fantastic tales of exceptional customer service

TORQUE
The magazine for Vauxhall staff and Retailers October 2012
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CHAMPION
EFFORT
Derek Derenalagi
at the Paralympics
ADAM in Paris
It’s SHOWTIME,
FOLKS!
FANTASTIC TALES
OF EXCEPTIONAL
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Vauxhall Cascada:
DROP-TOP
DELIGHT
EDITOR
Sachin Rao
01582 427 190
MANAGING EDITOR
Jos Sharp, 01582 427 173
EDITORIAL PANEL
Andrea Caumon, Andrew
Biernacki, Andy Robson,
Fiona Collins, Helen
Parker, Marie Roberts,
Martin Lay, Mike Hutchin,
Sandy MacRitchie, Simon
Culley, Simon Hucknall
CORRESPONDENTS
Ellesmere Port plant
Bethan Rainford
Griffin House
Marc Eden
Ashley Daly
Luton plant
Charlotte Maclaren
Millbrook
Jutta Crane
Warehouse
Ray Harris
Ross Aldred
PHOTO credits
Vicki Couchman/UNP
(p1, 16); Getty Images (p14);
Fabio de Paula/UNP (p1819); Lee Stanley/UNP
(p22). Cover illustration by
Billie Jean/Agency Rush.
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designed and produced
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Street, London EC2A
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Fax: 020 7749 0179), and
printed by Newnorth, on
behalf of General Motors
UK Limited, Luton.
Corrections, complaints,
queries, suggestions? Mail
sachin.rao@vauxhall.co.uk
In THIS ISSUE
18
Meet the Region 2 Field Sales Team: the face of Vauxhall to 67 Retailers
11
20
Huckepack trailers: from rail to road
in one seamless swing of a crane
For he's a jolly Goodwood fellow...
and so say all of us
REGULARS
08RETAILER News
10 GM News
21 PEOPLE
28 HERITAGE
30COMPETiTIONS
31 MERCHANDISE
31 MARKETPLACE
22
This man makes cars spick and span
so that journos can go thrash them...
02 TORQUE magazine
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VIEW FROM THE TOP
TORQUE OCTOBER 2012
DUNCAN ALDRED
CHAIRMAN & MD,
VAUXHALL MOTORS
As this issue goes to press, the
Paris Motor show is coming to a
close. Vauxhall’s stylish urban
car ADAM made its official global
debut in the fashion capital of the
world, to an extremely positive
reaction from show-goers and
the press.
This followed ADAM’s
unofficial premiere in London,
during Vauxhall Fashion
Scout’s 13th season, in which
our collaboration with three
designers highlighted the car’s
vast number of customisation
options (see facing page).
On page 4 we have an appetitewhetter about our upcoming
new mid-size convertible, the
Cascada. Along with ADAM and
Mokka, it will bring a whole new
customer group into Retailers
and boost sales.
The news pages are also
packed with accolades and a
number of big fleet orders.
Vauxhall has been enjoying a
good spell of sales: in August,
Retail sales were up 9.25 per cent
over the same month last year,
while in July, car sales rose 11.1
per cent. Vauxhall was number
two in the Total, Fleet and Retail
passenger car markets, and
Aftersales and Used Vehicle
Sales also enjoyed success.
A key reason for this success
is our increased focus on the
customer experience. Service
Satisfaction Survey results
remain very strong: in August
we achieved a Likelihood to
Recommend score of 80.6 per
cent, our highest-ever. And the
Auto Express dealer survey on
customer satisfaction showed
Vauxhall Retailers in ninth
position, six places above 2011.
I am confident that next year’s
results will be even better, not
least because we have great
people in the network who go
out of their way to put customers
first. This issue’s cover story
(page 18) celebrates some of
these Retail heroes.
news from around THE BUSINESS
Dressed
to chill
Fashion designers get creative with
ADAM, and you get to see how
Exclusive films of Vauxhall’s collaboration
with fashion designers Fred Butler, Louise
Gray and James Small were screened at
London’s Freemasons Hall in September.
The three designers are strikingly
different in their approaches to fashion, and
this was reflected in their approaches to
creatively customising the three variants,
the sporty ADAM SLAM, elegant ADAM
GLAM and fashionable ADAM JAM.
In ‘Journeys’ and ‘The Making Of’, director
Tom Giddings captures these creative
processes and charts their personal
career journeys and the evolution of their
designs. Kim Jones, Men’s Style Director
at Louis Vuitton, Diane Pernet, founder of
a Shaded View of Fashion Film Festival,
and stylist and fashion
consultant Richard
Sloan, mentored the
designers on this
unique project and also
appear in the films.
The event, which
was part of Vauxhall
Fashion Scout, was well attended by
fashion and entertainment celebrities,
including Jamie Hince, Jack Penate and
Sascha Bailey.
View the films at: youtu.be/O7Z2CQ6c1Ck
and youtu.be/YjCCfdkPCWE
Fred Butler with her own
ADAM style, and (inset) with
James Small and Louise Gray
4
Page
what's GORGEOUS and
MEANS 'WATERFALL'?
5
Page
AmpERA GOES
UNDERSEA
8
Page
Want to have a ball
and be a star?
OCTOBER 2012 03
IGNITION NEWS FROM VAUXHALL
Open season
Top down for great
weather, or a roof
for, er, waterfalls
Vauxhall's upcoming Cascada
mid-size convertible previewed!
Cast your eager peepers on Vauxhall’s
upcoming mid-size convertible. Well, on
some of it anyway, as these teaser shots
are all we presently have of the new model,
which will go on sale early next year.
It’ll be called the Cascada – which means
‘waterfall’ in Spanish – and will be 4.7 metres
in length (70mm longer than the Audi A5
Convertible) with a full-size fabric roof that
can be opened or closed at the touch of a
button, even when the car is moving at
up to 30mph.
While Vauxhall has had open-topped
models in the compact class before, and
commissioned open-topped versions
of the Cavalier to be built by outside
manufacturers, the Cascada is the first
mid-size convertible that’s been built
and designed in-house since before
World War II.
“Cascada, along with ADAM and Mokka,
will bring a fresh and exciting dimension
to our product line-up for customers,” said
Chairman and MD Duncan Aldred.
Astra turf
The Ellesmere Port-built 2013
Astra family hits the road
Deliveries of the new-look sixth-generation
2013 Astra began in September. The Astra
Hatchback and Sports Tourer sport a fresh
face with new front and rear bumpers,
providing a more aggressive, premium look.
Engines include the new 2.0CDTi BiTurbo
unit that, with 195PS and 400Nm of torque,
is the most powerful diesel engine ever
seen in an Astra. New technology available
on the range includes front camera system
with traffic sign assistant, lane departure
warning, following distance indication
and forward collision alert, and optional
FlexRide adaptive suspension.
04 TORQUE magazine
You're looking
better and better
every year!
When electric range is all
that stands between you and
a dark place…
PR managers Simon Hucknall and Debbie
Shields recently accompanied a team from
Top Gear magazine and achieved something
never done before – driving a production
electric vehicle to France and back via the
Channel Tunnel’s service tunnel.
The first-of-its-kind story will run in
Top Gear’s November issue, which will
Looks good even
in a dark tunnel
hit UK newsstands on 15 October, and be
syndicated in the 32 countries where the
title is published. (Go buy a copy now!)
With petrol-powered vehicles not
allowed in the tunnel due to their potential
flammability, traversing the 33-mile long
tunnel and returning without burning
an atom of petrol was a task tailormade for
the Vauxhall Ampera.
It ran on its petrol engine up to the tunnel,
where the fuel was drained, and then made
the underground journey on nothing but
leafy-green battery power.
“The idea was two years in the making,
but needed the Ampera and its unique
range-extender technology to come along
before it could become a reality,” said
Simon. “The drive was a unique experience;
the tunnel is very narrow and only dimly
lit partway, and then goes completely
dark, which gives you a strong sense of
claustrophobia. I'm pleased and relieved
that everything went off well. Well done
to the Channel Tunnel PR team and to the
Top Gear guys!”
STREET CRED
SIDELIGHT
Tunnel vision
Energy stars
l
Energy company Scottish and
Southern Energy (SSE) has
become the first major fleet to induct
the Vauxhall Ampera, with CEO
Ian Marchant taking delivery of six
new vehicles. The Amperas, being
leased through Lex Autolease, will
be introduced to SSE’s company car
scheme as well as be included in the
pool car fleet at various UK sites. In
addition, SSE Group Fleet Manager Paul
Groundwell also specified an Ampera
as his company car. An Ampera is also
being displayed at Glasgow’s Scottish
Hydro (part of the SSE Group) Centre for
Renewable Excellence.
App-t awards
l
Vauxhall scooped two honours at
the Business Car Fleet Technology
Awards, with the Ampera winning
‘best green development’ and Vauxhall
RoadTrip (which helps drivers track
their business journeys
and quickly create mileage
claims) named ‘best app’.
“The Ampera is a gamechanger in terms of lowemission vehicles suitable
for businesses, and the
excellent RoadTrip app
offers great functionality
and illustrates Vauxhall’s
innovative approach to the business car
market,” said Business Car editor Paul
Barker. The Techies honour companies
that use technology to help make the
operation of business cars cheaper,
cleaner, easier, safer and faster.
EXcellent EXample
l
ADAM's been out and about getting
some snappy photos taken in the run up
to its international launch in November.
A three-day photoshoot saw Vauxhall’s
chic new urban car dashing about
looking, well, dashing against the glassand-steel backdrop of Manchester and
amidst the homely streets of the market
village of Woburn. Now that’s what you
call painting a town red…
Vauxhall, as a member of the
Automotive Council, joined other
car manufacturers and partners at
the UK's annual Centre of Excellence
(CENEX) event, which was held at
Millbrook Proving Ground in September.
Delegates discussed the future of the
industry, with particular focus on the
challenges of implementing sustainable
and green technology. The star of the
conference, the Ampera, was available
for visitors to experience the rangeextender on the Proving Ground circuit.
Ampera Manager Ian Allen, who
delivered a keynote speech, believes
the event is “a great opportunity to
keep our finger on the pulse of the
latest technology and, indeed, to
showcase our own”.
october 2012 05
Able and winning
Vauxhall wins the Motability
Suppliers Award for the second
year in a row
This prestigious award recognises
Vauxhall’s excellence, efficiency and
forward-thinking attitude in its work
with Motability Operations, which helps
hundreds of thousands of disabled people
and their families.
Presenting the award in the ‘Fleet
10,000+ size’ category, Motability
Operations’ chief executive Mike
Betts said: “Delivering some of the
highest registrations ever seen on the
Motability Scheme, Vauxhall continues
to be competitive, innovative and very
supportive.
“Vauxhall has also delivered CO2
emission reductions in their fleet, and
ensured that new models to the market
are also available to Motability customers.
As well as being highly committed,
professional and customer-focused,
Vauxhall is a true partner to the Motability
Scheme and a very worthy winner.”
Andy Vincent, Vauxhall’s Motability Sales
& Marketing Manager, said: “Vauxhall is
leading the industry in providing motor
access to disabled people, and can
be extremely proud of our long-term
commitment to the cause.
“We will strive to continue providing
the latest technology and models to the
Motability scheme.”
(L-R): Jackie
Saunders, Andy
Vincent and Carol
Henderson
SIDELIGHT
IGNITION NEWS FROM VAUXHALL
New world order
l
With its bold design, spacious
interiors, 4.28-metre length and
premium technology and features, the
new Mokka is proving to be a huge hit.
More than 30,000 orders have been
taken across Europe for the subcompact
SUV, with demand particularly strong in
the UK, Germany, Italy and Russia.
Vauxhall is counting on the Mokka and
the forthcoming ADAM and Cascada to
open up new segments for the brand.
Mokka deliveries begin in November.
Play hard
l
A new game has been launched
on Facebook to compliment
the Corsa ad airing on TV, which
features Corsas creating patterns with
similarly-coloured smoke trails from
flares as they drive through streets.
Corsa Colourplay involves clicking to
replicate the
order of coloured
cars that 'beep'
and 'smoke'
in a particular
sequence at
increasing pace.
The game aims
to engage the
Corsa’s huge online fan following – its
Facebook page has 47,000 ‘Likes’.
Police academy
l
Let there be light
Vauxhall Ampera Season
continues to astound and inspire,
with film screened on water
The futuristic and high-tech theme of
the Ampera Season continued through
September at The Kings Cross Filling
Station in London.
A film by award-winning visual artist Max
Hattler – who describes it as a “psychedelic
geometric ballet” – was shown on a giant
screen of water rising from Regent's Canal.
The “abstract shapes playing out into a
06 TORQUE magazine
circus of super-energised movement
and colour” were projected onto a highpowered jet of water forming a 10x15-metre
screen that rose from the canal, and after
the showings, disappeared without a trace.
See the film at www.vimeo.com/49029399.
The Vauxhall-commissioned film is
one of five projects forming the six-month
Ampera Season, developed to offer a
fascinating, free programme of culture
to the public, celebrating the future of
art, science and technology. For more
information, visit www.kxfs.co.uk.
A successful tender submission
to the Welsh Police has
strengthened Vauxhall’s position as
the largest vehicle supplier to the UK’s
police forces. The deal provides the
Welsh police authorities with vehicles
until 2014, with the option to extend
the contract to 2015. Forty-one of the
52 UK police authorities are now using
Vauxhalls, and will receive around
9,000 new vehicles over four years.
Will.i.Amp
l
Respected motoring journo
Quentin Willson is now the
proud owner of a shiny new Ampera.
After being thoroughly impressed by
the test-drives, the ex-Top Gear star
put his money where his mouth was
and bought one. “I felt this powerful
obligation to be an early adopter,” he
said. “It’s the only EV that really looks
handsome. I love the acceleration, the
taut handling, the novel sensation of
silent speed – and sticking two fingers
up at petrol stations feels pretty good!"
SIDELIGHT
Staying power
It’s raining vans
l
Vauxhall’s range of commercial
vehicles is growing. The latest
launch is the new Crew Van, based on
the all-new Combo. A practical and
versatile package, with its combination
of a five-seater capacity and flexible
load space, it comes with a choice of
two wheelbases and three engines.
The rear seating – accessed via twin
side sliding doors – is fully integrated
and factory-fitted and has room for
three additional passengers. It can be
stowed forward to enable additional
rear loading capacity.
Lad's army
Insignia VXR chews up 3,000 miles
across Europe for Rally For Heroes
Vauxhall power saw through a team of
Armed Forces veterans in their effort to
raise money for Help for Heroes.
Army Captain Gregg Mcleod and three
fellow soldiers were among 44 teams that
drove 3,000 miles (five miles per UK soldier
killed in Afghanistan) across the UK, France,
Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany in
just a week in August, to raise awareness
and funds for the cause of supporting and
rehabilitating soldiers injured in combat. As
if that were not tough enough, the soldiers
also ran 10 km each night.
They drove an Insignia Sports Tourer
VXR donated by Vauxhall, which Gregg
described as the perfect car for the mission
due to its combination of performance,
spacious interiors and reliability.
The team raised over £2,000 for the
charity, with the Rally as a whole raising
over £125,000.
Save as houses
New facilities contract and energy
deal add up to big cost savings
Vauxhall has signed an
agreement with strategic
outsourcing company Mitie to
provide facilities management
(FM) at all its UK sites (excluding
the Toddington warehouse).
The deal will lower FM costs by
hundreds of thousands of pounds
per year from October 2012;
savings over the five-year term for
all UK operations, compared to 2011 costs,
are expected to exceed £3.5 million.
Mitie, which had previously only provided
facilities management services at
Ellesmere Port plant (power, compressed
air, the fork-lift truck fleet and so on), will
now also cover these services at Luton
plant, as well as the provision of light, heat,
air-con and lift services at Griffin House,
the Tech Centre and the Heritage building.
Vauxhall has also signed a five-year
energy optimisation agreement with
Acciona Facility Services. Under
the ‘paid by benefit’ terms, Acciona will
propose and entirely fund energysaving projects at Vauxhall sites,
being paid a percentage of the savings
– meaning no cost at all to Vauxhall.
“This strategic partnership enables
improvement of the performance of
all UK facilities to further reduce energy
consumption and contribute towards
our goal of ongoing environmental
sustainability,” said Jack Lalji, Regional
Facilities Manager, who oversaw both
tender processes and agreement
negotiations.
Another new launch is the new
Movano Caged Tipper (above, seen
at September’s SALTEX Grounds
Maintenance Show at Windsor
racecourse), with its roofless cage
design ideal for municipal recycling
collections, as well as for councils,
forestry bodies, park commissions
and the like.
Changing zoom
l
The Movano is spacious, oh yes
– it recently even served as a
changing room for Luton Town football
club! Vauxhall had loaned the club a
bright orange Movano to help them
launch their new away strip. Eight
footballers concealed themselves in
the van and strode out of the back of
the van bedecked in their new colours,
to a cheering crowd of sponsors, local
business people, family and friends at
the newly refurbished Ramada Encore
Hotel at Luton Airport.
Is that Robin
'Van' Persie?
october 2012 07
Action stations
Have you signed-up to be a
Football Co-ordinator yet?
Vauxhall’s Football Youth Programme
was launched in May, to support the FA's
campaign to tackle the issue of 14-to-17year olds dropping out from the game.
All Retailers are invited to get involved
with the programme. Activation packs
with comprehensive information on each
nation's programme have now been sent
to all Retailers. They also contain details on
ordering subsidised football kit and access
tickets to age group international matches.
So far, more than 60 Retailers have signed
up to participate, and appointed Football
Coordinators to champion the programme
(and the Retailer 's involvement) within their
local communities.
It’s easy to sign up as a Football
Coordinator, and rewarding to be one! If
you are interested, or if you need another
activation pack, get in touch with Lorna
Smith at lorna.smith@vauxhall.co.uk.
Monthly electronic newsletters are now
being circulated to all Retailers featuring
photos of youth football teams in their new
Vauxhall Retailer-branded kit, interviews
with Football Coordinators and other news
stories about the programme.
Meanwhile, Vauxhall launched its Youth
Football programme in Scotland, which is
an SFA-promoted School Futsal initiative,
at St Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow.
The launch was attended by Scotland
and Norwich City star Robert Snodgrass.
SIDELIGHT
IGNITION RETAILER NEWS
Pulling rank
l
The results of the Auto Express
2012 Dealer Survey published in
its 22 August edition has the marvellous
news that Vauxhall Retailers have
broken into the top ten. You now rank at
ninth position, six places up on last year.
Vauxhall thanks all Retailer teams for
their focus on enhancing the customer
experience, which is helping to produce
these results.
Big screen experience
l
Vauxhall has bagged a sizeable
order of 24 Movano vans from
National Windscreens, the UK's largest
independent vehicle glass replacement
company, and Retailer Drive Central
Bristol has already delivered half the
order. Six Astra 1.7 CDTi Active models
will also be supplied.
The Movanos, in L1 H1 FWD 2.3 CDTi
(100PS) manual specification, include
optional rear parking sensors and were
supplied in white with the new National
Windscreens livery.
National Windscreens’ director
Phil Lomas praised the virtues of the
Movano, adding, “The support from
Vauxhall and the local retailer has been
superb, including its aftersales offering.”
Snodgrass
gives the class
a masterclass
At your commend
Winningways
Vauxhall Professionals winners
for July and August announced
July winners: Victor Currie (Wilson's of
Rathkenny), Peter Lowes (Bristol Street
Motors Sunderland), Bill McDonald
(Wilson & Co), Sven Kirkpatrick (Skurrays),
Elizabeth Lockwood (Rowcliffes of Yeovil),
Lyndsey Penfold (Goldsmith & Allcorn),
Graeme McQuade (Murketts of Cambridge)
and Andrew Piper (Now Heathrow).
August winners: Deborah Anderson
(Donnelly), Karl Nightingale (Evans
Halshaw), Stephen Heath (Bristol
08 TORQUE magazine
Street Motors Crewe), Philip Connell
(Burnham Garage), James Robinson
(Westcars of Tiverton), Sam Akehurst
(Eastbourne Motoring Centre), Lee Buckley
(Motorbodies) and Karen Rose (Now).
“Seeing so many worthy nominations
each month, the Vauxhall Professional
programme is going from strength to
strength,” said Agnese Ottley, Business
Operations Manager. “We appreciate
the time and effort put into nominating.
Nominations are filled with enthusiasm
and an eagerness for their colleague to
receive the recognition they deserve. Such
proactive nominators enable us to reward
the very best network stars each month.”
l
Horsforth-based Retailer Evans
Halshaw has received an award
from Motability Operations, the
company that manages the Motability
Car Scheme, at the Motability Supplier
Awards. The Commended status
recognises the team – including service
advisor Tina Power, service technician
Craig Brook and sales team member
Pamela Miller, pictured below – for their
excellence, efficiency, innovation and
exceptional customer service.
SIDELIGHT
Team spirit:
Thurlby at the
awards
A job well
Dungannon!
Trade-A result
Thurlby Motors bags prestigious
Motor Trader award
Lincolnshire-based Retailer Thurlby
Motors has been awarded the Franchise
Dealer of the Year award by Motor
Trader magazine. This is one of the most
prestigious categories in the awards, as it is
open to all manufacturers and all dealers –
more than 4,500 in the UK.
The Retailer had to present a full
package of credentials to the judges – sales
performance, profits, customer satisfaction,
staff rewards and so on. Measured against
hundreds of other retailers, Thurlby Motors
came up trumps, and was presented with
the award and a trophy at a ceremony in
London in July.
“We are proud, pleased and privileged
to be the winners,” said Chris Roberts,
Managing Director of the family-run
business which was established in 1981 and
now has four sites and employs 80 people.
“It’s a fantastic accolade for our staff and
proves that we are all doing something
right. Satisfying customers and retaining
their loyalty is vital to us, and we will carry
on doing exactly this.”
VDIS and that
Goodbye old Dealer Information
System, hello OSIRIS!
The decommissioning of VDIS at the start
of October marked the end of the second
and final phase of the 18-month process,
following the earlier induction of SILO in
the warehouse. Order processing and stock
control elements have been replaced with
OSIRIS, which is now the online order entry
and enquiry portal for UK retailers.
The new system will benefit both
Retailers and customers. The stock status
file will now be updated four times a day,
and a date and time stamp has been added
so that Retailers can see when the stock
status was last updated, and can base
orders and commitments on this.
Non-stocked orders now show when an
order is forwarded to another European
warehouse to be satisfied, and the picking
and shipping status from these locations.
This gives Retailers greater visibility on
300-500 parts lines per day.
Order referral chains are now created for
Vehicle Off Road (VOR) orders, which will
be sourced from other warehouses if these
parts are on back-order in the UK. This will
improve the delivery performance on 3040 lines per day across the Retail network.
Green behind the years
l
Vauxhall Retailer the Greenhous
Group is celebrating its 100th
birthday. Over the past 10 decades,
the business has expanded from its
1912 origins as a bicycle repair shop –
though it is still family-run. One of the
country’s first Vauxhall Retailers, it
currently has outlets in Shrewsbury and
Wolverhampton.
Derek Passant, the Group’s Joint Chief
Executive, said: “It is a huge honour to
be celebrating such a landmark. The
business has endured three serious
recessions but has prevailed, and 2012
is a massive success story for us. We’re
proud to work with some of the largest
manufacturers, fleets and retailers
in the world, and we’re committed to
putting the customer first, delivering
a first-class product, and maintaining
strong partnerships.”
Showroom and tell
l
Davidsons of Morpeth in
Northumberland has been
entertaining some rather young visitors.
Children from the local Goosehill
Nursery stopped by the Vauxhall
Retailer as part of their project on car
garages. The under-fives explored
the premises and were given a tour
and talks by foreman Peter Gray and
technician Scott Norris. As part of their
project, the little ones also drew some
great pictures of the dealership.
Mega bus
l
Vauxhall and Colchester Retailer
Underwoods have provided a
specially-converted Movano to Help
For Heroes. The bespoke minibus will
serve at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in
Birmingham, the first port of call for
soldiers who arrive wounded from
combat operations in Afghanistan.
With seating for eight, DVD players,
ramp access for wheelchairs and Help
For Heroes livery, it will help start the
process of rehabilitation by enabling
injured soldiers to be transported to
field trips and activities.
october 2012 09
Are you game?
GAA stars coach children to
promote Opel 'Kit for Clubs'
Did you know that the national sports of
Ireland are hurling and Gaelic football?
With over 2,500 Gaelic Games (GAA)
clubs in the country, the sports are played
by millions. So, it's no surprise that Opel
Ireland is involved in the sports, and that
Opel is the official car of the GAA.
Opel Ireland supports the games
through its grass-roots programme, Opel
Kit For Clubs. It is designed to give GAA
clubs across Ireland free kit (such as balls,
training equipment or jerseys) by awarding
redeemable points when club members test
drive, purchase or service their cars in an
Opel Retailer.
Programme ambassadors and GAA
stars Joe Canning, Jackie Tyrrell and Colm
Cooper recently took part in a skills session
with over 160 children from the Dublin area.
The event was organised by Opel Ireland,
Retailer Liffey Valley and a local GAA club.
The day was a huge hit with the children
and families in the area, and also generated
40 test drives for Liffey Valley Opel, as well
as enquiries on new models and services
booked by Opel owners among the event's
attendees. More such events are now
planned across Ireland.
Learn more at www.opelkitforclubs.com.
SIDELIGHT
IGNITION GM NEWS
Ten in a row!
l
Despite the challenging
environment, GM has now
achieved 10 consecutive quarters of
profitability, a milestone last achieved
more than a decade ago.
GM’s net income in Q2 2012 was $1.5
billion, down from $2.5 billion in Q2
2011 – a decrease due almost entirely to
the strengthening of the US dollar. Net
revenue was $37.6 billion, compared
with $39.4 billion in Q2 2011, while
earnings before interest and tax (EBIT)
adjusted was down $0.9 billion to $2.1
billion. Regional performances, EBIT
adjusted, were: North America
$2.0 billion; Europe: $0.4 billion loss;
International Operations: $0.6 billion;
South America: breakeven.
Socia network
l
Bob Socia, GM’s vice president,
Global Purchasing and Supply
Chain, has succeeded Kevin Wale as
president of GM China,
and chief country
operations officer
for China, India and
south-east Asia.
Kevin will
retire at the end of
October after a
four-decade career
with GM. Between 2001 and 2005 he
was chairman and MD of Vauxhall and
vice president of GM Europe. He then
ran GM China Group, growing annual
sales from 560,000 units to 2.5 million
units in 2011.
Bob, who joined Cadillac in Detroit in
1975 and has worked in every GM region
around the world, will now oversee
some of GM’s key Asian markets.
GAA champs and Opel Kit
For Clubs ambassadors,
keeping it real
Global chartbusters
SAIC-Wuling and Chevy drive
China and US sales boom
GM and its joint ventures in China set a new
August sales mark, selling 220,996 units – a
rise of 7.3 percent over the previous August
and 10.8 percent from July.
During the January-August period, sales
totalled 1,837,546 vehicles, an increase of
11.2 percent year-on-year and a record for
the period.
For the fourth consecutive year, SAIC-GMWuling sold its one-millionth vehicle this year
in China. This was achieved in September, the
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TORQUE magazine
earliest in the calendar year that the GM China
joint venture has reached the milestone; in
2011, it was reached in October.
Meanwhile, in the US, GM reported August
sales of 240,520 vehicles, up 10 per cent
compared with 2011. Sales to retail customers
were up by 11 per cent, making August its best
retail month of the year, and sales to fleet
customers increased 6 per cent.
All the GM brands posted higher total and
retail sales, with Chevrolet leading the pack:
passenger car sales were up 25 per cent, with
the Spark, Sonic, Cruze and Volt all posting
their best-ever monthly sales.
Catch some rays
l
Put on your sunglasses – GM
is the leading automotive user
of solar power, and one of the top
20 solar-powered companies, in the
US, according to the Solar Energy
Industries Association.
In 2011, GM had committed to
doubling its global solar output to 60
megawatts within three years, a target
that’s on track with the unveiling of a
8.15-MW solar array on the rooftop of
the Rüsselsheim facility in Germany.
The array – one of the largest in
Europe – covers an area the size of 32
football fields, and represents a CO2
reduction of 3,150 tons per year.
LOGISTICS
From rail to
road in a jiffy!
Pleaser trailer
A cutting-edge trial promises to make logistics
transportation more efficient than ever
auxhall Logistics has participated
in a pioneering trial that will help
UK transportation take a big,
bright-green step forward.
The trial involved transporting Huckepack
trailers to the UK by rail, directly from
Europe. Traditional cargo trailers need to
be trucked to a rail yard, where the trailer’s
contents are removed and then loaded on to
rail wagons. But Huckepack trailers, named
from the German word for ‘piggyback’, are
driven on the road as normal cargo trailers
attached to trucks, and then detached and
lifted by crane in their entirety, rear wheels
and all, directly onto a specially-adapted rail
wagon for onward travel. This makes cargo
handling much quicker – two days, against
six – and correspondingly cheaper.
“Rail freight trains carrying Huckepack
trailers are a common sight in mainland
Europe, where high-speed rail is
extensive and interlinked, but not so here
in the UK, due to the limitations in our
civil infrastructure,” said Gary Howard,
Logistics Manager. “As a company we
have been waiting for this moment, when
infrastructure catches up with advances in
V
technology: with the HS1 high-speed track
fully operational, we were now ready to act.”
In May, Vauxhall Logistics and the
company’s long-time logistics service
provider Ewals Cargo Care trialled bringing
in two specially-designed Huckepack
mega-trailers (each 100 feet long, against
the standard 80-footers) by rail from
Germany to the UK. It's the first time this has
“ we’ve been waiting
for this moment, when
infrastructure catches
up with technology.”
Gary HOward, Logistics manager
been done by an automotive company; to
date, all goods from Europe are transported
by a combination of air or sea and road, on
standard truck-drawn cargo trailers.
The high-speed train travelled through
the Channel Tunnel to Barking in east
London, delivering parts for Vauxhall’s
Ellesmere Port plant. While the current
limitations of the UK’s high-speed network
saw the train terminate in Barking, with final
deliveries made by truck, the successful trial
is the first major step towards providing a
faster, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable
freight service, which can operate from as far
away as Eastern Europe.
With a regular service expected to begin
by the end of this year, offering a seven-hour
journey time between Antwerp and Barking,
this means not only sizeable time and cost
savings, but also reduced carbon emissions.
“For Vauxhall, this reduction in the UK land
journey would mean taking 50-60 trucks
off the road, avoiding about 15 tonnes of CO2
emissions a year,” said Gary. “In two years,
we could reduce our truck traffic by as
much as half.”
Vauxhall’s Logistics team and Ewals are
committed to Huckepack rail freight, recently
signing a three-year deal, as they believe that
this technology will put the company ahead of
the game. In the years ahead, as high-speed
rail infrastructure is expanded across the UK,
freight will be able to get closer and closer to
its final destination – one day, perhaps right to
the gates of Ellesmere Port plant.
OCTOBER 2012 11
paris motor show
Vauxhall’s new
urban-chic charmer
sweeps the Paris
Motor Show
he ADAM was launched in style at
September's Paris Motor Show –
as well as on the streets of Paris –
in a characteristically unique world debut.
The day before the official show unveiling,
journalists gathered at street-side cafés in
central Paris to see ADAMs in their natural
environment. Slam poets chanted in front of
ADAM Slam, and the car’s British designer,
Mark Adams, waxed lyrical about its lines
and innovative features.
At the show the next day, the ADAM-only
Vauxhall/Opel stand was mobbed by the
media. A total of 13 ADAMs, in a mix of
trims, monopolised the stand, giving
showgoers a small taste of the
million-plus spec combinations
customers can choose from.
World-renowned artist Sir
Peter Blake had created a
special wrap for one ADAM in
his 1950s ‘Pop Art’ style, while
journalists had the chance to
‘build’ their own car on special
configurators.
There was even an ADAM
driving across the stand’s
ceiling – upside-down!
The show was also a great
chance for Duncan Aldred,
Vauxhall’s Chairman and MD, to
talk about the success of the UK
business, as he hosted a group
of media to dinner and an in-depth
business update on the eve of Press Day,
followed by an intensive media interview
programme in the morning.
“ADAM is very important to Vauxhall from
a sales perspective, and
a great opportunity for
our dealer network as
it will provide a major
showroom draw,”
said Duncan.
“The sophisticated
online vehicle
configurator will definitely
engage prospective
customers, enabling
them to define the exact
vehicle to suit their tastes
and style and to place
their orders.”
T
12
TORQUE magazine
FromParis
withlove
Now that's
a colourcoordinated
outfit...
Jewel in the crown:
dazzling pop-art
ADAM by Sir Peter
Blake
A million ways
to stand out
from the crowd
ADAMs of all
hues attracted
plenty of
attention
Mark Adams
was sought
after by the
media
october 2012 13
HELP FOR HEROES
Derek warms
up on his
big day
D
BLOOD, SWEAT
AND CHEERS
When all seems lost,
there is everything
left to fight for. Torque
meets the inspiring
Derek Derenalagi
erek Derenalagi’s path has been anything
but easy – but it is in adversity that the
human spirit shines brightest.
Critically wounded in combat as a soldier in
Afghanistan in 2007, Derek suffered grave injuries,
including losing both his legs above the knee.
But a remarkable will to overcome his setback
saw the Fiji-born fighter not only recover but take
up a cause, championing the work of the charity
Help For Heroes and becoming the face of the Battle
Back programme. Wearing prosthetic legs, he also
took up competitive sport, and fulfilled a dream by
competing in the Discus Throw event at the London
2012 Paralympic Games.
His association with Vauxhall as a Help For Heroes
ambassador goes back to 2011, with the company
supporting him in many ways including providing a
specially modified Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer
to aid his mobility. Torque spoke to Derek about his
inspiring achievements:
Tell us about what it took to qualify
for the PINNACLE OF Paralympic SPORT.
It’s been tough. It usually takes eight to 10 years to
train to be a Paralympian, but I’ve only had about
three years since I recovered from the loss of my legs
and got my life back. Though I trained really hard in
2012, it has been a struggle.
Even just a decade ago there were not many
options for badly injured soliders to get back to
normal. When I got injured and was recovering,
there was no clear road ahead of me, until I decided
to pursue competitive sport. Now there is a lot more
awareness and more opportunity for rehabilitation
and training.
SO you chose sports as a way of getting
your life back?
Yes. I have always loved sports; before the Army, I
used to play rugby. When I was in rehab, I watched
the Beijing Paralympic Games, and made a promise
to my family that I would wear the GB top in the next
Paralympic Games. It’s not easy to make it into the
squad; there are so many world-class athletes. But
I really wanted to wear the GB top and told myself I
would do whatever it took to achieve it. There were
days when I couldn’t cope with everything life had
thrown at me. But I never gave up.
14
TORQUE magazine
A proud
member of the
2012 GB Squad
Due to the nature of my injuries, I decided to take
up shotput and the discus throw, both core-strength
sports. I did not have a coach until October 2011, so
in the beginning I taught myself the techniques by
looking at YouTube videos and exercise books.
“There IS NO
SUCH THING as
THE END. THERE
IS ALWAYS HOPE.”
How did you get involved with Vauxhall?
Vauxhall, which supports Help For Heroes, was
there for me when I needed it the most. Coaches,
training, equipment, travel – it’s all very expensive,
and Vauxhall has been such a great help in this
aspect. At the beginning of last year they gave me an
Insignia Sports Tourer and financial help. Physically
and mentally, I couldn’t have managed without it.
Soaking in the
What was it like to compete in the
atmosphere
LONDON PARALYMPIC Games?
The F-57 is a tough category – I was also competing
with athletes who had one leg – but I fancied my
chances because the competitor who eventually
took the gold medal was someone who I had beat in
the European Championships. I certainly expected
to finish in the top three. But I eventually placed 11th,
which was very frustrating.
The starting order was changed at the last minute,
and there was a long delay between my warm
up throw and my final throw which put me off my
rhythm. I was twice disqualified – incorrectly, in my
opinion – on grounds of lifting my bottom off the seat
as I threw. But at the end of the day, I did not perform
up to my standards and expectations.
But, medal or not, it was a wonderful experience.
It was the greatest thing I have ever done in my life.
With Prince
It was such an honour to wear the GB top. And to
Harry at the
Aquatic Centre
hear the crowd cheer when they saw it – such an
overwhelming and humbling feeling!
What lessons have you taken away?
I’m so glad I did it. It shows there is no such thing
as the end. There is always hope, and there is
more to life after a disability than sitting back and
complaining. There’s no stopping me now.
My sights are firmly set on Rio 2016, with the
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Paralympic
World Championships along the way. I’ll keep
competing as long as my body keeps going.
All the best, Derek.
October 2012
15
Customer exCELLEnce
EASY DOES IT
Taking care of elderly prospective
customers the way you’d take care of
your grandparents – that was the secret
of Evelyn Smith’s successful sale. The
rather frail couple, in their 80s, had come
to Allison Motors looking to switch to a
Vauxhall. The lady’s dog was agitated and
being a handful to control. Evelyn calmed
the dog down, helped the customers
relax with a hot cup of tea, and even went
across the road to a charity shop and
bought a walking stick to steady the lady
on her feet. “I’m glad my actions helped
sell a car, but I did it simply because it’s
what anyone would do to help, isn’t it?”
said kind-hearted Evelyn.
In our customers’
hour of need, they’ll
be there…
T
hey’ll drive to the rescue rather than
fly, and may not quite be able to defeat
tentacled monsters with laser vision,
but Vauxhall Retailers are filled with people who
are real heroes.
Dedicated, loyal, caring, enthusiastic and
selfless, they are the people who make our
customers' lives better – and sometimes really
do save the day!
Here’s a glimpse of the kinds of things that
have gone into creating beyond-excellent
experiences for Vauxhall customers.
BATTERY INCLUDED
A long-time customer of Sonning Common
Garage, a lady in her 90s who lived alone,
phoned up one Saturday morning, in a bit of
a pickle. Her Agila automatic wouldn’t start,
and she needed it to get into town for her
weekly food shop. Nick Robey didn’t think
twice. Correctly guessing her car’s battery
was flat, he hopped in a car and drove the six
miles to her house with a battery recharging
pack, charged it up and followed her back
to the workshop, where a new battery was
fitted. The customer was understandably
over the moon. “It was no trouble, and I’d do
it again any time,” said Nick. “She’s a regular
customer of ours and I just showed her the
same loyalty she has shown us for years.”
FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL
When Ms Waters wrote off her old car, she
chose to buy a new Zafira from Burnham
Garage. Good choice. However, she lived
far away, needed the vehicle urgently
and, as she runs a care home for elderly
people, wasn’t able to travel to the Retailer
to collect it. So sales consultant Harvey
Lail took the Zafira and drove 170 miles
after work on a Friday night to deliver it,
taking along a friend to transport him
back. “It was very remote area, we had
no satnav signal and got lost. Eventually
we found her house, and I delivered the
car and gave her a handover. I got back
home at 1:30 AM, and went to work at 8:30
AM,” said Harvey. “But I was happy to do
it. After all, I’m younger than she is and
it was easier for me to go to her than the
other way round. I’ve always been very
customer-focused, and sometimes you
just have to go that extra mile.”
16
TORQUE magazine
A REAL SPORT
Stuart McLean, Manager, Evans Halshaw
of Milton Keynes, tells of the time when
Gianpiero ‘JP’ Mongiovi made a five-hour
round trip to offer a customer a test-drive of
an Antara. The Retailer didn’t have one when
the customer popped by, and so arranged
a demo car from St Albans. However, the
customer was in Leicester, watching his son
play an important sporting event. JP came in
on his day off, picked up the Antara, drove it to
Leicester, bagged a yes from the impressed
customer and came back to Milton Keynes to
process the order. “While all our salespeople
regularly go beyond the call of duty, this
really shows the lengths they will go to offer
a great customer experience,” said Stuart.
THE CAT’S WHISKERS
Sometimes problems aren’t all about cars –
but they’re still important. Mrs McPhail,
a regular customer of Mackays of
Dingwalls, owned a much-loved cat. When
the pet went missing, she searched high
and low for it and even placed ads in the
local paper asking for help finding it. About
six weeks later, sharp-eyed sales manager
Mike Sim, an animal lover himself, spotted
the errant feline in the vicinity of the
Retailer. He quickly contacted the owner
who sped over in her Vauxhall and, with
some assistance from Mike, the cat was
persuaded into her car. The profuselygrateful Mrs McPhail even placed another
ad in the paper thanking Mike for his help.
October 2012
17
MEET THE TEAM
Chris Powell
Aftersales District Manager
I’ve been with GM for 10 years in
different roles, starting out on the
Vauxhall Trade Club programme. As
the ADM for District 24, I cover 27 sites
in Yorkshire and Humberside. I ensure
we maximise the number of parts we
sell to Retailers, supporting them in
exploiting the opportunity to sell the
parts through various sales channels.
I work with the Retailer’s aftersales
teams – from technicians, service and
parts personnel to the managers – to
support their business objectives
through Vauxhall programmes.
Alison Smith
Regional Marketing Manager
I’ve recently joined Vauxhall from a
previous role as head of marketing for
a Retailer group. I support the region’s
Retailers with Vauxhall’s marketing
initiatives. I travel about 1,100 miles
each week, visiting Retailers to offer
tutorials, updates on initiatives and
data capture support, and check that
Retailer ads are brand-compliant.
Through the ADapt portal we offer
Retailers marketing utilities, such as
mailshots, downloads, a facility for
press bookings and so on. My next
area of focus is strengthening our
radio advertising and business-tobusiness messaging.
Garry Seddon
Commercial Vehicle
Development Manager
I meet with the Retail operators, sales
managers, operations managers
and CV specialists at 40 Vauxhall
Retailers, to speak to them about their
standards, growth and profitability. I
encourage and monitor their CV sales
and take every opportunity to promote
Vauxhall commercial vehicles in a
competitive market. This is a complex
role: I need to build relationships,
have good product knowledge, advise
on and assist with CV events and even
help with legal matters, all across a
large geographical area. I need all my
28 years' experience for this role.
Field
Day
Car buyers expect great customer service
from their Retailers. But who shapes the
relationship between Retailers and Vauxhall?
V
auxhall’s 67 field sales
employees are grouped
into eight Regional Field
Sales teams, which between them
cover the whole of the UK.
They are the first point of
contact between the company
and its Retailers.
Making regular contact with
Retailers in their assigned region,
the sales team evaluates Retailer
performance and processes to
18
TORQUE magazine
make sure that they comply with
Vauxhall’s internal standards,
objectives and targets, and of
course, delivering excellent
customer service in the process.
Region Two spans much
of the north of England, from
Northumberland all the way to
Derbyshire. It is the largest sales
region by target volume (17,800
cars and vans in 2011) as well
as the number of Retailer sites
Alan King
Sales District Manager
I cover District 21, comprised of 33
sites between Berwick and Leeds. I
support and communicate with the
Retailers so that they can deliver the
required volumes in new car and van
sales. I spend most of my days on the
road visiting and meeting Retailers.
I’ve been with Vauxhall since 1978 and
a District Manager since 1984, so I
have good, settled relationships with
the Retailers in my patch. I keep an
eye on the competition, and plan well
in advance of each quarter’s targets.
The Vauxhall brand is strong in the
north-east, and my district has an
above-average market share; we sold
8,000 cars and 1,100 vans last year.
covered (67).
In 2011, the Region Two
sales team was England’s best
performing team. Currently
eight-strong, it consists of a
regional operations manager,
two sales district managers,
two aftersales district managers,
a commercial vehicles district
manager and a trade sales district
manager, complemented by a
regional marketing manager.
Andy Lyon
Regional Operations Manager
I manage and coordinate the members
of the Vauxhall field team in Region
Two. I’m responsible for building
the performance of Retailers in my
region to deliver the sales, service
and parts numbers that we need
each quarter, and ensuring that good
sales processes are being followed so
that all customers receive excellent
service, right from enquiry to delivery.
My Network Development colleague
Sue Hughes supports me on financial
issues, corporate identity and policy.
I’m also the designated ROM for some
of our large Retailer groups.
Rob Pettitt
Aftersales District Manager
I support Retailers across District
25, between Derbyshire and the
South Yorkshire border, in achieving
their Parts Volume Bonus targets. I
measure Retailer performance and
develop action plans through the
Maximise Online website and provide
support for sales processes and
initiatives such as Masterfit and the
Road To Growth programme. I inform
Retailers of best practice so that
they can maintain high standards of
customer satisfaction and provide the
best possible customer experience.
Gary Bird
Sales District Manager
My role is to be the primary contact
between the manufacturer and the
Retailers in District 22, which consists
of 29 sites between Burton-on-Trent
and Halifax. The role is essentially a
planning function; I look at Retailer
stock and processes with a view
to achieving their maximum sales
potential to meet regional targets,
as well as ensuring high customer
satisfaction. I talk to them about
new product and retail based
programmes such as FlexFinance
and Vauxhall Partners.
Kevin Hyde (not in picture)
Trade Sales District Manager
I work alongside Rob and Chris.
I coach and assist 47 Retailers across
three districts, focusing on the
Vauxhall Trade Club programme to
ensure sales of Trade Club products
– fast-moving, market-competitive
parts which are not model-specific.
I help Retailers to develop parts sales
to Bodyshops, independent garages
and general customers. I also assist
with trade sales-related marketing
and customer activity.
October 2012
19
CLASSICS
Jolly Goodwood Show
Vauxhall taxi-driver
for the day Marc Eden
on his Goodwood
Revival experience
auxhall heritage vehicles joined
146,000 motorsport enthusiasts
and retro-fashion fans at the
world’s largest historic motor race meeting at
the Goodwood Revival in September.
The motor circuit, which opened its gates to
the public in 1948, is a part of the 12,000-acre
Goodwood estate, located in a picturesque
hamlet near Chichester, West Sussex.
Cars from the Vauxhall Heritage Centre –
the 1959 PB Victor, 1961 PA Cresta Velox and
1964 PB Victor – were specially selected to
be used for a classic VIP taxi service to ferry
important people from the Goodwood Hotel
and other venues on the estate to the circuit,
and were ably driven by yours truly, Richard
Morris and Andrew Duerden.
Throughout the sunny early autumn
weekend, there were daily parades of cars
associated with the distinguished motor
racing drivers of yesteryear, with the value of
the cars on the grid line-ups often exceeding
£175 million.
There were two special events at this
year’s Revival. One was the 50th anniversary
of the Ferrari 250 GTO, with each of the
15 vehicles lined up being worth circa £10
million, and a fair few celebrity owners
like presenter Chris Evans and Pink Floyd
drummer Nick Mason.
The other was a once-in-a-lifetime
gathering of Silver Arrows, made up of
Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union racing cars
from the 1930s, collectively worth over a
whopping £100 million.
It was also aviation nirvana as the origins of
the Goodwood track – it derives from a former
military airfield, RAF Westhampnett, which
served as a Battle of Britain base during
World War II – were celebrated with aerobatic
displays from Supermarine Spitfires, Hawker
Hurricanes and Hunters, P-51 Mustangs and
the only flying Avro Lancaster bomber.
With the Revival now firmly established
as a ‘must attend’ event, there were
visitors from around the world. The majority
of spectators were dressed in their finest
1940s, 50s and 60s fashions, with tweed
jackets and pleated skirts aplenty. The period
fashion helped seal a unique, fun atmosphere
V
20 TORQUE magazine
A taxi rank to
gladden the soul
Blast from
the past
REVIVAL IN NUMBERS
3
classic vauxhalls
£600m
worth of EXOTIC
Top of the
props
Ewan McGregor gives
Marc trainspotting tips
machinery
146,000
visitors, capped
– as did the live camels which were part of the
Lawrence of Arabia desert scene.
Festivities included a giant street party,
pubs and live music, with a Revival High
Street and Market areas featuring old-style
shops and brands bolstering the theme of
yesteryear.
Though I’ve been a frequent visitor to the
Goodwood Festival of Speed which takes
place in July, this was my first visit to the
Revival. It is by far the best car event for a
petrolhead to visit. Seeing all these wonderful
cars and planes in one place was truly
outstanding, and I will definitely be booking
my tickets for next year.
ALL THE GREAT STUFF YOU've been up to lately
Overdrive
Wright hand drive
Water-cooler chat with Luton plant
director Michael Wright
Hi Mike, how’s it going? Quite
literally – how’s the plant going?
It’s running really well, but the European
economic crisis is impacting demand, so our
schedule is lower than capacity. It's vital to
focus more than ever on the quality of our
van. In fact, in Q4, we’re aiming to get the plant
certified BIQ Level 4 (a prestigious quality
accreditation); if successful, Luton will be the
first GM manufacturing plant to achieve it.
What’s keeping you busy OF LATE?
Keeping the workforce updated, and making
sure we achieve first-class quality metrics.
Customer experience and product quality
are the two biggest buying differentiators
in a time of overcapacity. We’re focused on
keeping costs low and spending only what is
necessary, and being lean and efficient while
remaining flexible and adapting to the fastchanging market conditions.
What’s the plan for 2013?
To work diligently, focus on the things that are
in our control, manage the business to meet
customer demand, and build great quality
products. These are difficult times but our
experienced and flexible workforce is a match
for any challenges that may lie ahead.
GEARING UP for the new Vivaro?
Yes, a project team is in place, and we are
preparing our people and processes for the
new Vivaro’s launch in H1 2014. We've made
several facility improvements and are in the
midst of a robot replacement project. A team
will be in France for five months from January
for the integration build. We'll see the new van
in our plant for the first time at the ‘strip-andbuild’ event, scheduled for June 2013.
24
Page
YOUR OLYMPIC
MOMENTS
25
Page
ADAM AND LUCY,
SITTING IN A TREE...
27
Page
Your pics,
our PICKS
October 2012
21
OVERDRIVE PEOPLE
and finding that the Astra’s next loan is to
Top Gear (and probably The Stig), I make
the decision to replace the tyres. At £300
each, not cheap!
10.30: I do my weekly check of any parts
for press cars which have been ordered but
not yet been received. If we’ve been waiting
more than three days for a part, I contact
the helpful Keval Shah at the Aftersales
Warehouse. He chases the parts and lets me
know when we should receive them.
12.00: Time to see what my wife
Justine has made me for lunch. It’s a good
day – she’s splashed out on my favourite,
smoked salmon!
12.30: This afternoon I have to prepare a
press Ampera. It takes a few hours to fully
prep a car. First, I check the interior for any
damage. Then I check to see that all the
electrical equipment is working as it should,
making a note of any problems. I put the car
on a hoist and check all the fluid levels, tyre
pressures and the underbody. Finally, I check
the exterior body for damage, making a note
of a small dent I’ve found in the driver’s door.
13.30: I take the Ampera on a 25 mile test
drive to see that it drives as it should, and
then fill the tank with fuel before heading
back to the workshop. There’s a fair bit of
driving in this role, as we also put about 500
miles on new cars to run them in, before
they go to the press.
14.30: Back in the workshop, I ask Gurjit
FLEET TALKING
Press Car Team Leader
Paul Quiram keeps the
press fleet Grade-A
07.20 Arriving at Vauxhall’s Technical
Centre Workshop in Luton, where I look
after the preparation and maintenance of
a fleet of 60 press cars which are loaned
to auto journalists for reviews, I head to
Security and collect the keys of the cars
that have returned from press loans the
previous evening. I then plan the day’s
work so that I can allocate my six team
members their tasks for the day.
22 TORQUE magazine
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Singh, our Smart Repair Technician, to take
a look at the dent I had found earlier in the
driver’s door. He works magic with his tools
to remove the dent without the need for the
panel to be painted. Amazing!
08.15: With all my team allocated work,
I make a phone call to Christopher
Emerson, Product Evaluation Manager, to
discuss a concern we had yesterday with an
Ampera. We run new products on the press
fleet before the general public gets hold
of them, so I highlight any concerns with
Chris, who reports it to the Vauxhall/Opel
engineers so remedies can be put in place
quickly if needed.
09.15: One of my team members, Mick
Clancy, has noticed that the front tyres
are quite worn on the Astra VXR that he is
preparing. Should he change them or not?
Checking the fleet calendar on the system
15.15: With my part of the car preparation
complete, I park the Ampera in a charging
bay. Our valeter Graham Protheroe will then
clean the car the day before it’s due to go
out to a journalist.
15.45: My last job of the day is to check
all the preps are complete for tomorrow
morning’s deliveries. I check that all the cars
are valeted, double-check that the Ampera’s
battery is fully charged, and then leave the
keys with Security.
16.00: Wrapping up, I set off in my Astra
and quickly cover the short distance to my
home in Dunstable. I’m looking forward to a
relaxing evening with Justine.
SIDELIGHT
Apprentices
at (clockwise
from above)
Griffin House,
Ellesmere
Port, Luton and
Millbrook
Ace
cadets
Group On
•11 maintenance engineers
at Ellesmere Port plant
•9 maintenance engineers
at Luton Plant
•5 technical engineers and
1 each in construction and
accounting at Millbrook
•5 business and
administration at
Griffin House
•2 vehicle maintenance and
repair at Technical Centre
•1 business and
administration at
Aftersales Warehouse
l
Luton’s Paint Process and Quality
Manager Mick Bewley has got GM
Europe plants tapping their feet to the
beat. He devised the idea of using music
– Elizabethan Serenade, by composer
Roland Binge – to help new paintspraying operatives develop the correct
technique. They can now hold a spray
station within weeks of starting training,
down from six months – and paint
defects have been greatly reduced too.
Mick said: “Tempo is the key in paint
spraying, and this music helps adopt an
ideal tempo for the job. This technique
encourages an exact sequence of
movements, minimising paint defects
as well as operatives’ movements,
lowering the risk of injury, and
standardising the process.”
After a successful rollout at Luton,
Mick took ‘spraying to music’ to
Ellesmere Port, and then all over Europe.
Train of thought
l
Ten lucky Vauxhall employees got
to attend England football team
training sessions through an EXCITE
slogan competition in September.
“It was a great experience seeing the
team work at close quarters and they
were very obliging talking to the fans
afterwards,” said Graham Custance,
Maintenance Team Leader, Toddington.
Vauxhall sites have welcomed the
2012 intake of apprentices
Thirty-five new apprentices joined Vauxhall
in September, the latest intake of the
company’s very successful countrywide
apprenticeship programme. At the end
of the four-year apprenticeships, during
which the apprentices spend part of their
week at Bedford College or West Cheshire
College and the rest of the time working
at Vauxhall, they earn Higher National
Diplomas or Certificates, after which they
Rhythm is a dancer
are encouraged to obtain a degree from a
local university.
An induction for the 24 southern sites
apprentices was held at Millbrook Proving
Ground, where HR Director Phil Millward,
who began his career as an apprentice,
gave them an inspiring speech. The
apprentices spent time getting to know
each other, and had fun on the circuit too.
And up at Ellesmere Port, the 11
apprentices’ induction included a welcome
meeting with key plant personnel,
health and safety briefings, a plant tour
and an afternoon of getting to know one
another. They also participated in teambuilding exercises at SuccessFactory in
Burwardsley, and finished with a tour of
West Cheshire College.
Graham
with Roy
Hodgson
Champions League
l
Energy saving’s not a buzzword at
Ellesmere Port plant – it’s fun. All
plant units have energy reps, who meet
weekly to discuss if they have met their
energy savings targets. To encourage
reps to push their units harder to reduce
consumption, a quarterly competition is
on. Teams win points each week: three
for reducing their energy usage, one for
maintaining it, and none for increasing
it. Facilities manager John Hickson and
plant director Martyn Cray review the
top three scorers, judge where most
effective savings have been made and
award a trophy. Danny Moores was the
first winner of the award.
October 2012 23
OVERDRIVE PEOPLE
With my son Adam
at the Olympic stadium
Jos Sharp, Internal
Communications Manager
Paul Duffy, Bryan
Cliff, Matt Rance,
Rob Parker, Neil
Jones, James
Allred, Natalie
Kennett and
myself, at the
Paralympics on
6th September.
We saw GB win
three golds!
Sophie Thomas,
Accessories
Channel Manager
Olympix!
I took my son Ben
to the Paralympic
athletics and
swimming on
2nd September
Emma Lewis,
Senior Logistics
Analyst
Your memorable moments from the
biggest sporting event of our time
With my mother, wife and
daughters during Women’s
Sitting Volleyball Finals at
Excel on 7th September
JeanMarie Lapeyre, Director,
Strategy & Technology, GM IT
Watching Beach
Volleyball at
Horseguards
Parade on 29th
July, with my
wife Alison and
daughter Annabel
David Fishwick,
Sales District
Manager
24 TORQUE magazine
I was fortunate enough to win a pair of
Paralympic tickets in the EXCITE staff
competition and went on 4th September
with my friend Tiffany Irvine (right)
Emma Lewis, Senior Logistics Analyst
Enjoying London
2012 with my
husband Stuart
and our sons Jake
(8) and Max (11)
Rebecca Rose,
Executive
Compensation
Opel/Vauxhall
Kathy and I
with our son
Robert and
daughter
Natalie in the
Stadium on
3rd September
Phillip Taylor,
Principal Engineer,
Millbrook
SIDELIGHT
Lucy's winning
design (below)
meets its big
brother
GRAND Designs
Creativity abounds in our DesignAn-ADAM employee competition
With individuality and customisation the
new ADAM’s central plank, Vauxhall came
up with a fun competition in the lead up to
Vauxhall Fashion Week. ADAM&You invited
employees to go wild and design an eyecatching ADAM of their very own.
Sixteen entrants embraced the idea and
submitted their unique takes on the car, all
of which were displayed at the ADAM&You
employee launch at Griffin House. Lucy
Ramstedt and Zoe Peacock, both from the
Fleet Sales department, were declared
Boxing Days
Knock(out), knock(out)! Who’s
there? Ty! Ty who? Thai-boxing
champ Matt Wales
If Jean-Claude Van Damme made a movie
about selling cars, he’d probably cast Matt
Wales in it. Well, we think so, anyway.
Matt, who is a Sales Executive at
Lanehouse Vauxhall in Dorset, is no actor,
though. As the current Thai boxing
Pro Intercontinental champion in the
65kg category, he certainly isn’t one to
pull his punches.
Matt had gone an amazing 48 fights
without a loss until last year, when he was first
defeated at the legendary Limpini stadium in
Thailand, by an opponent who is a six-time
champion and 15 kg heavier than him.
Never one to back down, Matt is now
practising hard five days a week, training
joint winners for their zebra print ADAM
with an electric pink trim and two-tone roof.
They were presented with Vauxhall Fashion
Scout Mega Bags for their efforts.
"Our inspiration for the design came from
our love of pink and prints,” said Lucy. “We
think our design perfectly suits the ADAM’s
Glam version and represents the ultimate
girly car. It shows that the ADAM can be
transformed to fit any personality, as it is
such a versatile and modern-looking car.
“We were really happy to have been
picked as the winners of the competition.
We had great fun coming up with our design
and the prizes we got were amazing!"
with weights and on a high-protein diet in
order to bulk up to the 80 kg category and
take on his nemesis.
“I took up martial arts when I was six
years old, after being bullied at school,” said
Matt, now 24 and a black belt in taekwondo,
kickboxing and Thai boxing (Muay Thai).
“Now it’s a way of life for me – not just the
physical aspect but also its philosophy. It’s
what I love doing and I couldn’t imagine not
doing it.”
Matt (right) is rarely
down on the mat
Wind beneath their wings
l
Eighty Vauxhall employees from
all sites came together at Luton’s
Namco Bowling Station to battle for
a trophy, followed by a party at the
Crawley Working Men’s Club where a
raffle was drawn to win a football shirt
signed by the England team. Generous
donations during both events helped
raise an impressive £3,922 for the East
Anglian Air Ambulance.
Whole in one
l
Charity suits them to a tee! The
Vauxhall Male Voice Choir readily
accepted an invitation to sing at the
Caddington Golf Club to support the
Captain’s chosen charity, Help For
Heroes. The concert was held to a full
house in a large marquee and besides
the choir singing, VMVC and Golf Club
member Terry Driver performed on the
violin to the appreciative audience. The
bar went down well on the warm July
evening, and a few members of the Choir
even practiced their golf swings at the
rear of the marquee. The event raised
£500 for the charity.
One, two,
three, fore!
Books and crannies
l
Once upon a time – well, actually,
in September – Cherie Denton,
Community Relations Coordinator,
visited Dunstable’s Weatherfield
Academy. The school helps its 100
students – for children who have
learning difficulties or autism – with
their literacy skills, and the facility and
environment is almost entirely looked
after by the students themselves. Cherie
was so impressed that she decided to
help, and has started a book collection
drive. So she is asking Torque readers to
donate any spare good-quality children’s
books that you have, and delight the
Weatherfield students. Get in touch with
Cherie at 01582 427 204 or mail her at
cherie.denton@vauxhall.co.uk, and help
script a happy ending to this tale!
October 2012 25
Run, Robey, run!
'Olympic Nick' is putting Forrest
Gump's run to shame…
Give him
a leg up,
will you?
Joie de Viva
Old? Who're you calling old?
With all due respect, the 1970 Vauxhall
Viva isn’t exactly a VXR. But try telling
Colin Robbins that.
The Quality Engineer at Luton evidently
has a thing for Vivas (the first car he ever
owned was a Viva). Add in his passion for
racing, and it can lead to only one result.
Behold his Viva GT racer, producing 190
Powered by nothing more than the warm
glow that comes from doing a good deed,
Nick Robey, Sales Consultant at Sonning
Common Vauxhall, is running
the equivalent of the distance from
London to Greece.
With 2012 being a big year for sport, he
has branded himself ‘Olympic Nick’ and
is running 2,000 miles in training and
races – including four marathons and six
half-marathons – over the course of the
year, with the goal of raising £2,012 for each
of four charities close to his heart: Thames
Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, Teenage
Cancer Trust, Barnardo’s and Naomi House
Children’s Hospice.
“I chose these charities due to the
profound positive impact that they have on
the lives of children both nationally and in
our local area,” said Nick.
“I myself have experienced difficult times
during childhood, and am aware of the
wonderful work that charities such as these
can do to benefit those in most need.”
Learn more about his mission and track
his progress at www.olympicnick.com.
horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque, clad in
replica Dealer Team Vauxhall colours.
Colin lovingly restored it from a rusty
shell, modifying it with big wheels, a tuned
2.3-litre engine, five-speed gearbox and
more modern brakes, and adorned with a
period-accurate paintjob and decals.And
it’s not just a pretty face. Colin takes it to
track days and competitive events, coming
third in the Road Legal Production Modified
class at the Crystal Palace sprint in May.
A heartwarming tale of re-Viva-l, indeed.
SIDELIGHT
OVERDRIVE PEOPLE
EXCITE winners
l
Martin Olver, Kath Cameron and
Anne Mckeon were presented
an EXCITE award for their excellent
work earlier in the summer. Martin
was tasked with heading an RND team
deployed to manage the insolvency at
one of our Retailers, which involved
virtually becoming the Retail operator,
as they traded in administration until
a buyer was found and ownership
transferred. Martin dealt with staff and
customers in resolving problems, and,
with the assistance of Kath and Anne,
who effectively relocated from their
homes in Manchester for five weeks,
put in long hours to avert a potentially
negative situation for Vauxhall and
its customers.
Pedal to the mettle
Second
to Nunn
l
A team from Vauxhall and Retailer
Thurlow Nunn cycled 240 miles in
a dual charity fundraiser in September,
to raise £3,000 for Help For Heroes and
for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
The three-day expedition started at
Thurlow Nunn in Wisbech and finished in
Norwich, after stopping off at each of the
ten Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall showrooms.
The team of seven included Alastair
Cassels, Vauxhall’s National Franchise
Manager, and Thurlow Nunn MD Simon
Bottomley.
Honour the fallen
l
Viva la
revolution!
26 TORQUE magazine
You are invited to
attend a remembrance
service on 11 November
(Armistice Day).
Please gather for
8:30 AM at the
Kimpton Road War
Memorial in Luton.
The service will be
led by Vauxhall's chaplain
David Alexander.
COMPETITIONS
WINNER
Paul
McClurkin
WINS
£50
Thanks for sending in all your beautiful
photos of Summer 2012, we had lots of
fun sifting through them – and a pleasant
headache trying to pick the winners.
The honours for this edition go to Paul
McClurkin (Car & Commercial Specialist,
Wilsons of Rathkenny Vauxhall), for his
moody photo of two dogs taking in the
sunset from a grassy field. Paul wins £50
worth of high-street vouchers.
Runner-ups Robert Harvey (Workshop
Controller, Approach Andover) and Graham
Custance (Toddington Road Warehouse)
each win £25 worth of vouchers for their
skilful compositions – Robert’s son cycling in
mid-air, and Graham’s field of flowers.
Honourable mentions go to (1) Bernie
Toolan,Strategic Maintenance Manager,
Ellesmere Port plant, (2) Heather Slocombe
GMAC Customer Services, (3) Richard
Mumford, Assistant Manager, Logistics,
Vehicle Operations, and (4) Stuart Glenister,
ex-Materials Management, Toddington
Road Warehouse.
Until next year, then – happy clicking!
BEST OF THE REST
PHOTO FINISH
Torque’s annual photo competition is always
a great showcase of your visual talent – and
this year was as hotly-contested as ever!
RUNNERS UP
ROBERT
HARVEY
WINS
£25
GRAHAM
CUSTANCE
WINS
£25
October 2012 27
heritage
then & now: photo Competition results
Reader Ronald How
recounts then-MD Sir
Charles Bartlett would
use this clock to check the
accuracy of his waistcoat
pocket watch!
Congratulations to Jim McCaffrey
from Luton, who wins the Then & Now
competition in the August 2012 issue, and
vouchers worth £25.
Jim correctly identified that the
thumbnail photo (marked) was taken in
the ‘The Well’, the oak-panelled office
area in the original S-Block in Kimpton
Road, Luton.
Resident heritage expert Andrew
Duerden gives us the details: “This office
was built in 1907 and was designed by
HB Cresswell. The interior is designed to
resemble a country house from the early
18th century and has a series of wood
panels and decorative plasterwork.
“Known as William and Mary style,
the two-storey building has a three bay
centre flanked by slightly protruding outer
wings. The central door has the Griffin
emblem within the architrave. Inside, the
two-storey central hall with fine doubleflight turned-baluster staircase leads to a
gallery with similar balustrade.
“Off the gallery was the boardroom
with paneled doors, carved swags and a
decorative plaster ceiling. The clock was
located overlooking the downstairs area.”
Helping hand
With the 2012 Paralympic Games still fresh
in our minds, here’s a look back to 1953,
when Stoke Mandeville – the place where
the Paralympics movement was founded –
was just becoming an important location for
the rehabilitation of the recently-disabled.
Vauxhall, through its Bedford commercial
28 TORQUE magazine
vehicle arm, supplied a specially-adapted
SB coach model to help the movement of
patients. Most of the interior space was left
for accommodating wheelchairs. This was
before lifts were fitted into vehicles, so the
ramp is placed in just the right location to
facilitate access into the sidedoor.
tenacious D
D-type’s 100th anniversary
marked in style at club meet
Alisdaire Lockhart, the doyenne of
Edwardian Vauxhall enthusiasts,
managed to fit the milestone into
the calendar with a gathering of
D-type cars at the Vintage Sports
Car Club premier meeting of
the year at Prescott Hill climb in
Gloucestershire.
Twelve cars lined up in the
paddock to mark the 100 years
since the first D-type model was
produced, and ascended the hill in
front of big crowds.
The Heritage Centre’s Military D
type was in the display along with the
23-60 OD type from Luton and other
cars from as far afield as Ireland.
Lee Brimmer
from the
Luton plant
digs up a
trivia gem
each month
Lee’s
Qs
Did ‘hoo’ know… that the site
of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port
plant was once a country
estate with its own stately
home and is mentioned in the
Domesday Book?
Hooton Hall was built in
1788 but was empty by 1875.
In 1914 it was requisitioned by
the Army for training and in
1917 the park was redeveloped
for use by the Royal Flying
Corps Pilot Training Unit.
During World War Two, it
returned to military use and
became RAF Hooton Park.
The two squadrons based
there were disbanded in 1957.
In 1960, Vauxhall bought the
site, and the rest is history...
COMPETITIONS
Last
call!
FOOTBALL COMPETITION WINNER
In our August issue, we offered you the chance
to win tickets to see the England v Ukraine
World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium.
The correct answer to our competition
question – ‘How many goals did Ukrainian
striker Andrei Shevchenko score in the 2006
World Cup, when Ukraine put in its best ever
performance to reach the quarter-finals?’ –
is two. Congratulations to the five lucky
winners: account manager Mark Wooding,
apprentices Matthew Fountain and
Daniel Howarth, Elizabeth Richie
(receptionist, Motorbodies, Luton) and
Stephen Whitehouse (Brindley Vauxhall,
Wednesbury).
This is your last chance
to win a shiny new iPad,
while contributing to
a good cause
Just take Vauxhall’s 7” Hero Bear
along with you on holiday, take a
photo of him that makes us smile,
and send it to us (only one photo
per entrant) before 30 November.
The best picture wins!
To book Hero Bear, email
us at vauxhallhelpforheroes@
vauxhall.co.uk. You will need to
make a donation of £5, which
goes to Help for Heroes.
“It was a great day at
Wembley. I’ve been
here before for the
play-offs and semifinal with the Baggies
(West Bromwich
Albion) which were
both afternoon games.
But this was better,
being a night game.
The atmosphere was
great and the stadium
looks great lit up.
As for the game, it
was a 1-1 draw – but
England were secondbest, though the game
improved after the
three substitutions.
Thanks to Torque for
the tickets!”
Stephen
Whitehouse (left)
Terms and conditions: The competition
will close at 23:59 on 30 November 2012.
Pictures will be judged by a representative
from Help For Heroes on 10 December
2012. The judge’s decision
is final and no
correspondence will be
entered into. The winner
will be notified within five
working days of the decision.
There will be one (1) first prize
winner of an Apple iPad 2 (16
GB) and two (2) runners
up of a 7” Hero Bear.
The promoter
reserves the
right to offer an
alternative prize
of equal value
should this
prove necessary.
READER SURVEY 2012
Here at Torque, we’re always thinking of
you. What do you want to read in these
pages? What do you think of each month’s
issue? What could we do better?
Tell us in the Torque Reader Survey
2012. We’re so interested in what you have
to say that we’re offering TWO readers
the chance to win vouchers worth £50
each, just for taking part in the survey!
Just type the link below in your
browser's address bar. The survey should
take 5-10 minutes to complete. It will run
until 20 December, and the winners will be
announced in the February 2013 issue.
Your answers will help shape the
magazine for 2013, so don’t hold back!
TORQUE
tailers
ff and Re
uxhall sta
zine for Va
The maga
£100
April 2012
to be
won!T
The m
agazi
ne fo
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TORQUE
The magazine for Vauxhall staff and Retailers
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october 2012 29
E
Augu
s
competitions
win
£25
Crossword
Across
6. Loud and harsh (7)
7. Eco-friendly (5)
9. Small game bird (5)
10. Watercolour paint (7)
12. Follows (11)
14. US tourist attraction (5,6)
18. Pelt (7)
19. Fruit of the oak tree (5)
21. Piece of ammunition (5)
22. Leaps (7)
Down
1. Unclear (5)
2. Legal proceedings (6)
3.Not in (3)
4. Spanish fleet (6)
5. Systematic ways (7)
8. Say yes (7)
11. It means ‘You’re off!’ in football (3,4)
13. Flour, egg and yeast cake (7)
15. Sexually attractive (6)
16. Exotic plant (6)
17. Tugs (5)
20. Choose (3)
2
1
4
3
7
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Congratulations to pensioner David Walton from Tiverton,
who wins August’s crossword competition. Your £25
cheque will be in the post shortly.
Send completed entries to Torque Crossword,
UK1-103-340, Vauxhall Motors, Griffin House, Osborne
Road, Luton LU1 3YT, to reach by Friday9 November 2012.
22
NAME LOCATION Solution to August crossword:
ADDRESS
Across 7. Ringed 8. Freeze 10. Pelican 11. Spots 12. Earl 13. Count 17. Forms
18. Dead 22. Troop 23. Nomadic 24. Lights 25. Garnet Down 1. Trapped 2.
Anglers 3. Peach 4. Present 5.Demon 6.Tense 9. Informant 14. Compete 15.
Leading 16. Educate 19. Style 20. Tongs 21. Smear
sudoku
win
£25
Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and
each 3x3 square contains all the digits from one to nine.
2
6
1
4
9
8
7
30 TORQUE magazine
7
1
5
6
4
9
8
2
2
1
5
8 7
2
6
3
9
6
4
5
4
8
Fill in your details below and
send the completed grid to:
Torque Sudoku,
UK1-103-340,
Vauxhall Motors,
Griffin House, Osborne
Road, Luton LU1 3YT
Congratulations to Mike Gibbs
from Griffin House, Luton, who
wins the competition in the
August issue, and £25!
Entries should reach by
Friday9 November 2012.
NAME
Solution to August
LOCATION
4
7 8
5 2 1
6 3 9
7 1 3
2 9 5
8 4 6
3 6 2
1 8 4
9 5 7
5 6 1
3 9 7
8 4 2
4 8 9
1 3 6
7 2 5
9 5 8
2 7 3
6 1 4
3
2 9
8 6
7 1
4
5
6 5 2
4 7 8
9 3 1
1 4 7
5 9 6
2 8
3
ADDRESS
MerchandIse
Pin is in!
Time for change
Buy this nifty pin badge for a
£1 donation to Help for Heroes.
You can buy the badges from
Griffin House Reception or
participating Vauxhall Retailers.
It’s a pin-win situation!
Smarten up your wrist with this stylish
timepiece for gentlemen. With a black
face branded with a chrome Griffin, it
features a tachymeter bezel and is waterresistant. The watch is presented in a
clear perspex box, making it perfect
for that special gift.
Other products include a classic
smooth black leather key ring with
metal fittings, embossed with the
Griffin roundel and red stitching, plus
a Parker steel chrome ball pen, with the
Vauxhall roundel engraved on the barrel,
presented in an individual gift box.
Football and Lifestyle MERCHANDISE
In addition to the official training tops we
offer some great football memorabilia.
There’s something for everyone including
hats, flags, key rings and mugs, all
available to Vauxhall Retailers, employees
and pensioners at especially attractive
prices. And our Lifestyle collection
includes a great selection of stylish,
Vauxhall-branded items.
Vauxhall Retailers, employees,
contractors and pensioners
can register online to qualify
for discounts on all Vauxhall
Merchandise. Go to www.
vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk
and click on the ‘Sign-in’
tab on the top menu bar
to set up your Retailer
or employee account
then follow the on-screen
instructions. Or, telephone the
Helpdesk on 0845 600 9832.
Available from www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk or your local Vauxhall Retailer.
marketplace
Ssssssshhhhh!
The Secret Sale is on!
Grab huge discounts on
a range of top brands
Log on to
www.vauxhallmarketplace.co.uk
using username: vx
and password: offers
for other fantastic
discounts
Get up to 70 per cent off
famous brands with the
Secret Sale!
You can now get amazing
discounts with the new Team
Rewards Secret Sale. There's a
different sale every week, with
limited quantity of stock across
a range of aspirational and
indulgent must-have products,
all exclusively reduced by
up to 70 per cent! Product
categories include Home &
Garden, Sports and Leisure,
Home Entertainment and
Electronics, Timepieces and
Jewellery, Bags, Fragrances
and Accessories.
To view the deal, log in to
Marketplace, click on 'More
Info' under the 'Monthly Offers'
on the home page.
October 2012
31
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT
YOUR ASSOCIATE PARTNERS DISCOUNT PLUS
1
Choose your car*
2
Finance
Choose your deposit**
3
Finance
Choose your term
◊
PLUS Lifetime warranty†
Take advantage of your Employee Benefit, with Vauxhall Associate Partners you don’t just get your exclusive discount,
you also get our unique Flexible Finance. Flexible Finance calculations below include Associate Partners discount and
additional customer saving.
Corsa Active 1.0i 12v ecoFLEX 3dr
OFFER SHOWN INCLUDES:
£139
VAUXHALL DEPOSIT
CONTRIBUTION
£750
+
per month
60 month term
ASSOCIATE
PARTNERS DISCOUNT
£1011
Customer Deposit
^
£2585
Astra Active 1.4i 16v VVT (100PS) 5dr
OFFER SHOWN INCLUDES:
£159
VAUXHALL DEPOSIT
CONTRIBUTION
£1000
+
per month
60 month term
ADDITIONAL
CUSTOMER SAVING
£1000
+
Customer Deposit
^
≠
ASSOCIATE
PARTNERS DISCOUNT
£4597
£1398
Offers end 17th December 2012 so to find out more about our great Partners Programme offers, simply visit
partnersprogramme.co.uk, call the Partners helpline on 0844 875 2448 or visit your nearest Vauxhall Retailer.
WARRANTY 100,000 MILE
Models shown: Corsa Active 3dr and Astra Active with optional brilliant paint, available at extra cost. *Not available on Expression, ES, Vauxhall Tech Line, New Astra Hatchback/Sports Tourer BiTurbo, Ampera and VXR8
models. Finance subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. Applicants must be 18 or over. Guarantee/Indemnity may be required. Finance supplied by either Vauxhall Motor Finance RH1 1SR or Vauxhall Finance, PO Box
6666, Cardiff, CF15 7YT. Offer applies to private individuals, Vauxhall Partners and small businesses 1-24 (purchase only excluding B2B). All other customers are excluded. Offer available on orders or registrations before
17th December 2012. **Vauxhall Deposit Contribution excludes Mokka and Corsa SXi models. ◊Term can be from 24-60 months. ˆCustomer deposit shown after Vauxhall contribution. ≠Astra Active 5dr (incl. Active Limited
Edition) £1000 Additional Customer Saving offer applies to private individuals, Vauxhall Partners and small businesses 1-24 (purchase only excluding B2B). All other customers are excluded. Offer available on orders or
registrations from 02 October 2012 to 17 December 2012. †Terms and conditions apply. Vauxhall Partners includes all employees and pensioners of nominated companies and their nominated eligible Vauxhall relatives.
Vauxhall Partners process/savings include Vauxhall Partners discount savings and additional customer savings (incl. VAT) where applicable, number plates, delivery, Vehicle Excise Duty and a fi rst registration fee. Excludes
fuel and insurance. We reserve the right to change or withdraw any aspect of the Vauxhall Partners Programme without prior notice. Prices correct as of 02/10/2012.
Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km). Vauxhall
range (excl. Ampera): Urban: 14.4 (19.6) - 76.3 (3.7), Extra-urban: 27.4 (10.3) - 91.1 (3.1), Combined: 20.6 (13.7) - 85.6 (3.3). CO 2
emissions: 324 - 88g/km.