Vauxhall cars and vans are commonplace on the roads and motorways of the UK. With a range of cars to suit a wide range of budgets and tastes, Vauxhall are a popular choice for both new and used car buyers.

This well established brand is perhaps older than you think. The first Vauxhall car was made shortly after the turn of the century in 1903. Since that date the company has had an unbroken record as a major car designer and manufacturer.

In 1905 the company moved to their first factory in Luton and produced its first 4-cylinder car. The company Vauxhall Motors Ltd was established shortly afterwards in 1907 and in 1910 it was a Vauxhall 20 horsepower car that became a record breaker, being the first to exceed to 100mph mark.

In 1925 Vauxhall Motors Ltd became part of the GM Motors family, an American car manufacturer with worldwide reach and it remains within the GM Family today.

In 1931 Vauxhall Motors launched itself as a commercial manufacturer and introduced the Bedford van to the market. The popularity of the Bedford was so strong that Vauxhall quickly launched alternative Bedford models, with varying weight capacities and capabilities. As part of the war effort, Vauxhall produced 250,000 Bedford trucks and 5640 Churchill tanks between 1939 and 1945. By the time 1947 was reached Vauxhall had manufactured a staggering 500,000 Bedford trucks.

In 1953 the organisation reached a significant milestone, its 50th anniversary. And it was during this year that production of Vauxhall vehicles passed the 1 million mark. To cope with increases in demand Vauxhall needed a larger factory and in 1959 announced a new plant at Ellesmere Port, northwest England. Production at this plant finally started in 1966.

During the 1970's Vauxhall launched a range of cars that offered practicality, style and value to the consumer and some of the names are still in production today, notably the Astra. It was during the 1970's the Astra and Cavalier cars were designed and built and these models were a huge success for the company.

Vauxhall further developed the popular cars of the 1970's, and in 1982 the manufacturer revealed plans to launch diesel engines for the Astra and Cavalier. As a demand for sporty cars grew in the 1980's Vauxhall captured the imagination of young car buyers with the lunch of the Astra GTE and later the Nova GTE sports models.

Throughout the 1990's the Vauxhall range continued to thrive, both in the UK and European markets (where Vauxhall cars are banded with the Opel name). Success brought significant expansion and investment, with millions of pounds being spent on both the Luton and Ellesmere Port facilities during the 1990s'. It was towards the end of the 1990's when Vauxhall identified a need to develop attractive yet practical family cars with a seating capacity of 5 or over. The Sintra was Vauxhall's first model in its MPV range. Cars such as the Zafira and Agila soon followed.

Just before the turn of the millennium, Vauxhall became the first car manufacturer to sell cars on the Internet, now a multi billion pound market place where all car manufacturers and retailers compete for business.

Restructuring in 2000 saw the close of the Luton plant, but Luton was the base for Vauxhall's European Customer Assistance Centre.

Cars within the Vauxhall family now include models such as the Corsa, Astra, Vectra, Zafira, Meriva, Insignia, Antara and the range topping VXR8.

Vauxhall is continuing to design a range of cars and vans for the future and remains a significant car manufacturer both in the UK and Europe.