Vauxhall, Oldsmobile and the fate of the motor industry

[TimD]

What's your take on the current state of motor manufacturing? Yesterday, General Motors casually announced that they were closing down the 95-year old Vauxhall plant at Luton, Bedfordshire. This despite the fact that they had carefully negotiated new work practices with the unions, and been awarded tens of millions in government subsidies which were to ensure the long term sustainability of the British plant.

This means that cars badged with the name of a London borough will be built in Germany from 2002.

At the same time, in America, GM announced the end of the Oldsmobile marque. After nearly a hundred years, one of the most revered marques in motoring has been snuffed out. There'll be no more Cutlasses, no more 4-4-2's, no more Auroras.

The industry pundits are saying that this is a sign of a continuing trend in car marketing. The old high-volume marques are in desperate trouble, and that in this designer age, the future is in niche marketed vehicles. Volvo and BMW are cited as the prime examples of the new world order.

What do you think? Are you a new consumer, interested in a lower-volume car tailored more deliberately at you? Or are you no more devoted to one tin box than another?

And if you drive (or have driven) a Vauxhall, does the GM decision sway your choice of future purchase? It does for me. The Corsa will probably be my last GM car, and I seriously hope that Phoenix can make a good go of the Rover marque. It would be nice to be able to support the British motor industry by buying into what is once again a British company. What's the trade-in I can get for a Corsa on a new Rover 75???!

And yes, Dan, I would prefer a nice old Oldsmobile gas-guzzler over any BMW!