Auto Express 1768

TIMES are changing fast in the car business and nowhere is that more obvious than at Ford. It used to be Britain’s favourite car brand – and very much thought of as British, thanks to its once-vast UK manufacturing footprint – but Ford no longer makes cars here and now it won’t be engineering them here, either. Of the 1,300 job losses just announced in the UK, the vast majority will come from the firm’s engineering base at Dunton in Essex. So we’re not only going to be saying farewell to Ford’s Fiesta and eventually the Focus, too; it’s also a sad goodbye to many hugely talented workers. This is a seismic shift in the brand and what it stands for, especially in the UK. Ford is focused on an electrified future, Mondeo…

TIMES are changing fast in the car business and nowhere is that more obvious than at Ford. It used to be Britain’s favourite car brand – and very much thought of as British, thanks to its once-vast UK manufacturing footprint – but Ford no longer makes cars here and now it won’t be engineering them here, either. Of the 1,300 job losses just announced in the UK, the vast majority will come from the firm’s engineering base at Dunton in Essex. So we’re not only going to be saying farewell to Ford’s Fiesta and eventually the Focus, too; it’s also a sad goodbye to many hugely talented workers. This is a seismic shift in the brand and what it stands for, especially in the UK. Ford is focused on an…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Plans are in place to turn Insignia into a high-riding crossover ● All-electric powertrain will be optimised for 450 miles of range LAST year the UK bade farewell to the Vauxhall Insignia. The once-popular family car suffered dwindling sales before being discontinued in the wake of the SUV boom and a much-heralded push towards electrification. But Auto Express has learned that Vauxhall is planning for the Insignia’s return with a radical class-busting replacement by the middle of the decade. As our exclusive images preview, the new model is likely to take the form of a high-riding, sleekly profiled crossover. Vauxhall Vice President of Design Mark Adams has revealed that in response to the SUV trend, the next Insignia will abandon the more traditional hatchback design. Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Adams said, “We’re…

1975-1981 Cavalier Mk1 VAUXHALL’S first Cavalier was a smash hit. Based on the second-generation Opel Ascona, and available as a saloon or coupé, it scored well against the ageing Mk3 Ford Cortina, and demand outstripped supply in the early months. 1981-1988 Cavalier Mk2 SwITCH from rear to front-wheel drive didn’t dent the Cavalier’s popularity. A five-door hatchback and an estate joined the saloon, while the SRi performance variant had up to 130bhp and a top speed of 120mph. 1988-1995 Cavalier Mk3 Two-door and estate models were binned, leaving only a five-door hatch and four-door saloon. This generation introduced ABS and airbags, plus a high-performance version with 200bhp and four-wheel drive. 1995-2002 Vectra B THE Vectra name had been used by Opel since 1988, but Vauxhall didn’t use it until the Cavalier’s replacement in 1995. The range started with a modest 74bhp…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Plans are in place to turn Insignia into a high-riding crossover ● All-electric powertrain will be optimised for 450 miles of range LAST year the UK bade farewell to the Vauxhall Insignia. The once-popular family car suffered dwindling sales before being discontinued in the wake of the SUV boom and a much-heralded push towards electrification. But Auto Express has learned that Vauxhall is planning for the Insignia’s return with a radical class-busting replacement by the middle of the decade. As our exclusive images preview, the new model is likely to take the form of a high-riding, sleekly profiled crossover. Vauxhall Vice President of Design Mark Adams has revealed that in response to the SUV trend, the next Insignia will abandon the more traditional hatchback design. Speaking exclusively…

1975-1981 Cavalier Mk1 VAUXHALL’S first Cavalier was a smash hit. Based on the second-generation Opel Ascona, and available as a saloon or coupé, it scored well against the ageing Mk3 Ford Cortina, and demand outstripped supply in the early months. 1981-1988 Cavalier Mk2 SwITCH from rear to front-wheel drive didn’t dent the Cavalier’s popularity. A five-door hatchback and an estate joined the saloon, while the SRi performance variant had up to 130bhp and a top speed of 120mph. 1988-1995 Cavalier Mk3 Two-door and estate models were binned, leaving only a five-door hatch and four-door saloon. This generation introduced ABS and airbags, plus a high-performance version with 200bhp and four-wheel drive. 1995-2002 Vectra B THE Vectra name had been used by Opel since 1988, but Vauxhall didn’t use it until the…