Opel vs Vauxhall

insignia33

After a small bit of googling apparently they are both the same company. Well actually both companies are owned by GM.

But just thought Id ask to be on the safe side before I go spending money.

Opel Insignia vs Vauxhall Insignia... is the badge actually the only difference between the two? I find it hard to believe that they come off the same production line in the same factory, and apart from the badge are otherwise identical.

blindside88

They are the same thing, vauxhalls are imports from the uk, sometimes you will find them with more spec than the Irish opels

MuppetCheck

The badge is the only difference. Same line, same factory. I saw a Vauxhall Insignia missing it's front badge not so long ago and underneath the shape of the holder was the Blitz Opel sign.

Matt Simis

insignia33 wrote: »

Opel Insignia vs Vauxhall Insignia... is the badge actually the only difference between the two? I find it hard to believe that they come off the same production line in the same factory, and apart from the badge are otherwise identical.

And why do you find that hard to believe?

For Forks Sake

insignia33 wrote: »

After a small bit of googling apparently they are both the same company. Well actually both companies are owned by GM.

But just thought Id ask to be on the safe side before I go spending money.

Opel Insignia vs Vauxhall Insignia... is the badge actually the only difference between the two? I find it hard to believe that they come off the same production line in the same factory, and apart from the badge are otherwise identical.

Quick, alert the media. You've stumbled on important information there. The sneaky hoores are flogging it as the Buick Regal in the States as well.

Seriously, exact same cars bar the badges and the speedo being in mph in the Vauxhall and kmph in the Opel. May be differences in spec, but the mechanical parts are identical.

endacl

The Vauxhall will have an air of public school superiority about it. The Opel will speak better German.

That's about it.

insignia33

Matt Simis wrote: »

And why do you find that hard to believe?

Im a huge pessimist

But seriously. I really dont know much about cars at all and would hate to buy just say the opel and then be told 6 months later that there actually is a difference and I should have went with the vauxhall because better engine or something ya know

Henry Ford III

Funnily enough there is a difference down the line.

In Ireland an Opel will be worth more as a used car than a comparable Vauxhall.

Matt Simis

insignia33 wrote: »

Im a huge pessimist

But seriously. I really dont know much about cars at all and would hate to buy just say the opel and then be told 6 months later that there actually is a difference and I should have went with the vauxhall because better engine or something ya know

Ok, there are actually a lot "less" car companies than you would think, as a quick run down:

Vauxhall (now) are effectively just the UK brand for Opel (google "Opel Blitz" and guess why)
GM own Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Isuzu, Opel and Vauxhall (and more).
Acura and Honda are the same company, with slight differences in model spec and offerings
Toyota, Scion and Lexus are the same company, again regionally split like Acura and Honda.
Nissan and Infinity are the same company, regional as above.
Renault and Nissan are partners and also own Dacia, Datsun and Lada.
Peugeot (PSA) own Citroen and share parts between the brands.
BMW own Mini and Rolls Royce
Daimler own Mercedes, AMG and Smart
Fiat own Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Chrysler
VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda are the core VAG companies (VAG own a host exotic brands too).
Ford used to own Aston Martin, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover and had a controlling stake in Mazda, now just own Lincon.

insignia33

Matt Simis wrote: »

Ok, there are actually a lot "less" car companies than you would think, as a quick run down:

Vauxhall (now) are effectively just the UK brand for Opel (google "Opel Blitz" and guess why)
GM own Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Isuzu, Opel and Vauxhall (and more).
Acura and Honda are the same company, with slight differences in model spec and offerings
Toyota, Scion and Lexus are the same company, again regionally split like Acura and Honda.
Nissan and Infinity are the same company, regional as above.
Renault and Nissan are partners and also own Dacia, Datsun and Lada.
Peugeot (PSA) own Citroen and share parts between the brands.
BMW own Mini and Rolls Royce
Daimler own Mercedes, AMG and Smart
Fiat own Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Chrysler
VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda are the core VAG companies (VAG own a host exotic brands too).
Ford used to own Aston Martin, Jaguar, Volvo and and Land Rover and had a controlling stake in Mazda, now just own Lincon.

That was an interesting read. I was suprised to see BMW own Rolls Royce. If anything, I would have thought it would be the other way around.

Voodoomelon

Rolls Royce are a teeny, tiny company by comparison to BMW.

Marcusm

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Rolls Royce are a teeny, tiny company by comparison to BMW.

BMW bought the Rolls Royce brand for cars from the RR aero engine company at the time that VW purchased the company which made Bentleys and RR cars. RR cars now have no design, engineering or fabrication links to the original RR motors.

Leonard Hofstadter

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Funnily enough there is a difference down the line.

In Ireland an Opel will be worth more as a used car than a comparable Vauxhall.

This is true, having a Vauxhall will make it worth less on the second-hand market, even though it is exactly the same car. And, as someone else said, the shape of the actual badge holder on the grille is the Opel logo!

I do think Opel has a bit more prestige and class than Vauxhall, but that is complete and utter petty snobbery on my part - there really is no difference between an Opel and a Vauxhall other than the badges and the mph clocks.