When you live abroad or travel, you observe numerous things that are different from the home you’re familiar with. This is the reason that travel can be exciting. Traveling abroad allows you to explore this further and gain further specifics.
After arriving in England, I was struck by something different: they have cars that look similar to Opels but with a distinct logo. “Physically,” these cars manufactured by this brand are identical to ours. However, the brand’s name is different. This is because, In England, Opel is called Vauxhall. It’s the typical instance of “close to the home you have, but not exactly.”
Opel is located in France. Vauxhall is located in England. What is delirium?
England is exceptionally close to France physically, but in terms of culture, it’s a different story!
In terms of food or at the level of corporate management, or cultural group, our culture is very distinct from the British.
As an expatriate living in the UK, I pay close attention to these minor aspects, and that’s why I discovered this bizarre logo that can be found on lots of vehicles.
This logo did not mean much to me, but even though I’m not a car enthusiast, I’m sure I could recognize almost every emblem. It’s even more bizarre that this logo was found on vehicles I could remember, such as Opel Corsa and Astra… that we see in France and worldwide. In the end, it captivated me.
I am convinced that Opel wasn’t a reality as a brand in England; however, a different brand was not there. The cars are the same (except for the steering wheel, which is on the opposite side); however, the logo is entirely different.
To be precise, Opel exists but under another name: Vauxhall. Therefore, it is possible to summarize the situation in the following way: Vauxhall = British Opel. But what is the real reason?
What’s the reason for Opel shifting its brand name to England?
Both brands are controlled by the American company General Motors. General Motors established Vauxhall in 1903 in London (you’ll see Vauxhall station located on the Victoria Line in London). The manufacturing facility was later relocated to Luton to the city’s north.
The year 1925 was the time that General Motors bought the English Opel brand. Opel is of German origin and was founded in 1898. GM purchased it in 1929.
The two brands made their models until GM purchased them. After the takeover, a few models manufactured are identical, even though they are made in Germany and England; however, the English models have been modified for the English market: or they have been placed “upside to down.” I’ve put quotation marks because at the end, what evidence does it prove that they are in the wrong direction?
In other words, the more time passes, the more models resemble one another. Since the 1980s, the models have been identified in that Vauxhall makes Opel while Opel manufactures Vauxhall. Today, the only distinction between Vauxhall and Opel is the famous logo! In England Opel, the Opel logo includes the name Vauxhall and an animal from mythology, and Opel provides the “circled Z” (excuse my ignorance of design! ).
Vauxhall & Opel: the roots?
It’s not likely that you’ll ever have the courage to ask, Dear reader, but considering that we’ve begun, we may be wise to do it right! Do you know the history of the word Vauxhall? The name’s origin is derived from Faulk Brent, who was at one time a knight of the king (Wikipedia doesn’t give us the name of the was the king and the date). The man inherited a home in London called Faulk’s Hall. Over time, the name changed to Vauxhall. It’s probably an account of the ease of pronunciation if you’re me! It was around the home where the Vauxhall factory was founded (well, in the beginning, there was an engine steam manufacturing facility; however, what a change as, in the end, it was transformed into a manufacturing facility for cars!)
American company currently manufactures a variety of Vauxhall as well as Opel model that are available in the United Kingdom , but it could also come with the issue of the requirement to import elements from different countries that are part of the European Union -it is estimated that the local production of parts is about 25 percent. This means that the possibility of closing the plant within Ellesmere Port if the break in the continent of old is confirmed will leave over 22,000 people unemployed.
The situation is so complex that it will be waiting for the “yes” for the decision to move the manufacturing of Ellesmere Port models to the Gliwice factory, which is located in Poland. Regarding Luton, the Luton manufacturing facility, GM have not decided on the viability of its business. It remains to be seen during the talks in the negotiations with the European Union the United Kingdom can reach a free trade deal which would allow companies to escape the economic stagnation that is mentioned earlier as is currently occurring in other countries, like Switzerland, Iceland or Norway. .