Is there any reason why there's a Vauxhall brand even though they're just Opels underneath? I know Opel's German and Vauxhall's British but why is there Vauxhall when they're just rebadged Opels with a V in the grille?

Until the 70s/80s, the two brands had different car models. I guess that they kept Vauxhall brand because it sold well in UK.
Now you start to see the same with Saturn: they started to sell rebadged Opel. Maybe within 20 or 30 years their cars will all just be the same as Opel models

Saturn i guess is the American Opel. We have the ura which was a vectra, the Sky which was I guess a speedster or Gt, and soon the Saturn Astra.

What I also learned on my trip to Europe was that Vauxhall was only sold in Britain and not in other countries. Opel doesn't sell in Britain either.

You could also ask "Why is there a Pontiac brand if they are just Chevys underneath"
The same could be said about Dodge and Plymouth, which was even worse. And the answer to your question was the discontinuation of the Plymouth brand in 2001

Though I suppose there is a difference, since at least Chevy and Pontiac and Dodge and Plymouth were all sold in the same place, which is not true for Opel/Vauxhall

Lots of Australian Holdens are just rebadged Opels as well, although they also have original models.

Well, one original model

Pontiacs are dressed up quite a lot (on the outside, at least), compared to other models on the same platform. I get the impression that to make a Vauxhall out of an Opel they just move the steering wheel over and swap the badge.
It probably doesn't cost them a lot to maintain the two different brands, since they would have to make different advertising for the UK market (in English) anyway.

antp, I don't think it'll take that long for Saturn to move over, the only thing they sell now that isn't an Opel is the Outlook.

Yes, plastic bodyside cladding really differenciates a Montana from a Venture

Indeed, it would cost more to make the Opel make known in UK than what it costs to make different grille and badges for the cars



There are also rebadged Isuzu/Suzuki, but that's still GM.

Holden have the Commodore, Sportwagon, Statesman, Caprice and the Ute. Mind you, the Ute and the Sportwagon are just Ute and wagon versions of the Commodore. The Caprice and Statesman are long wheelbase luxuary Commodores

Yes, but all of those cars are really just different variations of the same thing, they all share components and are based on the same platform. So really, Holden only has one original design, albeit with quite a few variations of it.

The actual South American made Chevrolets are Opel-derivates, too. There are some variation, even in the bodies, but some models are 1:1, just with other badges.

In Europe nowadays the former Daewoo's are named Chevrolet. But a few US-made Chevrolet are on the market, too.
For some unknown reason (for me unknown) In Russia the Lada Niva-Jeep (created in deepest Soviet-times on Fiat-base) are no called Chevrolet, too - but only on the Russian market?!


Very irritating is the car-scenery in New Zealand. In 1998, at my vacations there, I've seen a kind of GM-cars - often identical models- with different names. Holden, Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Hyundai(the old Chevette/Kadett-derivate), Opel (used RHD from Japan), Daewoo, Bedford, Isuzu... everyting was to see.

You can say the same for many makes (Audi, ...)



Now cars are mostly the same everywhere. At least much more than in the past. We will have to find life on another planet to find true new cars

You mean the Chevrolet Niva, which is a restyled version of the Niva made by GM-AvtoVAZ, a joint venture between GM and AvtoVAZ (Lada). GM-AvtoVAZ also makes the Chevrolet Viva, a rebadged Opel Astra B. The original Niva is now badged as the Lada 4X4 in Russia, since GM-AvtoVAZ holds the rights to the Niva name.

@Gag: In Moscow I've also seen the old-style Niva with Chevrolet-badge, not only the restyled one.

It's all marketing. They'll slap whatever brand name badge on a car if they thing it'll boost sales. An own brand identity, where each band has it's own 'personality' is clearly a thing of the past. Money talks... Sad, very sad.

- "Vauxhall" is way better known in the UK than "Opel", so GM keeps the "Vauxhall" name over there.
(PS: A limited number of Vauxhalls were sold in Belgium too, in the 70s)
- Chevrolet is a name that is known throughout the world. So "Daewoo" was re-badged "Chevrolet". And the "Lada Niva" was badged "Chevrolet Niva".
- There is/was one or more Mazda models sold as Ford in Australia.
- The Mazda B-series pickup is actually just a Ford Ranger.
- Saab builds european Cadillacs
- The old VW Taro pickup (few years ago already) was a Toyota HiLux.

etc etc etc the list is endless, and it gets worse every year.

Marketing, marketing!

Yes, my father had a Vauxhall Magnum:


No identical Opel model.
That car looks nice

I scanned the brochure few time ago:
http://forum.imcdb.org/forum_topic-2973-17660-Vauxhall.html#p17660

The Mazda B-Series in North America is a rebadged Ford Ranger.

The Ford Ranger everywhere else is a rebadged Mazda B-Series.

nice Vauxhall Magnum, it looks cool!