The magazine for Vauxhall staff and retailersApril 2011

All chArged

up PAGE 18

The ONe ShOW AT elleSmere

pOrTPAGE 06

undergraduates scheme is highly commended

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grAd TidiNgS

heArTANd SOulPAGE 25

NeW ViVArO

TO Be BuilT AT luTON

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VIEW

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The mAgAZiNe FOr VAuXhAll STAFF ANd reTAilerS

We all know that Vauxhall is a great place to work, well now it’s confirmed with two awards. Not only has Vauxhall been certified as one of Britain’s top employers for 2011, but our undergraduate programme has also been shortlisted for the National Council for Work Experience awards.

I began my career as a Vauxhall undergraduate so it’s good to know that the programme continues to go from strength to strength. Read about this year’s crop on page 16.

We’ve had a great start to the year – in February we were number one in the market at car and van combined level and number one for passenger car sales at Total and Fleet level.

We had some very positive news in February from America too, with the announcement that GM recorded adjusted earnings before interest and tax of $7.0 billion on revenues of $135.6 billion, for the full calendar year 2010.

As expected, we posted a loss for Opel/Vauxhall in Europe, although we continue to be slightly ahead of our plan. Our objective remains to break even before restructuring charges this year and to get into solid profitability as of next year. This is why we are making every effort to accelerate our restructuring and growth plan throughout Europe.

Here are some February highlights:• Vauxhall Total passenger car sales were up by 23.4 per cent compared with February 2010• We had five vehicles in the top ten best sellers list – Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Zafira and Meriva• Corsa was Number 1 in its segment at Total, Fleet and Retail levels

We have had an excellent start to the year. Thank you for all your efforts, and congratulations on some great results.

regulArSFeATureS16 grAd TO Be here What’s it like to be an

undergraduate at Vauxhall?

18 Amp-le reWArdluton plant employees experience driving the Ampera

20 The heighT OF FAShiON

Working at the carwalk for Vauxhall Fashion scout

21 VXr8 – yeS We cANNeS 100 years of Vauxhall cars

drive from Cannes to Geneva

22 hAViNg A BAllMatch reports from our football competition winners

10 gm NeWSWhat’s going on around the GM world

12 reTAiler NeWSThe buzz from around the retail network

23 A dAy iN The liFeVauxhall Chaplain david Alexander

24 peOple pOWerCake bakes and sky dives, plus Red nose day

30 leiSure TimeWin £25 in our Crossword and sudoku competitions

iN ThiS iSSue

DUNCAN ALDREDMANAGING DIRECTOR VAUXHALL MOTORS

EDITORDebbie Pentelow01582 42719007952 669647MANAGING EDITORJos Sharp01582 427173

If you have an idea for a story to put forward, please tell the correspondent in your area. Any events, personal or work-related achievements, people doing unusual or interesting hobbies or sports – tell your correspondents.

SITE EDITORSEllesmere Port Hollie Gregory 0151 350 2233WarehouseJackie Jones 01582 426 6809GMM Luton Charlotte Maclaren 01582 409 219

Torque is written, designed and producedby beetroot, 68 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4QX (telephone 020 7749 0180), on behalf of General Motors UK Limited, Luton.

If you’d like to contact the magazine email debbie.pentelow@vauxhall.co.uk

02 TORQUE MAGAZINE

on ThE RoAd WiTh AMPERA18

ThE nEW VxR821

eN-ger-lANd22

NEWS TOP AWARD FOR INSIGNIA SPORTS TOURER 04 NEXT GENERATION VIVARO TO BE BUILT IN LUTON 05 THE ONE SHOW FILMS AT ELLESMERE PORT 06

NeWS ANd VieWS FrOm ArOuNd VAuXhAll ANd gm glOBAlNeWS ANd VieWS FrOm ArOuNd VAuXhAll ANd gm

glen Johnson and Kevin ratcliffe with ellesmere

port’s Jon Todd

luton and ellesmere port plants got the chance to meet football legends past and present thanks to Vauxhall’s home Nations sponsorship.Tottenham and england player Jermain defoe joined ray Wilkins, ex-Qpr, chelsea, manchester united and milan, for a tour of the luton plant. The previous day, liverpool and england defender glen Johnson joined ex-everton and Wales player Kevin ratcliffe for a visit to ellesmere port.

he’S JermAiN mAN

year award that the insignia won for its design, quality and technical innovation. The jury members were impressed by the richness of equipment, including FlexRide suspension and Adaptive-Forward lighting.

With some 40 other awards bestowed upon it, it’s no surprise that UK buyers made the insignia the best-selling mid-size car soon after its launch in what is Europe’s biggest single market for the model.

04 TORQUE MAGAZINE

NeWS

“ deliVeriNg ON A Big, SpAciOuS eSTATe dOeSN'T hAVe TO meAN eXpeNSiVe BillS” KiereN puFFeT, pArKerS cAr price guide

Parkers, the UK’s best-selling car price guide, has named the Vauxhall insignia 2.0 CdTi 160 ecoFlEx Exclusiv its Family Estate Car of 2011.

What makes this victory even more flattering is Parkers’ new Car Awards are based on facts, powered by their ‘cost of motoring tool’. launched at the beginning of the year, the tool identifies the true costs of servicing, Vehicle Excise duty, fuel consumption and depreciation.

Kieren Puffet, Editor of Parkers said: “The Vauxhall insignia won the Parkers’ new Car Awards 2011 Family Estate category because it is a stylish estate, exudes quality and comes with many practical features to please owners. What really impresses is that it proves delivering on a big, spacious estate doesn’t have to mean expensive bills.”

With an average fuel consumption of 55.4mpg combined, the insignia sports Tourer ecoFlEx can save families money on fuel when costs at the pump are at an all-time high.

The Parkers award will stand proudly next to the 2009 European Car of the

GM's En-V, a two-seater electric vehicle that was designed to alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability, is on display at london’s design Museum. The car was shortlisted for the Brit insurance designs Awards, the design oscars, which showcase the most innovative and forward-thinking designs from around the world.

The exhibition covers sectors including furniture, transportation and architecture. GM’s egg-shaped Electric networked Vehicle (En-V) Trio is proud to figure amongst them. you can see the En-V at the design Museum until 7 August 2011.

speculation is mounting at the shape of Vauxhall’s new convertible. Chief Executive nick Reilly spoke to journalists at the Geneva Motor show, hinting that the new car, as yet two years away from launch, would be positioned between the Astra and insignia. Auto Express reported that the new four-seater would be a glamorous addition to the Vauxhall range.

nick Reilly would not commit to a name for the new model, saying that although it will share some Astra components, the convertible would use a name from Vauxhall’s past.

geT yOur TOp OFF

The insignia Sports Tourer

The eN-V OF All

dr christopher Borroni-Bird, gm’s director of design and Technology Fusion, at the design museum

TOurer de FOrce

05APRIL 2011

geT yOur TOp OFF

VAuXhAll cOmmerciAl VehicleS mArKeT ShAre iN JANuAry

18.85%

The next generation Vivaro will be built at luton, confirming that the plant will continue to play an important role in the Vauxhall/opel manufacturing network. Production is scheduled to start in 2013.

The announcement came in March as Vauxhall/opel announced that Renault’s plant in sandouville will produce the next generation of Renault Trafic model as well as the next generation of the h2 (high roof) version of Vauxhall/opel Vivaro.

This follows the joint announcement

NeXT geNerATiON ViVArO TO Be BuilT iN luTON

between Vauxhall/opel and Renault in september 2010, when both companies agreed to continue their successful cooperation in the light Commercial Vehicle segment.

nick Reilly, President, CEo and Chairman, visited the luton Plant to tell employees the news on 24 March.The news followed a great start to the year for Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles. January saw a record-breaking retail market share of 18.85 per cent for Commercial Vehicles.

The figures released by the society

of Motor Manufacturers and Traders also showed total Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles sales were up 44 per cent, with Combo topping the total and fleet light van segments and the luton-built Vivaro leading the retail medium van segment.• February brought more good news. Vauxhall was number one for car and van sales combined, and number one for passenger car sales at Total and Fleet level. Vauxhall Total passenger car sales were up by 23.4 per cent compared with February 2010

good news came in twos for the Vivaro

NeWS

66 memBerS OF The cuSTOmer ASSiSTANce ceNTre NOW uNder ONe rOOF AT NeWcASTle

All 66 members of the Customer Assistance Centre (CAC) are set to work under one roof – good news for customers and Retailers alike.

“Until recently, a large part of our customer care team was located in Budapest,” explained Jon savage, Customer Assistance Manager. “While this made for cost efficiencies, research showed us that customers wanted to deal with people based in the UK.”

“We want our teams to connect with our customers, ” said Jon. “Recent research shows that the key to customer satisfaction is making the experience as easy and hassle-free as possible for customers and to do that, we need to

connect with them and think

about the issue from their perspective.”one big advantage of having the

team together in one place is that the CAC team will be able to get advice on technical issues from their colleagues in Technical Assistance. “Technical Assistance agents will now be implanted into the CAC and the dealer Assistance teams, ensuring that our customer service is seamless,” said Jon.

They’ll certainly be busy. The CAC team deals with 2,200 issues a day via email, phone and letter. These range from product-related issues to security data requests. “it’s a very busy office with a comprehensive case management

system,” said Jon. “our ultimate aim is to keep our customers

satisfied and we believe these improvements

will make a big difference.”

All TOgeTher NOW

Journalist and broadcaster John sargeant visited Ellesmere Port in december to film part of a special episode of the BBC’s The One Show.

The show, which was aired on 14 March, was themed on Time and Motion, and focused on how British manufacturing has changed over the years.

John sargeant interviewed dr Tim strangleman from the University of Kent, Kenneth spain, former TU Convenor and Mayor of Ellesmere Port, plus hR director Phil Millward and Paul hannon, Team leader on the slat line .

Keith Powell from General Assembly looked after the BBC crew; he catered to all their requests. however, stopping the line and turning off the Andon calls were beyond his control!

Check out the Vauxhall drivers Centre for loads of useful information to make driving a Vauxhall even more special.

There’s live UK traffic information, cool apps to download and handy, how-to video guides on changing a tyre and restarting a flat battery, among others. Go online to read V-zine, the online version of Vauxhall’s V magazine or join the MasterFit service Club. That’s not all – there are some great prize draws and offers, too.

Go on, take a look at www.vauxhalldriverscentre.co.uk

lOVe AT FirST SiTe

ONe ANd ONly

John Sargeant at ellesmere port

06 TORQUE MAGAZINE

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Take to the usually off-limits Millbrook test tracks on Monday, 29 August 2011 (Bank holiday Monday) for a unique cycling event: ‘MacBike@Millbrook’. Promising to be a fun day for all, the activity is being held in aid of Macmillan Cancer support. Cyclists who sign up will be given the exclusive opportunity to cycle the track that James Bond and Jeremy Clarkson have driven.

The three MacBike challenges on the day offer an opportunity to take on-road, off-road and fun routes catering for all abilities.

There are only 1,000 places available so go online and book your place now.

Andrew Beach, head of business development at Millbrook, commented: “We are delighted to be holding this event at Millbrook and being able to give people a unique insight into our facilities. on top of this we are working with a fantastic charity which has supported a number of our staff members.”

APRIL 2011

The chAlleNgeS:1) road challenge 100km for 100 yearsChallengers will complete 100km, marking Macmillan’s centenary. A serious road challenge with gradients from 6.5 per cent to 21 per cent, with timed laps and prizes for fastest cyclists as well as a special prize for the most laps completed in seven hours.2) Off-road challengeA chance for off-road cyclists to experience Millbrook’s dramatic landscape. This challenge has two options for different abilities and challengers will be joined by international cycling union world cup riders. Prizes will be given for dirtiest rider at the end of the day as well as ‘Master of the Mountains.’3) Fun circuitA fun cycling challenge event for ‘hobby’ cyclists and children (accompanied by adults). Circuits of 2.6km on Millbrook’s City and Outer Handling circuits.For more information and to sign up as a member of Team Macmillan at MacBike visit: www.macbike.org.uk.

These are the first official pictures of Vauxhall’s Zafira Tourer Concept, which made its world debut at the Geneva Motor show in March.

Combining “lounge-on-wheels” luxury with the high degree of flexibility associated with the Zafira, the concept’s cabin has a light, airy feel and generous space for rear-seat passengers.

“We have transferred the idea of a relaxing lounge to a vehicle and created an automobile oasis, a place to relax and enjoy,” said Mark Adams, Vauxhall’s Vice President of design. “The exterior design also makes a bold statement with its sleek, flowing lines and premium feel.”

WOrld premiere FOr ZAFirA cONcepT

Corsa is celebrating its graffiti style TV ad with a Facebook competition. And there’s a brand new Vauxhall Corsa limited Edition 1.2i 16v in Flame Red with black sapphire roof up for grabs for the lucky winner.

Budding Banksys just log on to Facebook, find and “like” the Corsa page, click on to the competition and unleash their inner street style artist. The winner will be judged by graffiti artists inkie and dep and Tizer from the Paintshop studio.

“Corsa already has 27,000 Facebook fans so this was a really fun way to reach the target audience,” said Marketing Communications Manager, helen Parker. “The competition really brings out the fun element of Corsa, and the more people know about Corsa, the more they will consider us

when buying a car.” sorry folks the usual

competition rules apply – employees, (and their families) of General Motors UK limited, its associated companies, its Retailers and agencies are not eligible for entry.

pAiNTiNg The TOWN red

geT reAdy FOr The mAcBiKe chAlleNge

ONly

plAceS AVAilABle AT The millBrOOK mAcBiKe chAlleNge

1,000

08 TORQUE MAGAZINE

NeWS

“ViVArO iS The BeST ThiNg ON FOur WheelS” pAul, FrOm SKm eNVirOS

field monitoring tests on each borehole location.

Paul was full of praise for my cab. There was plenty of room and it is very comfortable. Paul worked on his laptop, entering essential data for the consultants back at shrewsbury. The day goes really well and all boreholes are completed, with plenty of room in the rear for storage of samples to transport safely back to base.

it’s back to the hotel for a hard-earned rest before the journey back tomorrow, 300 miles back to shropshire.

Paul was full of compliments for my overall performance, fuel economy, road handling and use of the driver’s instrument panel. he said i was the best thing on four wheels for his type of site work."

liFe’S A BeAch FOr ViVArOThe 750,000th Vivaro rolled off the production line in november. since then it has clocked up 3590 miles with customer Burnt Tree. here’s just one day in the life of the Vivaro:

"Wow, what a trip down to Falmouth in Cornwall. 300 miles in high winds and horizontal rain going over Bodmin Moor. Paul, my driver, the senior Field Technician from sKM Enviros – a worldwide environmental consultancy company, was really impressed with my road handling and performance all the way down."

Today, we are down at the harbourfront car park where Paul is carrying out environmental work for his company. he is really impressed with the space in my cargo area, which he uses as a mobile laboratory to carry out vital

Burnt Tree's Vivaro has been hard at work in cornwall

Millbrook is championing electric vehicle charging points after playing a key role in the East of England’s successful Evalu8 electric vehicle infrastructure bid. The bid secured up to £2.9 million in funding from Transport secretary Phillip hammond in december and will see the installation of 1,200 electric vehicle charging points across the East of England.

Millbrook has already installed two charging points on site and is working with developers to trial and verify new technologies and infrastructure for charging electric vehicles.

Andy Eastlake, head of laboratories at Millbrook, said: “The Evalu8 bid has already secured over £7 million of funding from various sources, which will ensure that, by the end of 2013, all local businesses and residents will be no more than 25 miles away from a charging point.”

Evalu8 will link up with existing projects to provide an integrated network of plug-in points stretching all the way from london to the north norfolk coast, and from Milton Keynes to Felixstowe.

millBrOOK iN chArge ian Allen, manager

environmental Strategy, charges up the Ampera at millbrook

09

82,800 cOFFee cluTcheS cOuld Be recycled iN griFFiN hOuSe eVery yeAr

APRIL 2011

liFT OFF FOr prOJecT eArTh

The latest recruit to Bedfordshire’s air ambulance visited Griffin house to say ‘thank you’ to Cherie denton, Vauxhall’s Community Relations officer, for Vauxhall’s support for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Trauma Ted will work alongside the fundraising team of the East Anglian Air Ambulance based in Flitwick. standing over two metres tall, this gentle giant hopes his presence at events,

galas and fetes throughout the county will bring lots of attention to the charity and of course, help fund the life-saving missions which the air ambulances carry out on a daily basis.

Area Fundraising Manager for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Paul Airton, said: “i am very grateful that our sponsors, Vauxhall, have helped us recruit a fantastic addition to our team.”

Buzz Aldrin, astronaut on the legendary Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing, has teamed up with opel to announce Project Earth. it will take selected student scientists to four fragile but beautiful regions of the world – the Arctic, the Pacific ocean on the gulf of California, the Brazilian rainforest and the serengeti in Tanzania. The students will visit local organisations working to

protect endangered habitats and help the scientists in their activities.

Alain Visser, Vice President sales, Marketing and Aftersales, said: “our vision is zero-emission mobility with the hydrogen fuel cell. Electric vehicles will be the next step on the journey and later this year we are launching the Ampera, the first electric car in Europe suitable for everyday use.”

Jan-Josef liefers, Bob geldof, Sean penn, Alain Visser and Buzz Aldrin at the launch of planet earth

Trauma Ted gets behind the wheel

of a corsa

cluTch cONTrOli’ll have a skinny cappuccino with two sugars, but hold the C02.

Bet you never thought your daily caffeine fix could help reduce carbon emissions – and save money, too.

The role of the logistics department is to efficiently deliver the right product on time to the right delivery point, while reducing cost.

in true logistics style, the team has come up with a cost and environmental initiative to benefit everyone at Griffin house.

First, everyone in logistics was asked to collect the cardboard sleeve around the drink (called a clutch) for a week, then they multiplied that figure to work out how many clutches could be recycled if everyone in Griffin house and the Tech Centre took part. The team worked out they could recycle 82,800 clutches every year – a potential saving of £1,664 for the company. But it’s not just money that would be saved – by transporting fewer clutches Vauxhall would also reduce carbon emissions by up to 15 grammes a year.

WANT TO geT iNVOlVed?The griffin house restaurant is trialling the idea for six weeks in April. collect your clutches in batches of 20, please ensure each are clean and reusable. When you’ve collected 100 hand them over at the till and you’ll get a free cup of tea or regular coffee.

We’ll let you know how the trial goes but if it’s successful you could soon be enjoying that coffee for free.

TrAumA Ted FlieS iN

10 TORQUE MAGAZINE

NeWS FrOm ArOuNd gm

Dan Ammann took over as Chief Financial Officer of General Motors on 1 April. Dan, 38, who was GM’s vice-president, finance and treasurer, took over the top financial job after Chris Liddell announced his resignation on 10 March.

Chris, 52, had joined GM in January 2010 and had led the company through the largest public offering in history and stabilised the company’s financial operations. GM chairman and CEO Dan Akerson paid tribute to Chris’ leadership over the last year, noting four quarters of sustained profitability and a strengthened balance sheet.

He also praised the incoming CFO: “Dan’s depth of knowledge of the financial community and our business will be instrumental as we continue to earn the trust of global investors and customers. He is held in high regard on Wall Street and within the company and, as we move our financial strategy forward, his credibility and leadership will be invaluable.”

Following last month’s devastating natural disasters in Japan, the GM Foundation was among the first major corporations to offer relief funds for the earthquake and tsunami-stricken area.

The Foundation donated US$ 500,000 to relief efforts, in addition to an earlier contribution of US$ 250,000 to the Red Cross as a supporting member of their Disaster Responder programme. Employee donations are welcome, too.

“I want to commend our team from GM Japan for keeping the business running during a time when, on a personal level, the times have been very trying,” said Tim Lee, President of GMIO. “A special thanks to Managing Director Sumito Ishii for his extraordinary leadership, and to the entire GM Japan team for their commitment and tenacity.”

FOur iN FOur!

SuppOrT FOr JApAN

AmmANN WiTh A PlAn

Can’t tear yourself away from your smartphone, PsP, game console or hdTV? Fear not, screen fiend, Chevrolet has launched a new in-car infotainment and wireless communications system called Mylink. The hands-free, phone-connected system allows drivers to operate the stereo, place and receive phone calls and control apps using voice commands on nuance, or through the high-resolution 7-inch touchscreen. Apps are stored on tethered smartphones connected via Bluetooth or a UsB cable and allow customisation of music and media.

To be launched in the 2012 Volt and Equinox, Mylink will gradually be available across most of the range within the following 18 months.

This Chevrolet Orlando delighted passers-by in Clerkenwell, London.

The bright blue, life-sized replica of the 2011 Orlando, made from 10,000 pots of the children’s putty Play-Doh, was marking the launch of the vehicle by Chevrolet UK. Eight model makers spent two weeks hand-crafting the 4.6-metre, 1.5-tonne replica.

In the fourth quarter of 2010, GM’s adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were US$1 billion, with revenues of US$36.9 billion. This marked four consecutive quarters of profitability for the company.

GM North America had EBIT of

liNKed iN

A SOFT ride

dan Ammann is gm’s new cFO

11APRIL 2011

IND

USTR

Y W

ATCH

cArBON dATiNgAverage carbon emissions from new cars sold in 2010 fell by 3.5 per cent compared to 2009, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ New Car CO2 Report. Average emissions have dropped to 144g/km – a 20 per cent decrease since 2000. Nearly two-fifths of new cars already have average emissions below 130g/km, the European target for 2015. That’s fan-gas-tic news for the planet!

ASSAulT ANd BATTeryAn electric car has become the first alternative-propulsion vehicle to face the EuroNCAP crash barriers. The leading industry crash tests saw engineers put the Mitsubishi i-MiEV supermini through a number of tests including 40mph head-on and 31mph side impacts. They then analysed the integrity of the battery and the functioning of the battery cut-off switch, after each crash. The car earned a credible four-star rating (out of five).

geNder BeNder Women have always tended to be seen more favourably by motor insurers, as they – statistically –drive more safely then men, and as a result have enjoyed lower premiums. But this is soon set to end, with the European Court of Justice deeming this gender discrimination. The Luxembourg-based court says that using differences between men and women as a risk factor in setting premiums for motor insurance is a breach of EU equality rules. Insurers have until December 2012 to change their erring ways.

STicKer ShOcKFor the first time ever, in March, the price of petrol touched £6 a gallon. A litre of the fuel was £1.32, with diesel also touching highs of £1.37. With oil prices inching upward in response to seemingly every world event, an all-electric-power world seems ever more desirable, and inevitable. In the meantime, curb those boy racer urges; be nice to your accelerator pedal…

“We demONSTrATed gm’S ABiliTy TO AchieVe SuSTAiNABle prOFiTABiliTy NeAr The BOTTOm OF The uS iNduSTry”dAN AKerSON

General Motors recognised 82 of its top suppliers at the March presentation of the annual Supplier of the Year awards at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.

The award, started in 1992, recognises the significant contributions of GM’s suppliers in 2010 in the four key areas of innovative technology, superior quality, outstanding launch support and competitive total enterprise cost solutions.

“We believe the Supplier of the Year Award is a top honour in the industry,” said Bob Socia, GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “These suppliers are a critical part of our effort to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles.”

Korean company LG Chem, which supplies the battery cells for the Ampera/Volt’s battery, was named this year’s Corporation of the Year winner.

“Our lithium-ion batteries play a pivotal role in the production of the Ampera/Volt. The award shows GM’s recognition of our innovative and cooperative partnership,” said LG Chem’s CEO Kim Bahn-suk.

US$0.8 billion, up from a loss of US$3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009; GM Europe had a loss before interest and taxes of US$0.6 billion, an improvement from a loss of US$0.8 billion in the same quarter a year ago; GM International Operations had EBIT of US$0.3 billion, down from US$0.4 billion in fourth quarter 2009, and GM South America had EBIT of US$0.2 billion, compared with US$0.3 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

In its first full year of operations as a new company, GM’s calendar year 2010 financial results had a net income of US$ 4.7 billion, with revenue of US$ 135.6 billion.

“Last year was one of foundation building,” said chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “Particularly pleasing was that we demonstrated GM’s ability to achieve sustainable profitability near the bottom of the US industry cycle.”

AmmANN WiTh A PlAn

chemicAl BrOTherS

lg chem’s ceO Kim

Bahn-suk

reTAiler NeWS

12 TORQUE MAGAZINE

The QuAliFicATiON SucceSS rATe OF The VAuXhAll AppreNTice Scheme

95.25

It’s official – Vauxhall apprentices are among the best in the country – and the GM Academy has the figures to prove it.

Owen Chubb, Business Development Manager, explained: “The government announced the country’s qualification success rates recently and the Vauxhall Apprentice Programme stood at 95.2 per cent. That’s a fantastic achievement in itself, but when you compare it against the national average pass rate of 73.8 per cent, you can see just how good the programme is. We’re 21 per cent above the national average.”

The news will come as no surprise to Retailers who employ Vauxhall apprentices. Lisa Stevens from Stevens Vauxhall runs two sites at Crawley and Horsham and regularly takes in apprentices at both sites every year. She said: “It’s really important to give young people a chance but the apprentices always reward us with their hard work and dedication.

“We’ve had apprentices who have joined us after their training and stayed with us for more than 10 years.

“Shafiq and Tom, two of our current apprentices at Horsham, first came to us for work experience when they were 15. They liked it so much that they applied for the apprentice programme. We were keen to take them on but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion – they went through the assessments just like everyone else. And now they can be confident that they really were the best applicants and they’re getting the best training, too

“I really think it’s a fantastic programme that works for everyone – the apprentices, Retailers and Vauxhall. If you’re a Retailer thinking of taking on apprentices, I’d thoroughly recommend it. You’ll get some first-class talent and you’ll be assisted throughout the process by Owen and his team. You won’t regret it!”

From left to right: luke hill, gary cockram (crawley manager), Tom hawthorne, lisa Stevens, Shafiq Ahmed, Tony Byrne (horsham manager) and Aaron Tedder

iNTereSTed? here’s how it worksTaking on an apprentice is easy.

• YOU CHOOSEChoose the specialisms you want and how many at each branch• GET IN TOUCHEmail: gmacademy-apprenticeships@raytheon.comPhone: 0115 945 7290Fax: 0115 945 7449Website: https://apprenticeships. Gmacademy.com• THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE RIGHT jOB If you have a preferred applicant, the nice people at the Apprentice Programme will add them to the system and allocate dates and times of training, along with a full information pack.

Or those nice people will find the applicants for you from the national applicant database. The people they choose will be local to you, with good school grades and a desire to learn. They will vet each applicant before the Retailer interview. And they’ll even set up the interview at your convenience.

All apprentice service technician training comes with bronze, silver, ATA and air conditioning manual handling accreditation – all included in the three-year timescale at no extra cost.

AppreNTiceS, yOu’re hired!

13APRIL 2011

“ BArrie gOeS Well OVer hiS JOB remiT TO eNSure ThAT yOu're SATiSFied” ANThONy pAriSh

phOeNiX riSeSAnthony Parish, a Motability customer, was so impressed by the service he received from Barrie Cliff at Phoenix Vauxhall Wimbledon, that he wrote to In gear, the newsletter for Motability retailers, to sing his praises"Barrie Cliff, the Motability Specialist at Phoenix Vauxhall Wimbledon, is a little gem. When I first met this young man I could not believe how professional he was. It was my first car so I was not sure how to go about things. Although I’d read the Motability guide I still wasn’t sure.

"Prior to meeting Barrie I’d been to three or four other dealerships in the London area. Although most were not rude, this guy is in another league in terms of customer care, telephone manner and really promoting not only

Demand for MasterFit service plans almost doubled in 2010, proving that Vauxhall customers know a good deal when they see one.

The service plans not only help Vauxhall owners budget for servicing by spreading the payments across affordable monthly payments, but they are also inflation-proof.

Retailers can tailor the service plan to suit the needs of their customers and they can be created to span one, two or even three years.

Service plans spread the cost of servicing into affordable monthly payments. They are so flexible that customers can cancel at any time or even transfer to their next Vauxhall vehicle.

Service Channel Manager Belinda Craik said: “Cutting corners on the proper maintenance of your vehicle is a false economy. Adhering to your vehicle’s service schedule is vital to keeping your Vauxhall working optimally and preventing avoidable wear and tear.”

SerVice plANS AT The dOuBle

Motability but Phoenix Motors as well. "He put me at ease, ensured I was

given support all the way through. There were a few hiccups but not for me because Barrie took it all on board and dealt with it. He also follows up to see how you’re doing. Basically Barrie goes well over his job remit to ensure that you’re satisfied. My car is due again soon and I’m going straight back to Barrie. I do not give praise easily but this young man is well ahead of his game. Five star service from Barrie Cliff and Motability."

Barrie cliff and Anthony parish

reTAiler NeWS

14

VAuXhAll cOmBOS BOughT By gVS ASSiST

15

Calling all sales consultants! Are you making the most of the Lifetime Warranty? It really can help you clinch the deal with a customer, Marketing Director Peter Hope has some pretty impressive statistics to prove it.

He said: “The Lifetime Warranty is a fantastic selling point. It shows customers how confident we are in the quality of Vauxhall products – and no other manufacturer has come up with anything to compare so it’s unique to Vauxhall. Not only that but independent research data shows that our problems per 100 vehicles on new cars have declined by more than 10 per cent between 2008 and 2010. “But don’t take my word for it. We’ve conducted several surveys since we launched the offer and they all show that consumers think it’s great, too.”

Here are some of those statistics:

ONe SurVey OF NeW cAr OWNerS ShOWed:• 56% would consider going online to find out more about the Lifetime Warranty• Another 6% had already done that online research• 1% had even bought a car as a result of the offer• 2.4% visited their local showroom on the strength of the Lifetime Warranty.

ANOTher SurVey OF receNT VAuXhAll BuyerS reVeAled:• 35% of buyers said the offer had influenced their decision• 8% wouldn’t have bought a new Vauxhall without it• 67.2% of customers are more positive about Vauxhall because of the Lifetime Warranty.

“Our mystery shopper results show that 65 per cent of sales consultants mention the Lifetime Warranty to customers,” said Peter. “But that means 35 per cent are missing out on a chance to close a sale.”

Look out for online video-based training courses available soon. They are all designed to help you seal that deal.

When GVS Assist was looking to renew its fleet, they went straight to Vauxhall. The company provides servicing and maintenance for food and drinks vending machines and engineers spend a lot of time on the road. They need a vehicle that’s 100 per cent reliable.

The company bought 15 Vauxhall Combos powered by the 75hp 1.3 litre CDTi diesel engine. Marketing Executive Charlie Price said. “This is the first time we’ve had our own branded vans.”

The Combos’ smart decal-based livery was handled through local Vauxhall Retailer Frosts of

Shoreham. “They’ve been very good, kept us up-to-date on how the order progressed, worked with the graphics company to provide the new design and the vans came the way we wanted,” he said.

“We needed something that was going to be reliable and serve our purpose. If a vehicle’s out of action we’re going to fail on our eight-hour call-out promise.

“We wanted something dependable and economical with a good reputation,

that would securely carry tools, equipment and all the spare parts, which can vary in size.“Another important thing was the vehicle’s environmental credentials. It’s something we’re also very committed to; we’ve got our own environmental statement so the Combos had to have low emissions.”

JuST Their cup OF TeA

make sure the lifetime Warranty is advertised at your dealership

TORQUE MAGAZINE

SeAl The deAl WiTh liFeTime WArrANTy

rAiSed FOr help FOr herOeS By grimShAWS

£4,048

Terry Diaper of Picador Vauxhall Southampton is the best Bodyshop Estimator in the business. Terry competed against 72 Vauxhall approved bodyshops to come top of the league in the annual exercise which is sponsored by Vauxhall and Audatex UK.

Terry completed two vehicle damage assessments on Vauxhall vehicles, as well as attending the recertification course. He came top of the class, achieving 99 per cent in the recertification exercise.

Jason Lea, Approved Bodyshop Support Manager, awarded Terry with £300 in prize vouchers. He said: “The complexity of modern vehicle design including safety features and build materials means that our Vehicle Damage Assessors need to be trained to the highest standard. We strongly believe in recognising and rewarding best performers.”

Mike Wills, Bodyshop Manager at Picador Southampton, was delighted with Terry’s success. He said: “Terry’s expertise underpins our commitment to delivering the highest level of customer service and quality of repair that is second to none.”

iT All AddS up AT picAdOr

NO meAN FeeTAcross the country, Retailers have been walking cycling and rattling buckets for Help for Heroes. And the charity showed its gratitude by awarding a certificate to every Retailer who has raised more than £500 in the past year.

But there’s one Retailer whose marathon fundraising efforts deserve a round of applause. Step forward Grimshaws, who raised a whopping £4,048. Bryn Parry, co-founder of Help for Heroes, presented Managing Director Alan Grimshaw with a certificate – and the charity’s heartfelt thanks.

Grimshaws raised most of the money from a ‘walk to work’ day last summer. The entire management team

Andy West, formerly Retail Network Development Director, has been appointed Aftersales Director and has responsibility for all Vauxhall UK & Opel Ireland Aftersales, sales and marketing and warehouse operations.

Andy has 13 years under his belt at Vauxhall, having worked in network and franchising field operations for the last 10 years.

“I’m very happy to be offered this new challenge,” he said. “Aftersales is a vital area of the business and with Lifetime Warranty I’m looking

TOp mOVeS forward to raising the bar even further in the marketplace and providing the highest levels of service.”

Replacing Andy as Retail Network Director is Andy Robson. Previously Vauxhall’s National Retail Sales Manager, Andy has been at Vauxhall 26 years, joining the company as a business apprentice. During that time he has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to oversee Vauxhall’s retail network during an important time in the company’s history,” he said.

from all three sites walked a 13-mile route and then put in an afternoon’s work. That’s one fundraising effort that was no walk in the park.

Twenty-one Retailers raised more than £500 for the charity and other top fundraisers included Frosts of Shoreham, Perrys of Barnsley, Approach Andover, Skurrays, Burton Brothers, Pomphrey of Sittingbourne and Belmont.

Above: Andy robsonright: Andy West

Jason lea, Approved Bodyshop Support manager congratulates Terry (left)

Alan grimshaw (left) with Bryn parry from help

for heroes

15APRIL 2011

16 TORQUE MAGAZINE

Vauxhall prides itself on its undergraduate programme. And now it’s been given the recognition it deserves as the company has been highly commended in the National Council for Work Experience awards.

It’s a fantastic achievement and HR Advisor Jo Hirons is justly proud. She said: “Our undergraduate scheme has been running for more than 30 years but it certainly hasn’t stood still. This year we’ll see just under 100 undergraduates join our sites and they’ll gain proper, hands-on experience that will be invaluable in their future careers.”

While students in other companies are still making the tea, Vauxhall undergraduates are taking on real responsibility. And it’s not just the undergraduates who benefit from the experience. The company gains, too. Jo explained: “The Undergraduate programme is an invaluable opportunity for the students to learn and develop skills and knowledge in a real work environment. They gain a strong commercial awareness and understanding of how different processes and departments add value to the business.

“Meanwhile, the company benefits from

uNdergrAdS

the undergraduates’ fresh pairs of eyes, modern teachings and their enthusiasm. Often, the undergraduates are able to highlight where new technologies can be implemented in order to address business issues and frequently research ways of doing things differently.”

Fittingly, the training programme is run by undergraduates. This year, Alex Lee has been sifting through 2,500

applications for next year’s intake. He said: “I visited 35 universities from Newcastle to Plymouth, meeting students and promoting Vauxhall. It’s been brilliant for my presentation skills and I can advise students on their applications because I was in their situation last year. We’re looking for forward-thinking students who can contribute to Vauxhall and its future.”

Once the undergraduates have been

Why did you apply to Vauxhall?I was looking for a multinational company that would give me valuable experience of a work environment and

transferable skills I could take forward with me to the final part of my degree. I was also drawn to the strong British connection which has been further

enhanced by the sponsorship of the home nations football teams. What’s the scariest thing you’ve had to do?I was probably

the most nervous when I worked on the line as I didn’t want to be the one responsible for stopping the production of the Vivaro!

JONATHAN JOyCE Supply Chain/Engineering Change Coordinator, GMM Luton

grad to be hereVauxhall’s undergraduates are already nine months into their placements and the year is going fast. We asked some of them what they’ve been up to

Alex lee, Kathryn Foy

and Jo hirons

17FEBRUARY 2011

Above right: duncan Aldred celebrates Vauxhall’s sponsorship at Wembley left: Wales manager gary Speeds tries an insignia out for size

chosen, Alex sorts out the administration for their induction. “When they arrive, we really want them to be welcome and have an amazing experience,” he said.

Many undergraduates find it such a good experience that, like Robert Parker, they come back after graduation. He said: “My undergraduate experience was brilliant and I really wanted to return to Vauxhall. “I originally chose Vauxhall because I wanted to work for a multinational company. Now I’m the Inventory Manager in Fleet. It’s hard work but I’ve had a lot of responsibility and got involved in different areas of the business.

“When I came back, GM had problems but now things are changing and it’s a really exciting time. The Lifetime Warranty and football sponsorship show we are moving in the right direction.

“As a student, gaining experience of the working world is vital. I learnt so much about business in my undergraduate year which I couldn’t get from university.”

He’s not the only undergraduate to come back and continue his career at Vauxhall. Managing Director Duncan Aldred is another former student who put his early experience to good use and went on to greater things.

how quickly did you get stuck into ‘proper’ work?I was lucky enough to be invited to Millbrook before my placement to work on one of Millbrook’s biggest

events of the year. We were thrown in at the deep end, which was great because it allowed me to gain an understanding of what I would ultimately be doing.

What advice would you give next year’s undergrads?Have fun, enjoy yourself! You will be working alongside experienced individuals who will welcome you.

What did you expect the work to be like?I imagined I would be shadowing or assisting someone, but after my induction I had the chance to manage my own projects. What’s the best bit about your time here?I take pleasure in being able to see

the final outcome of the task I planned on paper in its physical form and then driving the vehicle to test the functions I created. I’m proud to see something I created from scratch. I have seen police cars I have worked on and developed material for, in service.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve had to do?Doing a presentation to the IT managers and senior manager on my project and also training them to use Master Roster on Sharepoint. how much responsibility do you have?As I am being given great

opportunities, responsibilities come as part of it. how do you think you’ve developed in your time here?joining such a big working environment was challenging and I have adapted well so far. I have become more responsible and have learned to be productive during my time here.

GILbERT DIAI

LAUREN ZAyyAEvent Support, Millbrook Events

What did you expect the work to be like?A very steep learning curve.Has it turned out like that?Yes. However, I have had lots of help along the way so far to achieve my goals.

how much responsibility do you have?I am in charge of the quality hold area for General Assembly as well as dealing with quality issues relating to the interior and cockpit of the Astra.

NOEL MARqUES-NEVESquality Engineer Undergrad, Ellesmere Port

Assistant Conversions Engineer, Millbrook

ARUN yASODHARAN

“ iT iS AN iNVAluABle OppOrTuNiTy FOr The STudeNTS TO leArN ANd deVelOp SKillS ANd KNOWledge iN A reAl eNVirONmeNT” JO hirONS

Sales and Marketing IT Analyst

AmperA driVe

18 TORQUE MAGAZINE

Amp-le rewardluton plant employees tell us what it’s like to experience the Ampera up close and personalIn February, 64 employees at the Luton plant were given the opportunity to drive a prototype of the Ampera as a thank-you for their participation in the Investors in People (IiP) certification programme (see box).

The employees, from right across the business, had all previously agreed to participate in 30-minute interviews with assessor Leslie Ling, towards the plant’s annual IiP accreditation.

“The car was on site for a promotional event, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to offer drives as a reward to

the employees who were interviewed,” said Plant Training Coordinator Trevor Abrahams.

“It was a win-win situation for the whole plant. Employees enjoyed the experience; it went down well in the assessment and Leslie thought the reward scheme was a superb idea.”

Following the one-week assessment, the plant was awarded the IiP accreditation. “It was a great team effort and a fantastic achievement for the plant,” said Trevor.

And the Ampera did not fail to impress, with everyone coming away charmed by the futuristic vehicle:

INVESTMENT GRADEinvestors in People (iiP) is a government-supported standard which helps organisations improve their business performance through managing their people better. it uses independent assessment, in the form of interviews, centred around achieving the companies’ business plans and objectives. over 40,000 organisations in the UK, comprising 7.5 million workers, participate in the programme.

The Ampera is very good looking, it looks prestigious. it’s a car you’d want to be seen in. The seats are comfortable (though the rear is a bit cramped) and the driving position is good. And even though it was a prototype, the trim was high quality.

it’s astounding to drive. it’s very quiet – almost too quiet, i’d say. it’s strange not hearing an engine. could this be a safety

concern for pedestrians and other road users? The acceleration is strong. We have a speed limit within the plant, but when you put your foot down you can feel it wants to go.

i’d have one tomorrow if i could afford it. right now, the target market seems to be professionals – people in the £50,000 income bracket. But in time the price will go down and i’m sure it’ll find a lot of takers.

it’s got a nice, aerodynamic shape and looked great in pearlescent paint. The interiors are nice too, with a sporty driving position. The car drove well, though it was spookily quiet.

i like the idea of switching between electric and petrol power. The increased range is reassuring – it makes it a viable car to own as you can use it in town as well as on the motorway.

Would i buy it? That comes down to the cost. personally, i’d go for it after a few years when it comes down in price. But it’s definitely the way forward. electric cars are the future and Vauxhall should take the lead. i believe the Ampera is the right product at the right time for the company. it was nice to get an insight into what the company is doing.

it took me some time getting used to how strangely quiet the Ampera is. The cockpit is futuristic – you sink into it like a spaceship – and the cabin is spacious. in all other respects the car feels normal.

i hear it’s rather dear to buy, though, and electricity prices are going

up. And is it true that after ten years you’ll need to replace the battery?

Still, as the world is running out of fuel, i see cars like this becoming very common in the future.

Of course, it’d be nice if luton was building the Ampera!

DAVE AINGE elecTricAl recTiFicATiON

19APRIL 2011

Been with Vauxhall: 26 yearsdrives: Astra coupé

Been with Vauxhall: 15 yearsdrives: Astra, renault espace

Been with Vauxhall: 31 yearsdrives: Zafira 1.7d

it was like being in an electric train – it made no noise at all. my impression was that of a silent, smooth and effortless drive.

The cabin design, visibility, brakes and build quality were all impressive. And it’s got very distinctive looks – it definitely makes you look twice.

But i felt the rear seat was a bit cramped and the boot space looked limited because of the battery

compartment underneath. i was also disappointed to hear that you can’t tow with it. Still, i think it’s a very viable commuter.

i’m fairly green-minded myself, so i’m excited that Vauxhall is getting into alternative propulsion systems. however, at the Ampera’s sticker price of about £28,000, electricity would have to be cheaper than it currently is for me to consider buying the car.

NEIL DENTON pAiNT cONTrOl SuperViSOr

i was a bit nervous driving it as it’s an expensive car, but the gentleman handling the event really put me at ease. it was only a short drive, inside the plant, but it was enough to get a feel of the car. it was really smooth to drive, and very quiet. The interiors were luxurious – very comfortable and spacious. The green light that comes on when you’re driving in

an eco-friendly way was a nice touch. As for buying an Ampera, you’d have to consider what the price and insurance works out to. But with the high cost of petrol, it makes sense.

getting this drive as a reward for taking part in the iip programme was a very positive idea, a nice surprise. i know a lot of the other people really appreciated it as well.

NICky HENMAN hr AdViSOr Been with Vauxhall: 14 yearsdrives: corsa

Amp-le rewardCHRIS HURST replicATiON FiTTerBeen with Vauxhall: 22 years drives: combo van

STEPHEN CLARE die mAiNTeNANce, preSS ShOp

20 TORQUE MAGAZINE

FAShiON ScOuTS

The celebrations for Vauxhall Fashion scout began with a ‘carwalk’, A 20-metre long catwalk was constructed across the roofs of three Vauxhall Corsa cars to show off Vauxhall’s fashion connections to best advantage.

The models, who normally perform on perfectly polished catwalks, spent a

week learning to sashay at a height of over 1.5 metres.

Then Vauxhall Fashion scout began in earnest as models, celebrities

and fashionistas vied for space on the front row at Covent Garden’s Freemasons’ hall, ready for a close-up look at fashion’s emerging talent.

Vauxhall Fashion scout has a reputation of unearthing some of the best British fashion designers including William Tempest, Prophetik and Bodyamr who have gone on to dress Cheryl Cole, Emma Watson and daisy lowe. Vauxhall Fashion scout has become

such an established fixture that there was plenty of opportunity for celeb-spotting. First up were nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud,

followed by Keisha Buchanan from the sugababes. Colin Firth’s wife livia came along on the eve of the oscars – maybe for inspiration for her red carpet frock?

other famous faces included Boy George, model Amber Rose, louise Redknapp and rock’s Paul Weller, who arrived to watch his son nat model in the d-Gnak show.

Wendy Towler, Consumer Communications Manager, commented: “What better way to highlight our long-running commitment to emerging British fashion than by creating the world’s first carwalk and giving young designers a unique platform to showcase their talents.”

Top: the carwalk stopped london’s traffic. left: Boy george, louise redknapp and Nicola roberts. right: Keisha Buchanan

The heighT OF The VAuXhAll cArWAlK iN lONdON FAShiON WeeK

15 meTreS 350 mileS

The height of fashionVauxhall Fashion scout celebrated its tenth birthday at london Fashion Week – in style, of course

When you’ve got a great product, you really want people to try it out. So Vauxhall invited 14 motoring journalists to the south of France for the launch of the company’s latest product, the new VXR8. The group took two days to drive from Cannes to Geneva, in time for the Geneva Motor Show. The trip allowed full use of the twists and turns of the famous Route Napoleon to assess our 430hp offering. However, the VXR8 wasn’t the only car with us in the Med...

Thanks to the hard work of the Heritage Centre, the convoy included 100 years of Vauxhall’s sporting heritage – the most notable of which was the 1911 Prince Henry, celebrating its centenary year this year.

Seeing all the cars parked outside the Intercontinental Carlton in Cannes, our Griffin-badged machines certainly attracted a lot of attention – more than the famous red sports cars parked

VXr8 – yes we cannes

Above: Vauxhall cars old and new get ready for the journey at cannesleft: harvey Nichols and Steve Adams from the Tech centre offer practical support

rOAd Trip

next door. On the road, the journalists were free to

drive any cars they felt would be suitable for their stories. As one said to me: “It’s very rare for a manufacturer to be able to offer so many cars from so many eras in one event, so this is absolutely fantastic!”

At each coffee stop on the way to Geneva it was great to hear what the

21APRIL 2011

The diSTANce FrOm cANNeS TO geNeVA

350 mileS

journalists had to say about each car and they really picked up on how the new VXR8 has evolved in relation to its predecessors. The car’s better ride and gearbox were two of the main talking points.

Our road trip included a stop at Grenoble’s Chateau de la Commanderie. While you would expect this to be a chance to take in the tranquil surroundings, in reality it offered an opportunity for the journalists to begin writing their articles.

Reaching Geneva after our 350-mile trip, it was clear that the journalists had really enjoyed the event. Within hours of the finish, many of the articles had already found their way onto the internet with great reviews – strengthening the fact that the road trip had been a resounding success. • David Adams is Product PR Undergraduate.

The height of fashionBy dAVid AdAmS

FOOTBAll SpONSOrShip

“i’m lOViNg ThAT VAuXhAll’S ASSOciATiON WiTh eNglANd iS giViNg STAFF OppOrTuNiTieS liKe ThiS.”SimON BelliNger

The winners of the Torque competition on watching England vs Ghana at Wembley...

england’s Andy carroll after scoring

Fever pitch

ON ME ‘EAD SON! LAN Manager Monty McShane“i took my nine-year-old son harry with me and we had a fantastic time. The seats were great – on the half-way line and with a perfect view. We were next to the away fans who were very noisy – but in a good way. The atmosphere was incredible and it was great to be a part of a night like that.

“it was my son’s first live football match and he’s now got the taste for it. he wants to go more so it’s going to cost me a fortune – i better enter some more Torque competitions!”

SING WHEN YOU’RE WINNING Treasurer Tim Hammonds“i really enjoyed the night and the Ghana fans were very enthusiastic. i tried to join in with all the singing!

“The first-half was great and it could have been 3-3 at half-time. England played well,

although i think we were found a bit wanting at the back.

“As an Aston Villa fan i was amazed that Ashley young missed a sitter – even i would have scored that!

“The Vauxhall branding around the pitch was really well done and the red of our logo matched the seats of Wembley perfectly.”

BACK OF THE NET Production Operator Simon Bellinger“The atmosphere was fantastic and the Ghana fans were so lively it was electric.i took my 10 year-old daughter Jodie to the match and she absolutely loved it. The match was good and the draw was a fair result. it would have been better, from an England point of view, if some more of the bigger names were there - but, i can’t complain. i’m loving that Vauxhall’s association with England is giving staff opportunities like this.”

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME Parts Supervisor at Lookers, Ellesmere Port David Pugh“it was such a brilliant night and i couldn’t have picked a better game to go to. i wanted Ghana to equalise just so i could see what the fans would do. i thought the stadium was going to fall down when they started celebrating!

“As a dealer i was interested in seeing what the branding was like and i thought it looked amazing. hopefully the sponsorship will help us sell more cars – it’s definitely got people talking more about Vauxhall.”

LANYARD WINNERSVauxhall held its first draw of lanyard winners in March. Five people won a pair of tickets to the home nations game of their choice, while 15 others won a branded training top.

monty mcShane with son harry

Tim hammond with ex-colleague Steve hodge

22 TORQUE MAGAZINE

PEOPLE FA CUP COMES TO ELLESMERE PORT 24 SKY DIVE FOR LILLY MACGLASHAN 26 RED NOSE RALLY 27

6.00amI get up early and it’s a very short commute to my office downstairs so I take a cup of coffee and check on my emails. Running a parish is a bit like running a small business so I’ll spend time organising everything that needs to be done in the parish.

9.00amI drop into church to say some prayers for people in the parish.

9.45amA pastoral visit to see John, a Vauxhall pensioner. Vauxhall has such a strong presence in the area that many parishioners have connections with the company. In fact, I began my working life as an apprentice electrician with Vauxhall so I’m always interested to hear about the company past and present.

11.00amI’m at Toddington Road today. I visit the HR department and then take a walk round the warehouse to say hello to people, and have

some friendly chats. I come to at least one of the Vauxhall sites every week so I’m getting to know people. My role is to offer support, when needed, to anyone who wants to talk through issues they may be facing. The role of chaplain is non-denominational – I’m there for people of any faith or no faith. Regardless of people’s beliefs, there are times when they value someone to speak to and receive support.

12.30pmI drop in on Griffin House on my way to the Luton plant where I catch up with Welfare Officer Cherie Denton over lunch.

1.45pmI visit a different part of the Luton plant each week. Today it’s General Assembly where we chat about anything and everything, including the football results and last night’s TV. If anyone wants to talk in more detail I’ll make a separate appointment. The chaplaincy is completely confidential so people can rest

assured that I won’t pass on anything that is said to me.

4.00pmTime to pick up my 14-year-old daughter from school. My wife, Jane, and I also have an older daughter who’s a student and a son who works at Thomson Airways. We have a family meal before I go out for evening meetings.

7.00pmWe have a regular cafe church on Tuesday evenings. It’s a more informal service than the one we hold on Sundays – a chance to worship together and discuss life.

10.00pmBack home. My working day is very different to most people’s. In a sense I’m always on duty but I’m very privileged to do a job that I love and I really hope that my chaplaincy can be of help to anyone at Vauxhall who needs to talk.

• If you’d like to talk to David, you can contact him on email: chaplain@vauxhall.co.uk. Or ring him on: 07796 334300

dAy iN The liFe dAVid AleXANder

23 APRIL 2011

A FrieNdly FAce

David Alexander is Vauxhall’s workplace chaplain. A vicar in Stopsley, David’s chaplaincy covers Griffin House, GMM Luton, Toddington Road and Millbrook. We asked what the role entails

peOple

24 TORQUE MAGAZINE

25 secs

The Time iT TOOK eVerTON’S lOuiS SAhA TO ScOre The FASTeST gOAl iN FA cup hiSTOry

Vauxhall’s customer care team have won their five-a-side football league in their very first season. The footballers entered a team into the Cobalt Business Park league – and won 15 out of 18 games, winging their way to the top of the table.

Team Captain, Paul Oxborough, said: “We beat Santander into second place to pick up the trophy. In our final match we came back from 5-0 down to win 9-6. That was brilliant! All the lads enjoyed the tournament and we’re thrilled to win the league at our first attempt. The challenge now is to defend our title next season. Let’s hope Vauxhall’s success with football rubs off on us!”

It was a blue-letter day for Everton fans at Ellesmere Port when ex-Everton legend, Graeme Sharp brought the FA Cup to the plant. Graeme was part of the Everton team that won the FA Cup in 1984, and he scored the first goal in the final. He took the cup around General Assembly so that fans could be photographed with the special silverware.

up FOr The cup

piTch perFecTThe triumphant team: back row: ross helmrich, dan greaves, chris Ayre, malcolm Oxborough. Front row: ian Johnson, chris hawkins and robert Wedderburn

graeme Sharp with

leon Breen and the FA cup

25 APRIL 2011

£300 rAiSed By gmiT’S cAKe SAle FOr lilly mAcglASheN

Cherie Denton, Community Relations Officer, is one of Luton’s best – and she’s got the award to prove it.

The Mayor of Luton, Councillor Tom Shaw, presented Cherie with a special citizenship award at a ceremony at Luton’s Town Hall.

Cherie was one of 22 local people to receive the citizenship award. She was nominated for her work setting up and running the SOS bus which has been providing emergency first aid on Friday and Saturday nights in Luton Town working under the Safer Luton Partnership

Cllr Shaw said: “The Mayor’s awards are a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise the hard work being done by the town’s fantastic individuals.”

When she heard of the award, Cherie was shocked, but delighted. She said: “It was a very special day and lovely to meet all the other recipients who have all done amazing things for the community. I feel very humble to have been singled out for this award, which really belongs to everyone at Vauxhall.”

She’S cherie SpeciAl

Big-hearted members of GMIT appealed to people’s consciences - and stomachs - raising money through a

cake bake at Griffin House. GMIT Lan Manager Dee Bailey heard of the plight of local one-year-old Lilly MacGlashan (see page 26). Dee and her colleagues

got baking, offering a tempting array of buns, brownies, cakes and biscuits for sale. Hungry Griffin House employees came in their hordes and soon there was nothing left but crumbs – and £300 to help Lilly’s trip to America.

Dee said: “Thanks very much to everyone who baked and bought our cakes, especially Faye Widdowson, Debbie Cavallo, Karen Page, Bryony Boutell, Lynda Hughes, Leire Arruabarrena, Belinda Gardner, Sally-Ann jardine and Amanda Tirelli.”

Five members of the C’mons London to Brighton cycling team have been given a special thank-you for their fundraising efforts by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Marc Eden, Faye Widdowson, Grahame Durrant, Paul Keyte and

Lee Brimmer attended a reception at the BHF head office in London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the charity which has raised £1.5 billion for heart disease research.

This will be the fifth year that Vauxhall enters the London to Brighton bike ride

– and last year C’mons raised the second highest amount of money from a large team. “We have collected over £130,000 for the charity in the last four years,” said Marc Eden. “This year should be a great year as we’ve already got 100 riders registered in our C’mons team.”

hAVe A heArT

rAiSiNg AgeNTS

grahame durrant, paul Keyte, lee Brimmer and Faye Widdowson at the BhF event

luton mayor Tom Shaw presents cherie denton with her award

peOple

26 TORQUE MAGAZINE

£3,145 rAiSed By ANgelA giddiNS FOr lilly mAcglAShAN

Help for Heroes is £400 better off thanks to Evans Halshaw Peterlee. The Retailer took prime space at the town’s shopping centre to raise money for the charity.

Two liveried cars – an Insignia SRi and Corsa limited edition – stopped shoppers in their tracks, showing off the quality of Vauxhall products and the company’s support for Help for Heroes.

red leTTer dAy FOr FuNdrAiSiNg

Jump FOr lilly

Angela Giddins from the Griffin House restaurant took a huge step forward for fundraising – out of an aeroplane!

Angela signed up for a sky dive to help raise money for Lilly MacGlashan, a local toddler who needs £300,000 for life-saving

drug treatment that is only available in the United States. She said: “I read about Lilly’s plight in the local paper and it really touched my heart. I decided to do something to help

raise funds. When I thought how much money Lilly’s family need to raise I thought I needed a

big idea. And that’s when the sky dive popped into my mind.”

Even the thought of the sky dive was enough to terrify Angela. “I was absolutely petrified at the thought,” she said. But she was so determined to help Lilly that she signed up for the sky dive. There was no turning back now.

Then came several sleepless nights as Angela realised what she’d agreed to, but she didn’t back down. The day of the sky dive dawned bright and clear and true to her word, Angela arrived at the airfield to take the plunge. “I was so scared that my instructor had to push me out of the plane, but I did it,” she said.

And she has raised £3,145 to help Lilly – a huge sum for a huge leap of faith.

Kevin Johnson, Andrew mcNab, Adam robinson and ian

glendinning with the liveried insignia Sri

27APRIL 2011

£5,000 rAiSed By The gmAc red NOSe rAlly

GMAC people have a good nose for fundraising – and they proved it on Red Nose Day. Chief Financial Officer Mark Tweed, Operations Director Richard Tatford and National Sales Director Barry Willson raised over £5,000 with a Red Nose Rally, visiting the farthest-flung Vauxhall Retailers in the space of 60 hours.

The trio, all from Vauxhall’s finance partner, GMAC UK, took an Insignia VXR emblazoned with the Red Nose Day Rally decals – and a red car nose – to the most northerly, easterly, southerly

and westerly dealerships on mainland Britain, as well as Griffin House, clocking up 1,830 miles.

The team set out from Cardiff at 7.30am on Wednesday 16 March and made their way to the most northerly dealership, Regency Car Sales at Buckie, Banffshire, where the number plates of five Vauxhall Astras spelt out Vauxhall Finance Red Nose Rally. The Retailer also donated £500 to the cause.

Next the drivers made their way east to Thurlow Nunn at Great Yarmouth. Once there, their challenge was to paddle in the North Sea – brrrr! The Retailer contributed £10 for each car sold on Red Nose Day and matched staff donations for wearing red. Another £500 in the kitty!

Then came the long drive south. The

drivers stopped off en route at Griffin House where they netted £239 and one US cent! Then it was back in the car to Wards of Helston, conveniently the most southerly AND westerly Retailer, where the team were given three giant pasties (two foot, six inches!) to eat. And that brought in another £500.

Local Retailer, Hutchings of Treforest, decorated the car with the Red Nose Rally decals and added an extra £125 to the total money raised.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Samantha Tarr masterminded the trip from mission control at Treforest. And the rest of the GMAC team were busy raising money through fancy dress, cupcake sales and raffles – swelling the total to a whopping £5,000 for a very worthy cause!

Did you know that the Vauxhall Welfare Fund exists to provide support to pensioners and employees who may find themselves in hardship?

The process is quite straightforward.

Your first contact point is Cherie Denton (01582 427204) in the Vauxhall Welfare Office or you

can ring the Vauxhall Pensioners Association (VPA) office on 01582 427921. The VPA office is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday between 10.00am and 2.30pm.

The Welfare Committee trustees will decide if it is appropriate to approve the request .

In the past, items such as

washing machines, boilers, mobility scooters and stairlifts have been funded. It should be emphasised however that such funding will only be approved in cases of genuine hardship.

Remember that you have earned the right to assistance through your company service so do not hesitate to make that first phone call.

red-dy, STeAdy, gO

griffin house employees

welcome mark Tweed , richard

Tatford and Barry Wilson on their red Nose rally

BEN CAN HELP, TOO.BEN, the UK’s automotive charity, help 15,000 men, women and children every year, providing advice, friendship, financial assistance and support for a wide range of issues. Whatever your problem - financial, emotional or physical, they are only a phone call away. CALL 01344 876770 OR GO TO WWW.BEN.ORG.UK

FAciNg hArdShip? We cAN help

28 TORQUE MAGAZINE

The cOST OF A help FOr herOeS WriSTBANd

£2peOple

KATie meluAiN cONcerTCongratulation to Carolyn O’Keefe, Phil Lewis

and Nigel Whitefoot, winners of Katie Melua

concert tickets in our February issue.

BeAr All FOr Do you have children aged 4-11? Do they like drawing?

Of course they do! Then why not get them to enter Vauxhall’s

competition to design a T-shirt for Hero Bear? They could see their design made into a limited edition T-shirt which will raise money for

Help for Heroes.The competition is open until

5 September so there’s plenty of time to perfect those designs.

Entry forms, are available in mid April from Retailers and

www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk.

The competition will be judged by Emma Parry, co-founder of Help for Heroes – and she knows just what Hero Bear likes to wear. The winning design will be made into a limited-edition T-shirt for Hero Bear that will be available for sale. The winner will also get two Hero Bear teddies which will be presented at their school by Hero the Bear himself! Five runners-up will each receive a Baby Hero Bear wearing a rugby shirt.

Full terms and conditions are available on the entry form.

chAriTy

Design a T-shirt for Hero Bear

Stripes could

be slimming

for a Teddy tum?

Hero Bear can

be a bit of a monkey...

Hero Bear likes young designers. Entries up to Age 11 only please!

Does he dream

of playing for

his country?

Flowers brighten

everyone’s day

1. Think up a great design that Hero Bear will love.

2. Draw your design on the white T-shirt here.

3. Ask the parent/guardian you’re with to fill in the form

on the back.

4. Simply pop your entry into the post to arrive before

5th September 2011.

Please post your entry to FTAO:

Lucy Bowden, Freepost RSRB-SHLA-LKJH, General Motors UK Limited,

Vauxhall Motors UK1 103 315, Griffin House, Osborne Road, Luton, LU1 3YT.

v

hOme NATiONS FOOTBAll TOpS NOW AVAilABle!

29APRIL 2011

Vauxhall Retailers, employees, contractors and pensioners can register online to qualify for discounts on all Vauxhall Merchandise. Go to www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk and click on the ‘Account’ tab to set up your employee account then log on. Or, telephone the Helpline on 01420 525514 to set up your online account or to place your order. Vauxhall Retailers can also take advantage of this offer and should place their orders as usual via the ‘wholesale’ section of the www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk website.

www.GM-Uk-MARkETPLACE.CO.UkTHE PLACE TO GO fOR OffICIAL HOME NATIONS fOOTbALL TOPS

As proud sponsors of Home Nations Football, we are pleased to announce our first collection of exclusive Official Team Training Wear.

We are kicking off with a range of England training tops to be followed closely by Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland ranges.

These official replica products, as worn by the players and officials, are ONLY available from the web shop www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk

To join the team and purchase these exclusive Home Nations products for yourself or your retail facility; visit www.vauxhallmerchandise.co.uk

DOWN 1. Shock (7) 2. Give over to the care of

another (7) 3. Belief (5) 4. Do well (7) 5. Being in robust good health (5) 6. Beer (5) 9. Lucky (9) 14. ‘Canterbury Tales’ poet (7) 15. Boss (7) 16. Looks at closely (7) 19. Slight darkness (5) 20. Use water to clean the soap

from something (5) 21. Bury (5)

peOple

crOSSWOrd

cONgrATulATiONS TO pATricK FleTcher ANd SuSAN STONe WhO WON £25 eAch iN Our lAST iSSue

APRIL CLUESACROSS 7. Famous TV tank engine (6) 8. Antelope (6) 10. Italian dish (7) 11. Long, narrow range of hills (5) 12. Parts of a journey (4) 13. Hide money away (5) 17. Consider (5)18. And 24 Across. Film

animation pioneer (4,6) 22. Japanese poetry (5) 23. Drinking vessel (7) 24. See 18 Across 25. Harsh (6)

Congratulations to Patrick Fletcher from Armstrong and Flemming, Penrith, who wins last issue’s crossword competition. Your £25 cheque will be in the post shortly. SOluTiON TO FeBruAry crOSSWOrd:AcrOSS: 6. SimpSON 7. hOmer 9. drAiN 10. JuJiTSu 12. iNTelligeNT 14. lAdy mAcBeTh 18. ShelTer 19. BrAiN 21. STOOp 22. STeWArTdOWN: 1. miTre 2. OpTiON 3. rOd 4. BOXiNg 5. reTSiNA 8. lullABy 11. relAXed 13. mAcheTe 15. yellOW 16. ThrOWN 17. Fiery 20. eTcSend completed entries to Torque crossword, Uk1-103-340, Vauxhall Motors, Griffin House, Osborne Road, Luton LU1 3yT by Wednesday 11 May.

7

10

22

32 4 51 6

8

9

11

12 13

14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21

23

24 25

SudOKuSudoku

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column,and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9.

8 6 56

9 5971 6

6 4 3

5

9

483

4 1

8

6

41 3 7 6

8

1

1

2

5

37

9

78

6

5 87 9

2 1

3 2

5 1

8 2

5 9

9 1

2 9

7 82 9

5 4

7 6

7 42 4

4 6

2

1

3

5

3

42 3

7

8

3

Fill in your details below and send the completed grid to Torque Sudoku, Uk1-103-340, Vauxhall Motors, Griffin House, Osborne Road, Luton LU1 3yT by Wednesday 11 May.

NAME LOCATION ADDRESS

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from one to nine.

NAMELOCATIONADDRESS

SudokuFill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column,

and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9.

8

176 2 3

5

1 4

4

5 3 1 8

8

4

3

6

8

6

9

76

5

3

6

30 TORQUE MAGAZINE

Congratulations to Susan Stone from Griffin House switchboard, who wins the £25 prize in the April issue. Solutions to April’s issue

The latest offers from gm marketplace

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31APRIL 2011

STAFF OFFerS

don’t forgetto log on to

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www.GM-Uk-MARkETPLACE.CO.UkUSERNAME: GMPASSwORD: OffERS

Models illustrated: New Meriva SE 1.4i 16v VVT (100PS) (a/c). Vauxhall Partners discount is on list price, delivery and factory-fi tted options. Offer is available on new vehicles ordered or registered between 01.04.11 and 30.06.11 inclusive, subject to availability, and are available to eligible Vauxhall Partners. All other sales categories are excluded. UK-supplied vehicles only. Contact Vauxhall Retailer for details. Vauxhall Partners includes all employees and pensioners of nominated companies and their nominated eligible relatives. Vauxhall Partners prices/savings include Vauxhall Partners discount savings and additional customer savings (incl. VAT) where applicable, number plates, delivery, Vehicle Excise Duty and a fi rst registration fee. Excludes fuel and insurance. Vehicle shown may feature factory-fi tted options and accessories such as metallic paint available at extra cost. We reserve the right to change or withdraw any aspect of the Vauxhall Partners Programme without prior notice. Offers are available on selected Retailer stocks at participating Retailers only and cannot be combined with any other offer. Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty covers lifetime ownership of fi rst car owner, 100,000 mile limit, annual check required. The warranty excludes wear & tear and serviceable items and the vehicle must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s servicing schedule to continue the lifetime warranty. Terms and conditions apply. Offer available to all Vauxhall passenger cars (this offer does not apply to car derived vans) from 1 August 2010. For more information contact your local Vauxhall Retailer or visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/warranty

Offi cial Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption fi gures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). Vauxhall range. Urban: 16.5 (17.1)-67.3 (4.2), Extra-urban: 35.8 (7.9)-91.1 (3.1), Combined: 25.0 (11.3)-80.7 (3.5). CO2 emissions: 265-94g/km.

www.partnersprogramme.co.uk

A warranty could now last a lifetime

Preferential OffersThe Vauxhall Partners Programme.

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Visit your local Retailer now to claim your discount – plus any other exclusive offers available. For further information visit partnersprogramme.co.uk and login using your password, alternatively call the Partners Helpline on 0844 875 2448.

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT

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