leon Caruso, Vauxhall’s Retail Sales Director.