Vauxhall’s new boss wants his brand back on the podium — and not the kind with champagne and confetti, but the one where the UK’s best-selling badges sit proudly. The target? Volkswagen, BMW, and Kia — a trio currently eating Vauxhall’s lunch.

Since the Covid slump, Britain’s oldest carmaker has been quietly sliding down the charts, its once-proud Griffin badge outpaced even by its continental cousin, Peugeot. But Steve Catlin, the brand’s new managing director, isn’t here for nostalgia. He’s here for a fight.

“My intention is to put Vauxhall back on the podium,” Catlin tells Autocar. “That’s not an immediate aspiration… but over the next few years, I want to get Vauxhall back onto the podium.”

Tall order. Up to the end of September, Kia had sold 93,000 cars in Britain — Vauxhall, just 66,000. And while the gap is closing, it’s not small. To close it, Catlin’s plan is clear: go back to the people.

For too long, Vauxhall’s relied on fleet sales — those endless rows of silver Corsas wearing company logos like battle scars. Catlin wants to flip the script: fewer spreadsheets, more showrooms. “The UK market is complex,” he says. “Historically, Vauxhall’s been concentrated on a few channels, sometimes to the detriment of the retail market.”

So, the mission: energise dealers, engage retail buyers, and make Vauxhall feel proudly British again.

Britain Calling

In fact, for the first time in a decade, Vauxhall’s launching a marketing campaign made specifically for the UK — not some rebadged Opel ad with a Union Jack awkwardly tacked on. “Rather than taking any kind of generic advertising from Germany, we’re doing something that is specifically about Vauxhall,” Catlin explains.

Translation: more emotional pull, less PowerPoint presentation. Expect more “Made for Britain” pride, fewer spreadsheets about kilowatts.

A New Wave of Metal

Of course, emotion only gets you so far. What really matters is the metal — and Vauxhall’s bringing plenty. The incoming Frontera could be the brand’s secret weapon. It’s bigger than the Mokka but cheaper, and Catlin reckons it’ll storm to second place in the lineup next year — right behind the ever-popular Corsa.

Do the maths: nearly 30,000 Corsas sold last year, around 20,000 Mokkas — if Frontera lands somewhere between, that’s a serious boost.

And that’s not all. The rebirth of the GSe sub-brand — starting with a 276bhp Mokka — could give Vauxhall some much-needed swagger. A proper halo model, with echoes of Nova SRs and Astra GTEs from the glory days. “Everybody that you talk to – certainly of my generation – has got a story with Nova SRs,” Catlin says. “That part of the brand has been missing.”

He’s right. Those old hot hatches were scrappy, characterful, and a bit rebellious — exactly the spirit Vauxhall could use right now.

Why It Matters

Vauxhall’s challenge isn’t just sales — it’s relevance. In a market obsessed with German precision and Korean value, Britain’s homegrown badge needs to rediscover its voice. Catlin’s vision is to make Vauxhall a brand that British buyers don’t just settle for — but seek out.

If the new Frontera hits, the GSe cars bring back a spark, and that UK-focused marketing gives the Griffin some teeth again — well, maybe, just maybe, we’ll see Vauxhall back where it belongs.

On the podium. With a pint. Smiling proudly.

Source: Autocar