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I just saw the street outside and all the cars are German, although there is a Renault Zoe looking good without the tailpipe - had to check that. But yes, you a
by Theodores 8y ago
I just saw the street outside and all the cars are German, although there is a Renault Zoe looking good without the tailpipe - had to check that. But yes, you are right, German cars are what everyone wants to buy in the UK.
Opel and Vauxhall were owned by GM until a year ago, they are now owned by Peugeot/Citroen - 'PSA group'. When the Astra gets to the end of its life expect Ellesmere Port to close. Regarding Luton there will be vans made there on the PSA platform, this will be badge engineering with the same vans having many different inprints, possibly for other non PSA brands as that already goes on a lot in the sector.
PSA also bought Chrysler Europe many aeons ago and only kept the Ryton plant going in the UK, the Peugeot 309 was supposed to by a Chrysler originally. That really was decades ago and it kind of vanished, much like how GM/Ford dropped a few brands after 2008, closing production here and there.
Bentley do have some British badge on them but they make the Bentayga alongside the Porsche and Audi SUVs somewhere in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, I would have to fact check there, but you get the idea. They might send them off to England to have the badges slapped on but the point is that it is an integrated supply chain.
Rolls Royce have invested in plant in the UK but that again is part of a complicated supply network, the engine is German in a Rolls, originally - a century ago - Rolls did the engine and chassis, you were having to shop elsewhere for the 'coachwork', in 2018 they do just the 'coachwork'. Rolls Royce is ultimately a halo brand, bespoke but very much made possible by BMW 7 series type of platforms.
MINI production is in the UK however there is also a lot of MINI cars made by Magna in Austria (the MINI Clubman things) as well as in the former DAF factory in the Netherlands. MINI are well placed to shut up shop completely, for good in the UK. Notionally they are changing the UK production facilities for the EV models promised.
Getting back to Vauxhall, they were not just Opel with a different badge, in the days before the common market GM had lots of different subsidiaries with their own design and engineering. Same with Ford, British Fords were different to German Fords.
In that era there was a cross licensing deal with components so Lucas/Girling in the UK did not compete in the same markets as Bosch in Germany. With things like disc brakes, lighting and much else that was how it worked, Lucas could make the whole range for the UK and Bosch could for their markets, sharing patents and IP. Lucas got merged, acquired, split up and sold, so some bits of it are owned by companies in Germany like ZF. These companies know no borders though.
- benj111 8y agoOn some levels you appear to know more about this than me. For example I didn't know "When the Astra gets to the end of its life expect Ellesmere Port to close." But then when I check up all I can find is a threat from March which isn't quite so definitive. And theres no mention on wikipedia either, so do you have a better source? https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43300201 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43300201 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Ellesmere_Port https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Ellesmere_Port
- Theodores 8y agoIt is a loss making concern. Hence offloaded to PSA. There is over-capacity in the market, too many cars, not enough buyers. Life is on hold due to Brexit plus there are unions, politicians and the media to manage. They have cut the shifts from two to one, let go of a few hundred workers, so, as of now it is half closed already. There is another Opel plant in Poland making the Astra, the Astra being the only model they make there. The next Astra model comes along in 2020, which is two years away. There is no money on the table from the UK government to make this happen. The plant in Poland is brand new, Ellesmere Port is vintage. Wages are cheaper in Poland, Poland will also have better access to the EU market if Brexit happens. Brexit is happening unless there is some fluke event that obliterates parliament and miraculously restores sanity. The engines, transmission and much else that lurks beneath the Astra all comes from Europe, none of that is made in the UK. In Poland these important sub-assemblies can come from over the border in Germany, no post-Brexit WTO tariffs needed. Everyone wants crossovers these days, the Astra as it exists is at the end of the model life, is not a crossover and limps on in the UK market because it is notionally British. Luton is a different story, vans come from there and PSA like their vans. Right now their main van is a joint venture with Renault, effectively from the purchase of GM Europe PSA get to where they need to be with vans. There are dealer networks as well as factories, the former, particularly with vans, is of interest to PSA. Renault have ended the joint venture with PSA, they now have a partnership going with Mercedes. The depths of this I don't know, they share engines and South America is a big part of the plans. Here is an earlier story about how Ellesmere Port must 'shape up', note how the Corsa (made in Spain) already has plans laid out for the new Corsa and electric Corsa. There is no 'electric Astra' mentioned. The 'electric Astra' (if it ever exists) won't be designed from scratch for some people in The Wirral to put together with their existing screwdriver operation, you can good-as-guarantee it will be an electrified PSA model with a different badge on it, if at all. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/vauxhalls-ellesmere-port-plant-must-close-cost-gap-survive https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-...