11:10 am, October 24, 2025
Vauxhall wants to be back on the ‘podium’ of the new car market, returning to the days of it being one of the UK’s most popular car brands.
The plan, set out to Car Dealer by the carmaker’s new managing director Steve Catlin, will be driven by a sharper focus on retail, energising its dealers, and leveraging its history as a British brand.
‘Part of my plan is to take Vauxhall back to the podium position – I want to be on the road to the podium,’ he said. ‘That doesn’t mean immediately, but over the few years.’
Unlike the days when a place on the podium of best-selling car brands required double-digit market share, Catlin explained that today’s fragmented market makes the target more achievable.
‘When you go back 10 years, you needed around nine, 10 or even 11% to be in the top three. Today, if you’re at 5.5%, you’re in the top five. So, I think it’s a reasonable ambition for us to get back onto the podium.’
According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, from January to September this year, the UK’s three best-selling car brands were Volkswagen, BMW and Kia, with the latter achieving sales of 93,309.
In contrast, Vauxhall has shifted 66,415 – that’s significantly behind traditional arch-rival Ford, which has sold 91,506 cars, and even trails fellow Stellantis brand Peugeot at 70,637.
Commenting on how he plans to achieve this top-three placing, Catlin said: ‘The focus is on ensuring we’ve got a really balanced sales mix across all channels.
‘Historically, we may have concentrated too much on a few channels at the expense of retail. That’s going to change. We need to support our dealers and give them the tools to build sustainable, profitable businesses.’
Vauxhall continues to hold one of the UK’s largest dealer networks with around 200 sites, and Catlin confirmed that network size will remain stable.
‘We’re very happy with where we are,’ he said. ‘There may be a few natural transitions with retailers, but overall the network is the right size. The priority now is increasing volume and supporting dealer profitability.’
Part of that support will come through brand reinvigoration.
‘Vauxhall is one of the most trusted automotive brands in the UK — it has 98% spontaneous awareness,’ he said. ‘But trust alone isn’t enough. We need to add more emotion and excitement.’
Leveraging the brand’s British-ness will begin in earnest next year when, for the first time in a decade, the company will also launch a major UK-specific brand campaign, highlighting Vauxhall’s uniquely British roots.
‘We’ll be doing above-the-line advertising that’s purely about Vauxhall,’ he said. ‘We haven’t done that for years, and it’s time to remind people of what makes this brand special — our heritage, our connection with British roads, and our role in everyday life.’
Catlin added that this renewed emotional connection, combined with strong EV offerings like the new Frontera, the new GSE sub-brand, and a balanced retail strategy, will put Vauxhall firmly back in the top three.
Catlin took the reins in June, replacing James Taylor, who moved to head up Nissan Motor GB. Luton-raised Catlin began his career at Vauxhall over 20 years ago.
