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Vauxhall unveils new Griffin badge

8494 Views 71 Replies 49 Participants Last post by  chinamonty
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Vauxhall unveils new Griffin badge

Posted Apr 8th 2008 5:01PM by Noah Joseph
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Vauxhall, UK

Click above to view the Vauxhall badge in hi-res

Who wouldn't want to drive a car with a griffin on the grille? Well, apparently British motorists, because despite having arguably the coolest badge in the business, Vauxhall doesn't retain the best brand image in the UK market. General Motors' British subsidiary is trying its darnedest to update its profile, however, and to that end has launched a refreshed version of its stoic badge.

Vauxhall unveiled the new logo today, describing it as "more dynamic and contemporary" than its predecessor, but to our eyes looks unfortunately less griffin-y. The new badge is expected to make its first appearance on the new Insignia scheduled to be unveiled at the London show in July, around the same time that it will be hoisted above Griffin House, Vauxhall's corporate headquarters in Bedfordshire. Follow the jump for the full press release, and click on the two thumbnails below to view the new logo in high-resolution and an evolutionary timeline of the Vauxhall badge dating back to the 1920s.

Gallery: new Vauxhall logo



[Source: just-auto.com – subs. req'd]

PRESS RELEASE:
VAUXHALL'S GRIFFIN FLIES TO NEW HORIZON

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.
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I am going to plead ignorance on this issue, but what does the Vauxhall hq do other than marketing? isnt it just rebadged holdens and opels? isnt this brand "exclusive" to the british market meaning 'same shyt different day'? what are sales per year.........im guessing pretty insignificant
Who wouldn't want to drive a car with a griffin on the grille? Well, apparently British motorists, because despite having arguably the coolest badge in the business, Vauxhall doesn't retain the best brand image in the UK market. General Motors' British subsidiary is trying its darnedest to update its profile, however, and to that end has launched a refreshed version of its stoic badge.
Because the brits love their blue oval cars hehe
I think it sucks because it gets less gas miles and pays too much attention to trucks and SUVs. :p:
very cool badge; GM does do badges right!
Because the brits love their blue oval cars hehe
It always amazing how Brits think Fords are actually British. Maybe it has something to do with the non-existence of their once proud auto industry. Need to latch onto something, and the Ford name is quite British in origin.
Looks good!
^ Yeah that is odd, might have something to do with the Jaguar thing.

Maybe we should have a poll as to the best GM badge out there...One for North America and one that includes all of the subsidiaries. Any thougths?
Great idea, would be great with a nomination thread then a poll and all.

My vote goes to the silver Holden badge on VE Calais's etc.. it's the the ring aournd thee outside is now a laurel wreath. I also like the Current Cadillac badge.

I'm a sucker for the 'wreath.
I think it looks great. Now how many of you would like to see a video of the badge in action?
^ Yeah that is odd, might have something to do with the Jaguar thing.



Great idea, would be great with a nomination thread then a poll and all.

My vote goes to the silver Holden badge on VE Calais's etc.. it's the the ring aournd thee outside is now a laurel wreath. I also like the Current Cadillac badge.

I'm a sucker for the 'wreath.

Can you post a pic of the Holden badge? Thanks in advance.
Can you post a pic of the Holden badge? Thanks in advance.
Heres a crappy pic of the caprice... you can just see the badge there.


I like a description of the holden badge I heard from another thread, A Lion playing Basketball...

Normal Badge:
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I am going to plead ignorance on this issue, but what does the Vauxhall hq do other than marketing?
RHD cars!!!111einself
Can you post a pic of the Holden badge? Thanks in advance.
Some others that have a similar feel or are based on similar roots......



FX Holden



HJ Statesman Nose and C Pillar



HK-T-G Brougham HQ Statesman door trim

Do any of them look familar to you guys?
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This must have come from their badge engineering group.
I am going to plead ignorance on this issue, but what does the Vauxhall hq do other than marketing? isnt it just rebadged holdens and opels? isnt this brand "exclusive" to the british market meaning 'same shyt different day'? what are sales per year.........im guessing pretty insignificant
I think it's probably best to plead ignorance because 'pretty insignificant' is also known as around 384,387 new registrations (2007), a market share of 13.7%.

But then if that does seem insignificant those sales may aswell just go to Ford et al because I don't think too many will be going to any other GM manufacturer in the UK any time soon...(Chevrolet, Cadillac, Saab, HUMMER, Corvette)

(the badge....is a pointless waste of time and money)
Me not sure :)
Does GM have a problem with color in their badges. It looks cool and all, but would look awesome with the red background:yup:
NO! The move away from coloured badges is much better! The colours clash with the paint on most of the cars. Lots of people take the colour out themselves when possible. I hate the gold Bow Tie on my Silverado and this summer, it will be going black to match the rest of the truck. Buick dropped the colours off of the tri-shield a while ago and it looks much better. Pontiac needs to drop the red (but not in favour of that redesigned badge. I didn't like that) and the same goes for Saturn and GMC. The GM chicklets they put on the cars were thankfully silver, not blue. Imagine how silly blue ones would look. :rolleyes: The only badge in GM's stable that should keep the colours is Cadillac. The redesign was good and it would just not look right all silver. The rest don't need colours IMO.

I like this new badge for Vaulhall. :yup:
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Slow news day over at GMI....
I actually like the badge, and I agree it has a more contemporary look than the previous one.

More importantly, though, and based on what the article says, let's hope that the first car to wear the new badge-the Insignia-receives more than enough attention to address Vauxhall's more significant problem: poor brand image in its primary market.

The following from the article says it all:

...because despite having arguably the coolest badge in the business, Vauxhall doesn't retain the best brand image in the UK market.
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