@@Baconroll699 I was watching an old touring car video and I was shouting at it Allam Allam who the f**k is Allam meaning Jeff Allam but the cops saw me and said I said something else 😫🤯😂
Great to see you back Dougie, just like to say as an ex Vauxhall salesman, store man & mechanic from 1984-2002 (Adam & Gibbon) your knowledge of GM/Vauxhall engines & platforms is fabulous ! Particularly Love the 80’s GM’s SR’s GTE’s & hand full of Opels (Mantas & Monza’s)
I am watching your video from the United States. I must say I enjoyed your video. I own two American GM cars: 1996 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight and a 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado. You are telling the truth what happened to GM globally. You know the product information and the many brands and models. I wish GM had kept Opel and Vauxhall, but GM mismanged so much for so long because they did not know the market in Europe as they once did. They sold many of the Vauxhall/Opel cars as Saturn and Buick in the United States and as Holden in Australia. Thank you for the video.
I’ve got one of the last Insignia Bs 2020 SRi Vxline 2.0 facelift model , it’s a superb machine and one of my favourite Vauxhall’s I’ve had over 41 years of owning them
I have been a lifelong vauxhall fan, we had a new cav and then vec every couple of years. I used to pickup all the brochures as a kid and read them cover to cover, I could tell you the spec level of most models from the 90s from memory. The stuff being pumped out now is not the vauxhall I know. It is so sad. I have an ageing but great condition insignia sri saloon on my drive, I might just keep it as nothing newer compares.
In Stellantis defence - the 308 GTi is a deeply joyous thing to drive. Lightweight, spectacular brakes, revvy motor. What they did to VX - a huge shame.
Great video Dougie, your range of knowledge across these brands is incredible. I am a big Vauxhall fan, having driven many across the years. Sounds like Stellantis are heading into big trouble. 😳
loved the video! Didn`t expect all that talking but I honestly agree with you and what`s gonna happen in the next years. Definetely looking for the last GM Vauxhalls and Opels. Cheers from Spain!
A Brilliant video and a truthful comment on the sad decline of our choices of cars from Vauxhall I worked for a Vauxhall opel dealer in 80s such a great range of cars ! Then keep up your excellent content Dougie great knowledge you’re sharing. ⭐️👌😊
I enjoyed that, its interesting learning about all the badge engineering models Do another one about all the special editions and sporting models in the 90s
Yet another very interesting video Doug . I myself have owned a fair few Vauxhall cars disspite working for Ford Dagenham for last 30 years . Owned a mk2 Cavalier 2.0 CDI , A mk2 Cavavalier SRI130 , A Mk1 Vectra SRI 130 Diesel ,Unfortunately that one caught fire , & Currently own a Vauxhall Zafira B , & i love it .
Enjoyed that vid and run thru. I went to a Ford show at weekend and was saddened by the demise of that brand - the new Capri was there - wtf! When you hear you list all those timeless models over decades and realise that they’ve gone forever. I can see why many kids now I would have no interest in cars whatsoever
Great video. Good to have a deep dive into a manufacturer that essentially stripped Vauxhall Opel of its original design and sold it to the cheapest bidder. A sad end to an amazing car history.
Ignoring the fact that there’s so many enormous cargo ships polluting the planet horrifically every day, but picking on them would stop the world turning and they won’t allow that to happen. This nonsense is just another tax on the consumer forcing us into very expensive cars that none of us want, and if we won’t get one them they will tax us horrifically on the cars we currently have that we like, it’s a joke.
I love my Astra K Tourer 2019, 1.0T GM engine. Chain. Had it two years and built at Ellesmere Port. It is a GM car and doesn't have the dreaded wet belt on later Ks and of course the PSA Astra. I don't know where to go after this car.
Insignia gsi I worked for Vauxhall at the time of the release of these, and I remember checking the stock locater everyday for one, and there was nothing, I think they were allocated to specific dealers same as the the vxr8 etc maloo etc
When I was apprentice mechanic 32 years ago 😂 I was taken out in a c plate black 900 turbo and was blown away, they were absolutely prestige back then due to links with aerospace stuff. Incidentally was also taken out in a lancia thema turbo year or two later and was a little more impressed also learned recently it shares same platform as Saab 9000. But that was based on power or driver👀 the amount of relationships between manufacturers with engines and chassis is very odd. As the years went by Saab lost the plot especially the one with the headlights had specs.
1:03 Yep bout sums him up!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 19:26 We had a diesel Cruz in about a month ago for a AC condenser swap and then for a potential alternator replacement. Couldn't find any information about the engine because it didn't look like the usual Vauxhall engines (know they used to Alfa Romeo 1.9 CDTi lumps) so had no idea how to remove the alternator (which looked a complete sh*t bag to do!!) and they were UA-cam videos either. In the end we didn't need to do the alternator but if we had of done it wasn't gonna be fun.
Governments can mandate manufactuers to sell quotas of electric vehicles all thhey like. If buyers don't want to buy them, then car manufacturers wil go out of business
Where do you find your info? I don't think the 3.6 vvt motor was turbocharged, anywhere in the world. Id love to find a conversion kit for my regal if it does exist somewhere.
Went to goodwood fos in 2017 and they had the then new Vauxhall insignia, I’ve never seen such a disinterested sales team I guess they knew. Very interesting chat, and yes Saab would have been a better investment than trying to push caddies in Europe. I really don’t know where we are heading now, there are some fundamentals with ev’s that need sorting or at least airing but for them to make any difference we need to buy and keep cars, but that then destroys the industry which only works on economies of scale.
I've always been more of a vauxhall man than ford, my first car that I used (had a Punto I never drove) was a Corsa B, I've had a Zafira A, Astra G auto and Coupe, couple of Corsa D and C. My sister had Corsas and an old astra and yes the models we had weren't anything special but it always did what it said on the tin. I have thought for a while the 2nd hand market that's coming up will be awful, no every man performance models, all cars specced in silver, black or white with no contrasting interiors. These companies are ran by accountants and yes men there's not an enthusiast among them and it shows.
We will probably see more manufacturers coming together in the next few years and running on the same platforms as the costs to develop/produce ev cars will be expensive look at most Suzukis are based on Toyota platforms
Doogie, this is a great frustration of mine. The main reason GM Europe failed is because of GM no one else. They had all these very good cars and it was like at the last minute went "uch that will do it" it's like baking a delicious cake and not bothering with a topping. Ure right they had far too many fingers in far too many pies. Saab were trying to make their cars better but were held back by GM. The Turbo x is a proof of that, basically a 4wd version of the Vectra. If they had just crossed the Ts with their performance models maybe they wouldn't have had so much stick. Things did improve with the insignia and astra J. I always think back to the lotus carton and its like lotus went right we will show u a performance car. Then GM went ohh this is too good its attracting too much attention, I'm sorry but that exactly what you want and if i were in charge would have been the norm for performance Vauxhalls, something crazy and outrageous. In my opinion thats exactly what Vauxhall needed and that insignia B should have got that 400 bhp V6. 2005- 2015 was the best era for Vauxhalls in my opinion. More so the latter. I could go on all day....
I've got a Grand Sport SRi, I wanted to get the GSi. Grand Sport is the hatch, Sport Touring is the estate version. Sadly, after many years (since the MK1 Astra), this will be my last Vauxhall. PSA are a shower of clowns, and I won't put money in their pockets. I liked my Vauxhalls with GM badges (like the one I currently have) all over the bits.
I honestly preferred my original Insignia SRi, don't get me wrong, the one I have is nice, drives good, really quite nippy, but I had 2 of the original Insignias, I had the first one sold in Scotland (to a private buyer, me, and I then bought one of the last SRi VX Lines, just before the new one was released. Sorry, those posts were both more wordy than I meant, but I started mourning Vauxhall when PSA got involved. 🫤
I've just completed 15000 miles in a Corrola Hybrid. To be fair, it is averaging 60mpg, but the range is only about 420 miles and I'm used to about 800 mile range. I'm just not feeling the full EV thing
You could still buy brand new Holden "Commodore" 2 years after they closed shop whilst dealers were waiting for reimbursements etc, there were still "Holdens" new on the showroom floors. Holden had been effectively broke since 1984, same as Ford Oz; government (re: taxpayer) inputs kept them afloat for decades. Ford & Holden suffered from the same issues: Unions wanting mining wages to build cars, the Button Plan (look into that), import & export Tariffs, and the 2nd biggest killer (besides Unions)- building cars that nobody really wanted anymore; people wanted SUV's & utes, both companies kept balls to the wall with sedans. I will be keeping my FG2 XR6T manual until they plant me in the ground
Well the Commodore was built in Luton in UK but never sold here. If we wanted one we had to order in Australia then export it to Britain after it was shipped to Australia from Britain. Total madness and no wonder GM or Stellantis are on the road to self destruction. Something I will enjoy watching seeing as they destroyed Saab once they got their hands on the technology.
Volvo was always about three or four times larger than Saab in terms of sales. It invented important things in automotive history like the three point seat belt and saved millions of lives. Saab pioneered turbocharging and also made safe cars, but its brand was a little less defined than Volvo's.
I shall be keeping my 09 Astra, 65 Victor estate and my 49 Velox. I don't want a noisey 3 cylinder or pardon my language an EV. Hopefully they will keep going by the time I can no longer drive.
We are seen history repeat itself, its unfortunate that Holden fail but stopping local car like Ford Australia because Australians wanted different type of cars but it US parent companies with not just money decision but thinking about future of RWD platform just Dodge with V8 RWD platform. Honda trying buy Nissan like it did with Leyland, including Mitsubishi. Other part is dealerships n the cost of cars as flooding of cheap Chinese cars n utes because tough times.
Here in New Zealand after the abrupt end of the VF Holden Commodore in 2017, it was replaced by the ZB Commodore (Opel Insignia) for a few short years before the Holden brand was shutdown altogether (2020). This was a huge departure from previous generations of Commodore's as this was the first time in it's 40 year production not have a V8 engine option available. We did however atleast have the 3.6L V6 engine option for the ZB Commodore.
Great video Dougie, some brilliant points for discussion mate - However, as a former Insignia VXR owner I can say it was utter pesh, engine was made of cheese so was the Asin-Warner Automatic Gearbox, the Haldex AWD system was, at best, 30% RWD bias under full load in sport mode - I went down the Audi RS6 route, never to return. GM missed a trick here in the UK and Europe, what was clearly missing was a 4L Turbocharged V8 with a solid AWD System and a ZF Gearbox, a game changer is you ask me - If you're willing to spend money in that category of motor, why settle for a V6 chicken box like the VXR? I learnt my lesson following a brand new engine and full gearbox rebuild on the VXR, once the electrical systems started failing that was enough for me, took the RS6 and never looked back - Bearing in mind the price difference, you can bag a facelift Insignia VXR SuperSport for £12K-17K and live with the issue that come with that platform, lack of spare parts being the biggest issue and overpriced items such as coil packs (unless you know where to shop around and look for Saab equivalents). The VXR-8 is a beast of a machine and deserves credit where credit is due, however again, its missing a solid AWD system, deal breaker for me. To sum this all, if GM had of introduced a serious competitor for the RS6 and M5 X-Drive in the UK and Europe, around £10K less book price then I reckon they'd have made a pile of money, and gained a large following in the car community too.
For a man who claims to be a petrolhead and motorsport enthusiast (Carlos Tavares) his record of creating enthusiast's cars is pretty mediocre. I know he played a bit in the revival of Alpine while at Renault, but I don't think he has championed anything else.
Trust me mate, they all feed from the same trough. The world is changing and not for the better. Bring back the 2.0 8v and the 2.0 16v engines. They did the job, enough power, reliability and easy to work on. Not viable though. These EV's heart is a battery, they will hold charge the same as a mobile phone battery, same technology albeit on a bigger scale. You buy a new mobile phone the battery is excellent, holds it's charge etc. 6 months down the line not so much. 2 years later regular charging required. It will be the same for the cars but no facilities to accommodate demand. And when the battery is knackered... we'll be held to ransom to purchase a new one. Don't even get me started on the damage to the environment. People have no idea the impact the manufacture of these batteries have. But "it's all for the Greater Good"
@@leeboycharming759 i wonder if we will start to see more engines being rebuilt and cars kept on the road. Especially diesels. Cars once scrapped at 150,000 miles will now go on to do 250,000+ Which is more sustainable... Gov will probably come up with more restrictions on ICE vehicles
@@meirionwilliams-w1p it was never ever a replacement for the proper rear-wheel drive commodore it would have done better if they hadn't called it that
Times change. Emissions had to drop for pollution reasons if nothing else. Big thirsty engines have been dying for many years in reality. Boy racers who bought fastish Corsas now buy vapes and xboxes. No big market for fast small cars and Mini have that covered with Cooper S. Saloons out of fashion, Suvs more practical. Only 4% of cars sold in Norway are petrol or diesel. They've made Evs work without issue. Charging isn't nearly as bad as some make out. It seems those who haven't ever owned an EV think they know more about owning an EV than those that actually do. ICE are slow compared to an EV. Times change.
Show me an SUV that's more practical than the saloon/estate version? Talking utter shite. Norway isn't the UK, and culturally is different from most of Europe. They have the infrastructure to support EVs, in the UK we do not, fuck we can't even build a fucking train track properly (HS2), so how the government expects EVs to work I have no idea. I get the benefits of an EV, quiet, faster accelerating due to instant torque but there's no emotional sound and we aren't equipped to deal with EVs when it comes to dealing with thermal run-away or crashes with an EV. Insurance companies don't want to know, the emergency services haven't got sufficient enough protocols to deal with them, and in the end they cost way more than the equivalent petrol/diesel model and cost more to produce on the current Lithium-ion battery cells. Can it be more efficient on solid state cells, yes, but that tech has yet to be (afaik) available to the market and prices are still 40K+ for an equivalent, Corsa/308/Fiesta/Golf sized car. Toyota has proven hybrids and hydrogen-cell vehicles are the way to go, but the government doesn't want to know and is instead forcing a move that will ultimately not work.
Tell that to people having to rely on communal parking (say if they live in a flat) where it's either impossible to charge since there's no charging stations (or options to install them) or there's limited charging stations which people will fight over if more people purchase EVs. I would know since I cannot get a driveway put in to charge at home and my street's car park has no charging stations (and no obvious plans to install them) so an EV is out of the question.
Dougie I’m so glad you’re back and finished your time in the nick. Don’t go back again because we all missed your videos
What did he do not pay his council tax 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Hahaha spill the beans bud, ye cany leave us hanging like that 😂😂😂
😂😂
@@Baconroll699 I was watching an old touring car video and I was shouting at it Allam Allam who the f**k is Allam meaning Jeff Allam but the cops saw me and said I said something else 😫🤯😂
What?
Great to see you back Dougie, just like to say as an ex Vauxhall salesman, store man & mechanic from 1984-2002 (Adam & Gibbon) your knowledge of GM/Vauxhall engines & platforms is fabulous ! Particularly Love the 80’s GM’s SR’s GTE’s & hand full of Opels (Mantas & Monza’s)
I am watching your video from the United States. I must say I enjoyed your video. I own two American GM cars: 1996 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight and a 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado. You are telling the truth what happened to GM globally. You know the product information and the many brands and models. I wish GM had kept Opel and Vauxhall, but GM mismanged so much for so long because they did not know the market in Europe as they once did. They sold many of the Vauxhall/Opel cars as Saturn and Buick in the United States and as Holden in Australia. Thank you for the video.
This net zero bull needs to be scrapped.
You had Tic Tacs?
@Qmark78
Just ketchup and relish packets.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. I’m dying over here!
@@paulie-Gualtieri. Nobody asked for net zero 😫
Insignia B owner here. Last of the GM Vauxhalls. I’ll hold onto it as long as possible.
I’ve got one of the last Insignia Bs 2020 SRi Vxline 2.0 facelift model , it’s a superb machine and one of my favourite Vauxhall’s I’ve had over 41 years of owning them
Great video Dougie found very interesting about vauxhall and the other car makes hope you do a few more on this pal keep the good work up
I have been a lifelong vauxhall fan, we had a new cav and then vec every couple of years. I used to pickup all the brochures as a kid and read them cover to cover, I could tell you the spec level of most models from the 90s from memory. The stuff being pumped out now is not the vauxhall I know. It is so sad. I have an ageing but great condition insignia sri saloon on my drive, I might just keep it as nothing newer compares.
In Stellantis defence - the 308 GTi is a deeply joyous thing to drive. Lightweight, spectacular brakes, revvy motor.
What they did to VX - a huge shame.
@@exgtt2061 can you still get them?
I doubt it 👍
I'll be keeping my 2016 estate Astra k 1.6 turbo (200 bhp) for a long time. As there's no modern equivalent available any more.
Great video Dougie, your range of knowledge across these brands is incredible. I am a big Vauxhall fan, having driven many across the years. Sounds like Stellantis are heading into big trouble. 😳
Great video and a nice change full of interesting facts. Hopefully even more deep dives in the future.
loved the video! Didn`t expect all that talking but I honestly agree with you and what`s gonna happen in the next years. Definetely looking for the last GM Vauxhalls and Opels. Cheers from Spain!
A great informative video Dougie, very enjoyable.
Loved this. Man knows his car. Stellantis will be the death of the Italian automotive industry
Lol just because he is saying lots of stuff doesn't mean it's actually accurate Information
@@JimmyTheMachine Thanks, really insightful. Smart bloke, you.
You did a lot of research for this excellent video ! Very interesting content . Thank you
A Brilliant video and a truthful comment on the sad decline of our choices of cars from Vauxhall I worked for a Vauxhall opel dealer in 80s such a great range of cars ! Then keep up your excellent content Dougie great knowledge you’re sharing. ⭐️👌😊
I enjoyed that, its interesting learning about all the badge engineering models
Do another one about all the special editions and sporting models in the 90s
Yet another very interesting video Doug . I myself have owned a fair few Vauxhall cars disspite working for Ford Dagenham for last 30 years . Owned a mk2 Cavalier 2.0 CDI , A mk2 Cavavalier SRI130 , A Mk1 Vectra SRI 130 Diesel ,Unfortunately that one caught fire , & Currently own a Vauxhall Zafira B , & i love it .
It's really sad what is happening to the car industry 😞
Enjoyed that vid and run thru. I went to a Ford show at weekend and was saddened by the demise of that brand - the new Capri was there - wtf!
When you hear you list all those timeless models over decades and realise that they’ve gone forever. I can see why many kids now I would have no interest in cars whatsoever
Excellent video lad 👏
I have an Insignia VXR Tourer with only 15k miles on which I bought new in 2016. Think I'll keep it!
@@eskimo427 definitely stuff like that will become very sought after and you wouldn't be able to find anything else anyway
Great video. Good to have a deep dive into a manufacturer that essentially stripped Vauxhall Opel of its original design and sold it to the cheapest bidder. A sad end to an amazing car history.
Good video, very interesting!
Properly interesting video. Nice one
Another great video has always Dougie 👍
It's funny how they attack car manufacturers when there's thousands of plane above our heads!
Ignoring the fact that there’s so many enormous cargo ships polluting the planet horrifically every day, but picking on them would stop the world turning and they won’t allow that to happen. This nonsense is just another tax on the consumer forcing us into very expensive cars that none of us want, and if we won’t get one them they will tax us horrifically on the cars we currently have that we like, it’s a joke.
Awesome work man very interesting and factual video your spot on where are the performance models Vauxhall 😜
Evening Dougie another good one 👍
Right okay
I love my Astra K Tourer 2019, 1.0T GM engine. Chain. Had it two years and built at Ellesmere Port. It is a GM car and doesn't have the dreaded wet belt on later Ks and of course the PSA Astra. I don't know where to go after this car.
Nice one Dougie 👍🤙
Thanks again fella
Insignia gsi I worked for Vauxhall at the time of the release of these, and I remember checking the stock locater everyday for one, and there was nothing, I think they were allocated to specific dealers same as the the vxr8 etc maloo etc
@@Liamc1988 I looked a while ago and there was one for sale. Not seen any for ages they were so expensive
Very interesting range of spectrum 😮
When I was apprentice mechanic 32 years ago 😂 I was taken out in a c plate black 900 turbo and was blown away, they were absolutely prestige back then due to links with aerospace stuff. Incidentally was also taken out in a lancia thema turbo year or two later and was a little more impressed also learned recently it shares same platform as Saab 9000. But that was based on power or driver👀 the amount of relationships between manufacturers with engines and chassis is very odd. As the years went by Saab lost the plot especially the one with the headlights had specs.
@@derekjust5764 unfortunately they had to keep the 95 going much longer due to the credit crunch
1:03 Yep bout sums him up!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
19:26 We had a diesel Cruz in about a month ago for a AC condenser swap and then for a potential alternator replacement. Couldn't find any information about the engine because it didn't look like the usual Vauxhall engines (know they used to Alfa Romeo 1.9 CDTi lumps) so had no idea how to remove the alternator (which looked a complete sh*t bag to do!!) and they were UA-cam videos either. In the end we didn't need to do the alternator but if we had of done it wasn't gonna be fun.
Governments can mandate manufactuers to sell quotas of electric vehicles all thhey like. If buyers don't want to buy them, then car manufacturers wil go out of business
That's the idea!
@@curtisj2165 yeah I think that is the plan
@curtisj2165 agreed. For some reason they don't want anyone to travel..must be stopped now .
ohh 30 seconds in and I know this is going to be a good video
Where do you find your info? I don't think the 3.6 vvt motor was turbocharged, anywhere in the world. Id love to find a conversion kit for my regal if it does exist somewhere.
Very interesting 😉👍🏴
Just got my 1st Vauxhall Sri model a 2021 Crossland quite pleased with it despite being the 3 cylinder engine 😂😂😂
@@andrewmarriott4033 change the oil twice as frequently as they say and make sure it's the right type
They don’t want everyone to own cars .. just a select few ..
And those cars that currently survive will become unaffordable
Went to goodwood fos in 2017 and they had the then new Vauxhall insignia, I’ve never seen such a disinterested sales team I guess they knew. Very interesting chat, and yes Saab would have been a better investment than trying to push caddies in Europe. I really don’t know where we are heading now, there are some fundamentals with ev’s that need sorting or at least airing but for them to make any difference we need to buy and keep cars, but that then destroys the industry which only works on economies of scale.
@@robc5955 I think the idea is to make it much more difficult to drive
I've always been more of a vauxhall man than ford, my first car that I used (had a Punto I never drove) was a Corsa B, I've had a Zafira A, Astra G auto and Coupe, couple of Corsa D and C. My sister had Corsas and an old astra and yes the models we had weren't anything special but it always did what it said on the tin. I have thought for a while the 2nd hand market that's coming up will be awful, no every man performance models, all cars specced in silver, black or white with no contrasting interiors. These companies are ran by accountants and yes men there's not an enthusiast among them and it shows.
Have to get my self an omega elite before it’s to late!
We will probably see more manufacturers coming together in the next few years and running on the same platforms as the costs to develop/produce ev cars will be expensive look at most Suzukis are based on Toyota platforms
What your view on the Vectra v6 3.0cdti, is it an Isuzu engine? Seen an estate on Auto Trader.
We had one. Dont bother. Expensive parts, known weaknesses and not easy to work on. Our's had hgf. A 1.9 is a better bet.
@@brenglover72 the Cadillac bls diesel turns up quite regularly with very low mileage compared to a Vectra or Saab
@@davefarrow4351 would have to be a very low mileage one maintenance can't be quite expensive
This is why I got a second I20N to keep a hold of I sold my first one and realised it was an error they have stopped making them.
@@NY20N Hyundai make some awesome stuff. The genesis brand in America looks really good plus the Kia stinger and the various N models
Doogie, this is a great frustration of mine. The main reason GM Europe failed is because of GM no one else. They had all these very good cars and it was like at the last minute went "uch that will do it" it's like baking a delicious cake and not bothering with a topping. Ure right they had far too many fingers in far too many pies. Saab were trying to make their cars better but were held back by GM. The Turbo x is a proof of that, basically a 4wd version of the Vectra. If they had just crossed the Ts with their performance models maybe they wouldn't have had so much stick. Things did improve with the insignia and astra J. I always think back to the lotus carton and its like lotus went right we will show u a performance car. Then GM went ohh this is too good its attracting too much attention, I'm sorry but that exactly what you want and if i were in charge would have been the norm for performance Vauxhalls, something crazy and outrageous. In my opinion thats exactly what Vauxhall needed and that insignia B should have got that 400 bhp V6. 2005- 2015 was the best era for Vauxhalls in my opinion. More so the latter. I could go on all day....
My mate had a late insignia gsi and that was a mint bit of kit,until he parked up the arse of a range rover!
We will all be building the cars we actually want in kit form soon if we don’t want new EV.
Dougie you could make your own VXR version of the Insignia mk2.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. If the commodore VXR is already down to 15000 Australian dollars then in a couple of years should be cheap enough to import
Do the twin turbo Cadillac blackwing conversion on it 474 horsepower
@@OnceDrivenForeverSmitten
Nice like it
I've got a Grand Sport SRi, I wanted to get the GSi.
Grand Sport is the hatch, Sport Touring is the estate version.
Sadly, after many years (since the MK1 Astra), this will be my last Vauxhall. PSA are a shower of clowns, and I won't put money in their pockets. I liked my Vauxhalls with GM badges (like the one I currently have) all over the bits.
I honestly preferred my original Insignia SRi, don't get me wrong, the one I have is nice, drives good, really quite nippy, but I had 2 of the original Insignias, I had the first one sold in Scotland (to a private buyer, me, and I then bought one of the last SRi VX Lines, just before the new one was released.
Sorry, those posts were both more wordy than I meant, but I started mourning Vauxhall when PSA got involved. 🫤
The wife has a 2017 mokka x is this a proper Vauxhall or would this be part vaux part pug??
You forget the Saab 9-2 made by Subaru based on a imprezza Subaru was 10 years with Saab a part from GM
@@jospeters7558 oh yeah that's a proper oddball
Nonetheless, interesting digging through that
I've just completed 15000 miles in a Corrola Hybrid. To be fair, it is averaging 60mpg, but the range is only about 420 miles and I'm used to about 800 mile range. I'm just not feeling the full EV thing
I’ve got one as a company car and get about 510 miles on a full tank but that’s doing a lot of motorway driving
Not a chance GM made a real loss in Europe. They made a loss here to lower their profits in North America. That's it!
@@92Markmcghee I don't understand how they could sell so many cars and never make a profit
@@OnceDrivenForeverSmitten Europe was their most profitable market in the 90s to making a loss for over 15 years something doesn't add up!
You could still buy brand new Holden "Commodore" 2 years after they closed shop whilst dealers were waiting for reimbursements etc, there were still "Holdens" new on the showroom floors.
Holden had been effectively broke since 1984, same as Ford Oz; government (re: taxpayer) inputs kept them afloat for decades.
Ford & Holden suffered from the same issues: Unions wanting mining wages to build cars, the Button Plan (look into that), import & export Tariffs, and the 2nd biggest killer (besides Unions)- building cars that nobody really wanted anymore; people wanted SUV's & utes, both companies kept balls to the wall with sedans.
I will be keeping my FG2 XR6T manual until they plant me in the ground
Well the Commodore was built in Luton in UK but never sold here. If we wanted one we had to order in Australia then export it to Britain after it was shipped to Australia from Britain.
Total madness and no wonder GM or Stellantis are on the road to self destruction. Something I will enjoy watching seeing as they destroyed Saab once they got their hands on the technology.
Volvo was always about three or four times larger than Saab in terms of sales. It invented important things in automotive history like the three point seat belt and saved millions of lives. Saab pioneered turbocharging and also made safe cars, but its brand was a little less defined than Volvo's.
I shall be keeping my 09 Astra, 65 Victor estate and my 49 Velox. I don't want a noisey 3 cylinder or pardon my language an EV. Hopefully they will keep going by the time I can no longer drive.
So glad you’re out of prison mate
Does GM stick exist or gone
We are seen history repeat itself, its unfortunate that Holden fail but stopping local car like Ford Australia because Australians wanted different type of cars but it US parent companies with not just money decision but thinking about future of RWD platform just Dodge with V8 RWD platform. Honda trying buy Nissan like it did with Leyland, including Mitsubishi. Other part is dealerships n the cost of cars as flooding of cheap Chinese cars n utes because tough times.
From 2035, it's no more sales of NEW petrol/diesel/hybrids. You missed out the new bit
Here in New Zealand after the abrupt end of the VF Holden Commodore in 2017, it was replaced by the ZB Commodore (Opel Insignia) for a few short years before the Holden brand was shutdown altogether (2020). This was a huge departure from previous generations of Commodore's as this was the first time in it's 40 year production not have a V8 engine option available. We did however atleast have the 3.6L V6 engine option for the ZB Commodore.
Great video Dougie, some brilliant points for discussion mate - However, as a former Insignia VXR owner I can say it was utter pesh, engine was made of cheese so was the Asin-Warner Automatic Gearbox, the Haldex AWD system was, at best, 30% RWD bias under full load in sport mode - I went down the Audi RS6 route, never to return. GM missed a trick here in the UK and Europe, what was clearly missing was a 4L Turbocharged V8 with a solid AWD System and a ZF Gearbox, a game changer is you ask me - If you're willing to spend money in that category of motor, why settle for a V6 chicken box like the VXR? I learnt my lesson following a brand new engine and full gearbox rebuild on the VXR, once the electrical systems started failing that was enough for me, took the RS6 and never looked back - Bearing in mind the price difference, you can bag a facelift Insignia VXR SuperSport for £12K-17K and live with the issue that come with that platform, lack of spare parts being the biggest issue and overpriced items such as coil packs (unless you know where to shop around and look for Saab equivalents). The VXR-8 is a beast of a machine and deserves credit where credit is due, however again, its missing a solid AWD system, deal breaker for me. To sum this all, if GM had of introduced a serious competitor for the RS6 and M5 X-Drive in the UK and Europe, around £10K less book price then I reckon they'd have made a pile of money, and gained a large following in the car community too.
For a man who claims to be a petrolhead and motorsport enthusiast (Carlos Tavares) his record of creating enthusiast's cars is pretty mediocre. I know he played a bit in the revival of Alpine while at Renault, but I don't think he has championed anything else.
I mean, i have some sympathy Dougie, but would you have bought a new 40k+ performance Vx with your own money? I know i wouldnt.
@@TipoM138 if I could have got one on a company car list I would have taken it over a German car because I'm hardcore Vauxhall well GM Vauxhall 😂
Trust me mate, they all feed from the same trough. The world is changing and not for the better. Bring back the 2.0 8v and the 2.0 16v engines.
They did the job, enough power, reliability and easy to work on.
Not viable though.
These EV's heart is a battery, they will hold charge the same as a mobile phone battery, same technology albeit on a bigger scale. You buy a new mobile phone the battery is excellent, holds it's charge etc. 6 months down the line not so much. 2 years later regular charging required. It will be the same for the cars but no facilities to accommodate demand. And when the battery is knackered... we'll be held to ransom to purchase a new one.
Don't even get me started on the damage to the environment. People have no idea the impact the manufacture of these batteries have.
But "it's all for the Greater Good"
@@leeboycharming759 i wonder if we will start to see more engines being rebuilt and cars kept on the road. Especially diesels. Cars once scrapped at 150,000 miles will now go on to do 250,000+ Which is more sustainable... Gov will probably come up with more restrictions on ICE vehicles
Apparently Australia hated the insignia/commodore
@@meirionwilliams-w1p it was never ever a replacement for the proper rear-wheel drive commodore it would have done better if they hadn't called it that
Times change. Emissions had to drop for pollution reasons if nothing else. Big thirsty engines have been dying for many years in reality. Boy racers who bought fastish Corsas now buy vapes and xboxes. No big market for fast small cars and Mini have that covered with Cooper S. Saloons out of fashion, Suvs more practical. Only 4% of cars sold in Norway are petrol or diesel. They've made Evs work without issue. Charging isn't nearly as bad as some make out. It seems those who haven't ever owned an EV think they know more about owning an EV than those that actually do. ICE are slow compared to an EV. Times change.
Are you EVangelists all on the dole and spend all your time shilling for EVs online? Honestly.
@@ER-ml8eb Facts not something you're comfortable with? Honestly.
Show me an SUV that's more practical than the saloon/estate version? Talking utter shite. Norway isn't the UK, and culturally is different from most of Europe. They have the infrastructure to support EVs, in the UK we do not, fuck we can't even build a fucking train track properly (HS2), so how the government expects EVs to work I have no idea. I get the benefits of an EV, quiet, faster accelerating due to instant torque but there's no emotional sound and we aren't equipped to deal with EVs when it comes to dealing with thermal run-away or crashes with an EV. Insurance companies don't want to know, the emergency services haven't got sufficient enough protocols to deal with them, and in the end they cost way more than the equivalent petrol/diesel model and cost more to produce on the current Lithium-ion battery cells. Can it be more efficient on solid state cells, yes, but that tech has yet to be (afaik) available to the market and prices are still 40K+ for an equivalent, Corsa/308/Fiesta/Golf sized car. Toyota has proven hybrids and hydrogen-cell vehicles are the way to go, but the government doesn't want to know and is instead forcing a move that will ultimately not work.
Tell that to people having to rely on communal parking (say if they live in a flat) where it's either impossible to charge since there's no charging stations (or options to install them) or there's limited charging stations which people will fight over if more people purchase EVs. I would know since I cannot get a driveway put in to charge at home and my street's car park has no charging stations (and no obvious plans to install them) so an EV is out of the question.
@@73henny Norway is a unique case as they have infinite hydroelectric