Buyers key to Vauxhall
September 10th, 2009 by Richard Aucock
CAR buyers will help determine the future of Vauxhall’s UK plants, says union leader Tony Woodley.
The Vauxhall brand, he says, is a huge part of GM Europe. Sales here are significant.
‘Magna needs to realise that any attempt to close plants will have an adverse market reaction,’ said the Unite chief.
Any plant closures could see customers react by not buying the cars, he says – for many buyers, ‘built in Britain’ remains a key selling point.
The new Ellesmere Port, Ford Focus-rivalling Vauxhall Astra debuts in a few months, and is a critical car for the new Magna-owned firm.
Woodley said the Magna deal wasn’t quite the worst case scenario – that would have been a complete collapse of the firm.
But, of the three options on the table, ‘this is certainly not the news we wanted to hear.’
Now, he says, Magna needs to change its original plan, which offered German assurances but little more for the rest of Europe.
The firm ‘will need’ hundreds of millions of pounds from the UK taxpayer.
‘If they want British taxpayers’ money, it has to be on the basis of British jobs.’
By Richard Aucock
Vauxhall: Minister says UK plants ‘assured’
Vauxhall SOLD: Worst case scenario?
Tags: GM, government, Magna, union, Vauxhall