Vauxhall Motors Ltd is a British car manufacturer owned by General Motors (GM) and headquartered in Luton, United Kingdom.[3] It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925.[4] It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for over two decades.[4] The current Vauxhall range includes the Agila (city car), Corsa (supermini), Astra (small family car), Insignia (large family car), Meriva (mini MPV) and Zafira (compact MPV).
Vauxhall has major manufacturing facilities in Luton (commercial vehicles) and Ellesmere Port, UK (passenger cars). The Luton plant currently employs around 1,170 staff and has a capacity of approximately 100,000 units.[5] The Ellesmere Port plant currently employs around 2,100 staff and has a capacity of approximately 187,000 units.
The Vauxhall product range is largely identical to that of Opel, GM's German subsidiary, and most models are principally designed in Rüsselsheim, Germany.[6] A high proportion of Vauxhall-branded vehicles sold in the UK are produced at Opel factories in Germany, Spain and Poland, and roughly 80% of Vauxhall production is exported, most of which is sold under the Opel brand.[5]