VX press release dated 9/4/08
VAUXHALL'S GRIFFIN FLIES TO NEW HORIZON
EMBARGOED UNTIL WEDNESDAY 9TH APRIL
Long established as the face of the marque, Vauxhall’s Griffin will be given a new look for 2008. The new incarnation follows the rapid progress Vauxhall has made in vehicle design and overall brand perception in recent years, underpinned by the success of both Astra and Corsa models.
Displaying a more dynamic and contemporary look, the new Griffin will make its first appearance on the new Insignia, which will debut at the British International Motor Show in July. It will then appear progressively on every all-new Vauxhall launched in the future.
Bill Parfitt, Vauxhall’s Managing Director, said that the new-look Griffin represented far more than just a badge re-design: “While the new-look Griffin pays homage to our 100 year-plus manufacturing heritage in the UK, it also encapsulates Vauxhall’s fresh design philosophy, first showcased in the current Astra, and set to continue with Insignia.
“This recent evolution of the brand has resulted in Vauxhall’s incredible sales success over the last three years. Its retail share in the UK has increased significantly, while the manufacturing plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port produced in excess of 220,000 vehicles, with 59 per cent going for export, and the remainder making an important contribution to domestic sales.”
First public airing of the new Griffin will be later this summer, on Vauxhall’s Griffin House HQ in Luton. Retailers’ corporate identity will begin the change of the new Griffin in August 2008.
Editors’ note:
Vauxhall’s name derives from a corruption of the name ‘Fulks Hall’, the residence of Fulk Le Breant in Lambeth, London. Over the years, the house name changed to Fawke’s Hall, Fox Hall and finally Vauxhall, when it opened as a private park in 1661. Faulk Le Breant’s heraldic emblem, a Griffin – king of the mythical beasts – hung over the entrance to what was to become the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The emblem was then used by the Vauxhall Ironworks, which retained it following its move to Luton after making its first car in 1903. The company was re-named Vauxhall Motors in 1907.