Autoesque

Buying a new Vauxhall Corsa or Mokka should now be more straightforward, because Vauxhall has introduced simplified and consistent trim grade structures for both vehicles.

Following a particularly poor March, UK new car registrations for the first quarter of 2022 totalled 417,560 units. That was down by 7,965 versus 2021’s equivalent figure of 425,525.

This year’s World Car Awards include a World Electric Vehicle of the Year category for the first time. However, it seems to be somewhat redundant, because all of the top three finalists for the main World Car of the Year prize happen to feature pure-electric powertrains too.

2021’s new car registration statistics were markedly different from those of previous years, thanks to supply issues, the ongoing pandemic and changing buying habits.

Vauxhall and Opel have revealed the estate version of their next-generation Astra. Known as the Sports Tourer, it’s more practical than the recently-unveiled five-door hatchback.

Supply issues caused by the ongoing semiconductor shortage were largely responsible for dismal third-quarter new car registrations in the UK. In fact, 2021’s September performance – just 215,312 units – was the worst since the two-plate-change system was introduced in 1999.

Vauxhall has introduced a couple more Griffin editions, which both benefit from improved specifications and some cosmetic enhancements.

909,973 new cars were registered in the UK during the first half of 2021. Although that total was 39.2% higher than 2020’s corresponding figure, the industry is now experiencing supply problems caused by a global shortage of semiconductors.

If the new third-generation Movano looks familiar, that’s because it’s another version of the X250 ‘Sevel’ large van which first appeared in September 2006.

Vauxhall and Opel have unveiled the Vivaro-e Hydrogen van, which uses hydrogen plus a fuel cell to generate energy. This new model will be sold alongside the existing battery-electric Vivaro-e.

Against a background of difficult trading conditions, there has been a big change at the top of the UK’s new car registrations league table.

Following last month’s reveal of the pure-electric Combo-e van , Vauxhall and Opel have unveiled the Combo-e Life. This fully-glazed passenger-carrying version is aimed at both families and business users.

An electric-powered Combo compact van is due to arrive at Vauxhall and Opel dealers this autumn. Named Combo-e, it looks virtually identical to the existing combustion-engine versions and cargo space is unaffected.

By the end of the first quarter, it was already evident that new car demand and supply were both going to be severely affected by the pandemic. Indeed, figures just published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a UK registrations total of only 1,631,064 units for the entire year, the worst annual performance since 1992.

Vauxhall’s new Vivaro Elite Campervan is essentially the same as the Toyota Proace Lerina , which first appeared in early 2018. That’s hardly surprising, because the Vivaro and Proace are virtually identical vehicles, and both conversions are the work of Barnsley-based Wellhouse Leisure.

This year saw the worst September for new car registrations since the current bi-annual number plate system was introduced in 1999. Only 328,041 units were retailed, a reduction of 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year.

Ahead of the first deliveries this coming October, Vauxhall has announced prices and specifications for the pure-electric Vivaro-e .

With most car dealers in England reopening during June, registrations have tentatively begun to rise again after a period of enforced stagnation. However, as can be seen from the graph below, 2020’s cumulative total is down by almost a half compared to the same period last year.

Vauxhall has introduced the pure-electric Vivaro-e Life, which can carry up to nine people across three rows of seats.

Last month, Vauxhall / Opel unveiled the production-ready Vivaro-e pure-electric van. Now, the virtually identical Citroën e-Jumpy (e-Dispatch in some markets) and Peugeot e-Expert are all set to go on sale as well.