Dealer’s Diary
Is the Griffin becoming extinct?
Did the Geneva Auto Salon this year predict the future for Vauxhall? Parent company Peugeot bladdered the usually huge Vauxhall-opel stand at the last minute in what I feel was a spiteful and short-sighted move – one that also meant I had to pay for breakfast on Press Day.
It got worse for anyone working at Griffin House in Luton, as it was announced that the building was for sale. Likewise, the Onstar assistance-comeconcierge facility that was launched in 2015. Despite the blaze of publicity when this was first announced, it quietly faded away and will end come the New Year.
And pity the poor dealer network across Europe. They’ve all been put on two years’ termination notice, including more than 300 retail sites in the UK. They’ve seen sales drop by 22%, rendering them financially unviable. Only 200 will remain and we don’t know the revised terms. The Vauxhall model range has shrunk, too. Gone is the Zafira, which is frankly unbelievable. The lovely Cascada has also slipped away quietly. The stylish Astra GTC is now deceased. The VXR brand is no more either, taking with it everything from the Chav Corsa version to the V8s from Australia and America. Even the unstoppable Corsa diesel has been deleted from the brochures.
The previous smash hit Vivaro, now in its second generation, is proving to be as popular as an LDV Pilot was in its death throes. This is a shame as it’s a great van and one that’s built very well in Britain. Likewise the Astra, which won Car of the Year in 2016 and is made in Cheshire.
My advice is not to chicken out of buying the Griffin. Quite the opposite. I’m advising you to get out there and drive a very hard bargain if you’re in the market for a new or approved used car. Right now, the infrastructure of a great British brand is still there and waiting to be plundered.
‘Drive a very hard bargain if you’re after a Vauxhall’