PARIS - Vauxhall uses France to launch the Mokka X & Zafira, and the world Premiere of the Viva Rocks & Ampera-e

• VIVA ROCKS to make world premiere at Paris Motor Show (1^st – 16^th October)
• New Mokka X stars in Paris ahead of UK dealer launch next month
• New Zafira Tourer debuts with new infotainment and cockpit
• New Ampera-e hints at Vauxhall’s electric future

Vauxhall premiered the VIVA ROCKS and revealed new versions of two class-leading models at the 2016 Paris Motor Show today. VIVA ROCKS will arrive in showrooms next year while the new Mokka X and Zafira Tourer appeared ahead of their dealer launch next month.

Vauxhall also provided a clear signal about its future commitment to electric vehicles with the ground-breaking Ampera-e being readied for UK evaluation early in 2017.

COME ON VAUXHALL IF YOU ARE PUTTING THE VAUXHALL BADGE ON THE CAR YOU COULD AT LEAST CHANGE THE NAME FROM KARL TO VIVA - LOOKS CHEAP AND TACKY AND YOU CAN DO FAR BETTER.

VIVA ROCKS

Vauxhall unveiled the new VIVA ROCKS at the 2016 Paris Motor Show today. Arriving in showrooms next summer, the VIVA ROCKS features a raised ride height with rugged body cladding, a robust new interior and the latest connectivity including OnStar and R 4.0 IntelliLink.

The new model, which celebrates its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show (Booth 501, Hall 5-2; 1^st – 16^thOctober), features many design cues typically found on larger SUV models, such as an increased ride height that enables better visibility and improved response to uneven surfaces – such as country lanes or potholes. Ideally suited to city conditions, VIVA ROCKS gives occupants excellent connectivity, while retaining the practicality of the Vauxhall VIVA with five doors, five seats, compact dimensions and a luggage capacity in excess of 1,000 litres.

Clever design tweaks set the VIVA ROCKS apart from its A-segment rivals, as well as from its tamer, well-established, sibling. Silver roof rails, rugged front (including fog lights) and rear bumpers with integrated skid pads, muscular wheel arches, and unique 15-inch bi-colour look alloy wheels, all ensure that the new model has a distinctive edge, yet simultaneously keeps enough features to retain the VIVA’s dynamic, sporty appearance.

On the inside, VIVA ROCKS gets a new interior with sophisticated touches throughout. The optional R 4.0 IntelliLink system brings the world of smartphones to the VIVA ROCKS via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, also providing navigation through Apple Maps or Google Maps. Alternatively, Navi 4.0 IntelliLink offers an integrated navigation system.

The connectivity offering of the VIVA ROCKS is completed with the availability of Vauxhall’s personal connectivity and service assistant, Vauxhall OnStar, making it among the best connected A-segment cars on the market.

The updated exterior and stylish interior are not all the VIVA ROCKS has to offer though, giving the same high levels of practicality, comfort and safety provided in the Vauxhall VIVA. Five doors guarantee convenient access to the front and rear seats, which can be folded down to give the VIVA ROCKS an impressive luggage capacity of 1,013 litres. The ‘City’ driving mode reduces steering effort to assist with tight manoeuvres in heavy city traffic, with cruise control supporting speed management. Additional features that support the driver include Park Assist, which makes parking safer and easier.

MOKKA X

Vauxhall’s new Mokka X, which reaches UK showrooms in October, appeared at the 2016 Paris Motor Show today with a fresh interior and exterior design, a new powertrain and featuring OnStar and Apple CarPlay.

With over half a million sold in Europe and nearly 100,000 in the UK, Mokka has seen huge success since its launch in 2012. The Mokka’s compact size (4.28m long), sporty looks and elevated seating position having wowed customers looking for an affordable SUV.

Incorporating cues from Vauxhall’s new design philosophy, the new Mokka X is the first model to introduce the “X” segment identifier for future Vauxhall SUV and crossover vehicles.

The Mokka X’s bold new look is thanks to work carried out by a design team led by Brit Mark Adams. Its new front treatment is aligned with Vauxhall’s new design philosophy including a wing-shaped horizontal front grille and the dominant, sharp double-wing signature of the LED daytime running lights. At the rear is another double wing signature highlighted in the tail lamps, with LED technology an option. Vibrant new colours such as ‘Amber Orange’ and ‘Lava Red’ are also available. On the inside, the Mokka X has a completely new dashboard inspired by the new Astra.

After introducing the much-lauded 1.6-litre ‘Whisper Diesel’ engine last year, the Mokka range is now extended further to include a new generation 1.4-litre Direct Injection Turbo (152PS) petrol unit which first appeared in the Astra. With a six-speed automatic transmission, adaptive all-wheel drive and start/stop, this Mokka achieves 43.5mpg* and CO2 emissions of 150g/km*.

In addition to the AWD system, Vauxhall engineers have once again made innovative technology available to a broad group of customers by introducing LED Adaptive Forward Lighting headlamps. The new AFL LED system adapts the headlights’ lighting patterns automatically to the driving situation so that the best possible light performance is given without dazzling other road users.

ZAFIRA TOURER

The new Vauxhall Zafira Tourer made its show debut in Paris, demonstrating a unique blend of exceptional versatility and optimum comfort. Its flexibility makes it an ideal choice for families and professionals who need a spacious and versatile vehicle for travelling long distances in high comfort.

The new model will be in showrooms from October across the UK, priced from £18,615 on-the-road. New Zafira Tourer comes with an attractive new exterior and interior that emphasises its spacious design and outstanding in-car connectivity. The latest model comes with all the well-known virtues of its predecessor such as the Flex7 seating system, ergonomically-certified AGR front seats, the Flex-Fix bicycle carrier and FlexRide adaptive damping. The new Zafira Tourer range includes Design, Energy, SRi, SRi Nav, SE, Tech Line, Elite and Elite Nav trim levels.

The latest generation Vauxhall IntelliLink infotainment systems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and OnStar, including 4G/LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, ensure the Zafira Tourer offers optimum connectivity while on the road. Vauxhall has also introducing full LED Adaptive Forward Lighting headlamps to the Zafira Tourer range.

AMPERA-E

The new Ampera-e electric car, premiered at the Paris Motor Show today, will be evaluated in the UK by Vauxhall with the possibility of right-hand-drive models being produced in a future generation.

Due to be sold by Vauxhall’s sister company, Opel, from 2017 with left-hand-drive, the Ampera-e has a class-leading pure electrical range that can exceed 250 miles without recharging (purely electrical range measured, based on the New European Driving Cycle, or NEDC, in km: > 400; provisional figure). However, even taking into account the real world impact of driving style, road and weather conditions, the car can still achieve a range of over 185 miles under average, every day conditions.

‘Vauxhall is committed to having a future EV presence in its range,’ said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. ‘The technology which underpins the new Ampera-e is of great interest to us, and we will be evaluating LHD cars from next spring and demonstrating them to clients. The fact that Ampera-e is not an eco-luxury or second car for customers broadens its appeal greatly, but it’s obviously vital that the car we sell in our market is right-hand-drive, and that won’t be available in the current generation.’

The class-leading range of 250 miles (provisional figure measured, based on the NEDC) of the Ampera-e – which beats the maximum 186-mile NEDC range of its closest competitor, the BMW i3, fitted with its optional, large 33kWh battery – is not the only feature which will be part of Vauxhall’s appraisal. Clever integration of the ten battery modules means that the 4.17 metre-long car can accommodate five people, yet still offers a 381-litre boot. The battery package is located in the underbody and is tailored to the contours of the vehicle, with no space wasted. The battery, developed in cooperation with LG Chem, comprises 288 lithium-ion cells and has a capacity of 60 kWh.

Sports car acceleration

With maximum torque of 360Nm and power equivalent to 204PS, the Ampera-e’s standing-start and mid-range acceleration figures are on a par with many a sports car. Zero to 30mph takes a mere 3.2 seconds, while 50-75mph – a particularly important yardstick for overtaking performance – takes just 4.5 seconds (preliminary figures). Top speed is electronically limited to 93mph for the benefit of overall range.

The Ampera-e also has the ability to re-charge its batteries while being driven. To do so, the driver just eases off the accelerator in the normal ‘Drive’ mode. The Ampera-e recuperates automatically in overrun and wins back energy from the electric motor, which doubles as a generator. The motor’s braking effect is increased when the driver switches to ‘Low’ mode, therefore increasing recuperation. Furthermore, the driver can switch to ‘Regen on Demand’ for maximum energy recuperation, via a paddle at the back of the steering wheel. The drag torque is so high in ‘Low/Regen on Demand’ modes that the brake pedal need not be applied to reduce speed to a full stop in normal traffic, leaving the Ampera-e to be safely controlled by the accelerator (naturally, the brake pedal still needs to be applied in an emergency).

Initial vehicle simulation models show that drivers can increase the range by up to five per cent compared with ‘Drive’ mode, when applying ‘One Pedal Driving’ with the corresponding full recuperation in dense city stop/go traffic.

Fully connected with OnStar and smartphone integration

The Ampera-e has both the latest generation IntelliLink infotainment and OnStar on board, with the award-winning connectivity and service assistant offering a powerful WiFi hotspot for up to seven devices (depending on market). The Apple CarPlay- and Android Auto-compatible IntelliLink systems bring the world of smartphones into the Ampera-e, allowing passengers complete access to their favourite music, or the luxury of streaming movies.

TMW - The 2016 Vauxhall Viva, new car, old name, but dont be confused, this is a great car to drive and own.

Ok, who remembers the Vauxhall Viva from the the 60's and 70's, the family saloon cars that sold in excess of 1.5 million, sold around the world and was even built in Uruguay, well, I do,  I even had a 1977 Vauxhall Viva 1.3 Deluxe, the HC model, and it was great, it was my first car and I really loved it, loads of room, plenty of poke, and cheap to run and insure for an 18 year old.

But I Digress, the years passed and Vauxhall had a plethora of models that followed the Viva, right up to today, with the all New Viva, it is a global car with Opel and Chevy having their own versions, but the ethos remains the same, a good, cheap car that has plenty of room, runs well, cheap to own and does not look like the back end of a horse.

And thats where the new Viva wins, it looks good to start with, it is a compact design but does not do away with some nice styling touches, the interior has oodles of room to suit four big adults or a three kids in the back, you could fit three adults in the back but it would be a touch tight, but it can be done, room up front, is really good, you can move the seat about and the steering wheel so you get a perfect seating position, and once there, everything is at hand, no reaching out for switches or buttons here.

The dash is built to a price, so it is hard plastics, but then do you really fondle the dashboard at every opportunity, no, no one does, the fascination of hard plastics and soft plastics to me is an irrelevancy, it is how it looks and the design of it thats more important, and it scores well there too, you get a glove box thats sufficient to take a few smaller items, and door pockets that can take bottle of drink, books etc, being up front in this car is a nice place to be.

The higher roofline is also a nice extra and you feel like the interior is very roomy and airy, and you never feel claustrophobic even with a car full of people, the nice solid steering wheel, solid feeling gearstick, handbrake and switchgear all give you an air of quality, and you would not think that this car is an £8.5k car, far from it.

The doors shut with a tinnie thunk, rather than a solid thunk, as you would find on say the Astra, but the car is well priced, so things have to be omitted or reduced to keep it within that price scale to make it financially successful, but that does not mean it is not well kitted out, again, far from it, and the kit you get in the car includes :-

• Anti Lock Brakes
• Electronic Stability Programme with Traction Control
• Complete Set of airbags
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Lane Departure Warning
• Electronic Engine Deadlock Immobiliser
• Speed Sensitive Power Assisted Steering with City Mode
• Electric Front Windows
• Cruise Control
• Trip Computer
• Daytime Running Lights
• Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls
• Remote Control Central Deadlocking 

Just a small sample of the kit added to this car as standard, the only option our test car had was the Air Conditioning at £495, Which worked really really well, as it was the hottest day of the year when we did the test, the added air con added to the price to take it a shade over £9,000, still not a lot of money for a decent car, yes you can buy cheaper, but you're not buying quality, kit, driveability and more.

On the road the car is very swift, the 1.0 litre engine likes to be revved, and gives all it can to aid you along the road, the engine can be a touch course at higher revs or when you give it beans, but the noise is one of fun, not intrusion, it's a throaty noise that sounds really nice, but drive it sensibly and it is quite a decent powerplant thats reasonably quiet, and efficient.

The car is capable of topping 100 mph, and at a steady 70mph, it is not a bad place to be, you never feel like the car is struggling to keep up with the traffic, and can happily over take at motorways speeds, it may take a second or two longer than bigger engined cars, but it manages it without too much fuss, being a 1.0 litre, it has the advantage of dropping below the 100g/km, but only by one percentage point (99g/km).

Insurance will be cheap too, gaining the band 4E, and fuel consumption claimed by Vauxhall is :-

• Urban Driving           52.3mpg
• Extra Urban Driving  76.3mpg
• Combined Figure      65.7mpg

VERDICT

So, you have a small car, with a small price, with big appeal, loads of kit, cheap to insure and run, get plenty of MPG, and can keep up with traffic at all speeds, really why would you buy anything else, The Viva might seem a little "low Rent" for some, but ignore it at your peril, if you dont need lots of space in the boot, or you do not have a big family, then you can have a brand new car for £8,500, with a great dealer network, and a car that stacks up well against cars in the next level up.

It is a fun car, you can throw it around and you will have a smile on your face when you drive it, it will no doubt be predominantly be used around town and short distances, but it is more than capable of taking on longer journeys and in a certain degree of comfort and peace of mind of knowing it's not going to break the bank.

Vauxhall Heritage Centre opens as usual, for just ONE day a year, do not miss this one.

• Luton-based Heritage Centre opens doors to public in June
• Free admission for all

Vauxhall Motors’ 113 years of history will be laid bare next month as its ever-popular Heritage Centre Open Day is confirmed for 2016.

On Sunday, June 12 Vauxhall’s 73-strong collection of vehicles, covering every decade since the company started building cars in 1903, will be open for families and enthusiasts to explore. And best of all, admission is free.

At this year’s event Vauxhall will be marking two anniversaries: 50 years since the first Viva HB drove off Ellesmere Port’s production line, and 30 years since the last Bedford commercial vehicle was manufactured. Supporting this, an early SL-model HB will be on display, as well as two CVs that bookended Bedford production: a 1931 2-ton truck and two CFs – a one-off electric model, and a near concours production panel van.

Two new additions to the collection will also be on show. Completing a set of the first five sporting Astras is a 2009 VXR Nürburgring, which will join our two GTEs, Mk. 3 GSi and Mk. 4 888 Coupe. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, a 1949 Wyvern L-type also makes its debut at the Open Day. This car – the only left-hooker in the collection – makes a welcome return to the town of its birth after 67 years pounding the roads of Portugal and Holland.

The breadth and quality of Vauxhall’s Heritage Collection is near-unique, with most of the cars roadworthy and maintained by a small team, led by Andy Boddy, Senior Vehicle Restorer. A majority of the cars were also built in Luton, at the famous Kimpton Road plant.

Vauxhall’s Heritage Centre Open Day will run from 10am to 4pm. Refreshments will be available throughout the day, and parking is free. The Heritage Centre is situated behind Vauxhall’s Head Office on Park Street, Luton LU1 3HG.

Vauxhall cleans up at the Scottish Car of the Year awards with four wins, including Car Of The Year 2015.

• Landmark award part of four-trophy evening for Vauxhall
• Astra and VIVA also win Compact, Eco and Family categories between them


Vauxhall’s all-new Astra family hatchback was named 2015 Scottish Car of the Year this evening at the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers’ annual awards held in Edinburgh. The British-built Astra also took the Eco and Family car awards, while the company’s new VIVA drove away with the Compact car gong.








“We’re extremely proud that the Astra is the 2015 Scottish Car of the Year,” said Mark Adams, Vauxhall/Opel’s Vice President, Design, who accepted the award on behalf of Vauxhall. 
“The Scots have made Vauxhall their most popular car manufacturer over the last seven years, so we’re glad that we’ve been able to repay their loyalty by delivering a car that will appeal in so many ways.
The Astra also took a brace of class awards during the evening, with the 1.6 CDTi model triumphing in the Eco category, which included rivals with a range of alternative power sources. 
Its new-generation of engine – the Whisper Diesel - combined with Astra’s drop in kerb-weight of up to 200kgs means the 136PS 1.6 CDTi can achieve 76.3mpg combined and CO₂ emissions of just 99g/km.
The Astra also won SCOTY’s Family Car Award, with the judges recognising its family-friendly technology and clever use of cabin space.
"The judging panel faced arguably the toughest decision in the history of the SCOTY awards but the Astra's sheer breadth of talent put it ahead of the rest,” said Alisdair Suttie, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. 
“It's a hugely relevant vehicle for both private buyers and company car drivers. We believe it's not just Vauxhall's best car yet but the new leader in an ultra-competitive segment."
Completing Vauxhall’s award-trawl was the VIVA’s win in the Compact car category. With a familiar name, cheeky looks, generous equipment and a level of quality that confounds its sub-£8k entry price, VIVA is the latest edition to Vauxhall’s growing small-car family, which already includes ADAM and Corsa.
“The Vauxhall VIVA has the lot as a compact car,” said Suttie. “It can fit four adults plus luggage while delivering a smooth and refined drive. It’s also superb value and has low running costs to make it the perfect choice in its class. 
The VIVA bowled us over with the way it drives, taking every type of road in its confident stride. We also admire the way the VIVA offers more space inside than seems possible from the outside. What really sealed the deal, though, is the amazing value for money this quality small car provides.”
The Scottish market is of great importance to Vauxhall. It has been the biggest-selling manufacturer in Scotland for the last seven years with the popular Corsa being Scotland’s best-selling car for six out of the last seven years. Vauxhall also sponsors the Scotland national football team.
"We are very pleased Astra and VIVA have been recognised by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers. 
The all-new Astra has raised the bar in terms of quality, design and connectivity and the VIVA is the newest and best city car on the market," said Leon Caruso, Vauxhall’s Retail Sales Director. 
“Winning the overall SCOTY gives us a huge boost and our retailers in the region will be delighted with the additional success I am sure this will bring to these cars.”
Vauxhall’s Corsa and Corsa VXR narrowly missed top-spot in SCOTY’s Supermini and Hot-Hatch categories respectively, being named runner-up in each class.

Opel denies having any "cheat" programs within any of it's products, as the VW scandal widens.

Opel emphatically rebuts the claims of the German Environmental Relief. We would once again like to emphasize the following, valid for all our cars: GM developed software has no features that detect whether the vehicle is undergoing an exhaust emissions test.

The results of the alleged Zafira test conducted by the German Environmental Relief (DUH) are not comprehendible. It is not fair that the German Environmental Relief makes assertions but did not disclose the alleged results, despite us asking for them on multiple occasions.

After receiving the communication from the German Environmental Relief, our engineers immediately put a corresponding vehicle (a Zafira with a 1.6-liter Euro 6 diesel engine) on the test bench and conducted and protocolled additional tests in accordance with the regulations – both on a two-roller and a four-roller test bench. 

The result: the values comply with the legal limits both for testing on two-wheel or four-wheel setups. This is the only result to be expected, as it has no influence on the emission systems whether or not the rear wheels are in motion. This means: The allegations are clearly false and unfounded.

An approach, as implied by the German Environmental Relief, would contradict our integrity, our values and the work of our engineers. We are committed to the reliable compliance with exhaust emissions thresholds in all our vehicles. We have clear global processes that ensure that our products meet all exhaust emission standards in the markets they are sold in.

Vauxhall brings back it's own scrappage scheme, to give buyers of older cars a cash boost.

• £2,000 Scrappage Allowance available across most Vauxhall passenger cars
• Cars of any age and from any manufacturer are eligible
• Option of combining scrappage with Vauxhall’s other great finance offers

Vauxhall has re-launched its Scrappage Allowance scheme, which means customers can take advantage of a £2,000 (including VAT) scrappage trade-in against most new passenger cars in its range.

To qualify for the scheme, customers must have owned their trade-in vehicle for a minimum of 90 days. There is no upper age limit for cars and any manufacturer’s vehicle will be accepted.

Customers can combine scrappage with Vauxhall’s other great offers including Flexible Finance, Flexible PCP and a free insurance offer. For example, young drivers could take advantage of £99 insurance (18 to 20 year olds) for one year’s insurance on both ADAM SLAM and Corsa Limited Edition, while those aged 21 and over could get one year’s free insurance.

This means that a 21-year old customer participating in scrappage, could receive £1,190 finance deposit contribution and pay just £193 per month over 36 months for a Corsa three-door 1.2-litre Limited Edition, which includes one year’s free insurance and one year’s free OnStar and 4G Wi-Fi*.

“Vauxhall’s Scrappage Allowance scheme makes buying a new car even more affordable,” said Leon Caruso, Vauxhall's Retail Sales Director. “Even customers who think that their current car is only worth a few pounds can now turn it into a £2,000 contribution towards the cost of a new Vauxhall – and that’s over and above any other deals they negotiate with the retailer, including free insurance on ADAM SLAM and Corsa Limited Edition.”

As part of the scheme, vehicles must be traded-in and scrapped to be eligible for the allowance.  All surrendered vehicles will be handled by Vauxhall’s official contracted end of life vehicle partner Autogreen through their online platform 

www.rewardingrecycling.co.uk. 

The offer is available across Vauxhall’s passenger car range excluding VIVA, Corsa Sting and Sting R and ADAM JAM. The Scrappage Allowance scheme is available at participating Vauxhall retailers. Terms and conditions apply.

*On selected models only. OnStar is a comprehensive package, which includes a high-speed 4G Wi-Fi mobile network, emergency response notification and stolen vehicle recovery technology.