Vauxhall slips to third place in UK car sales rankings, overtaken by scandal-hit Volkswagen
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Version 0 of 1. Car giant Vauxhall says it is “following a strategic plan” after slipping to third place in UK sales rankings. The brand has been overtaken by scandal-hit Volkswagen in new car registrations, recording a 22 per cent year-on-year decrease in the first 11 months of 2017. Volkswagen has grown by 1 per cent to take second spot behind Ford. French company PSA Group agreed to buy Vauxhall owner Opel earlier this year. A spokesman for Vauxhall, which has factories in Ellesmere Port and Luton, said the £1.9bn deal accelerated plans to focus on profits. He told the Press Association: “Vauxhall is following a strategic plan to remove the brand from unprofitable channels, such as daily rental. “In the light of the PSA takeover and the need to become profitable across the Opel Group, that plan has been stepped up into 2018. “Our clear objective is to be profitable.” Volkswagen Group sparked outrage in September 2015 when it was found to have fitted software designed to cheat emissions tests to 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide, including almost 1.2 million in the UK. But Alison Jones, director of Volkswagen UK, said the brand’s expanding range of new cars – including the new T-Roc compact SUV launched this month – is appealing to a growing number of motorists. “Volkswagen will continue to concentrate on the needs of our customers, the number of which is clearly increasing,” she said. Ms Jones added that the company will “of course also continue to address the diesel issue”. In October it emerged that a third of Volkswagen cars fitted with software to cheat emissions tests remain unfixed. The new car market overall has declined for eight consecutive months. PA |