New Vauxhall Viva

Nessun_Dorma

I was getting a little exited when I heard Vauxhall were relaunching the Viva brand. I assumed it would be replacing the old Astra. But this current model seems to be smaller than than the Astra. Has anyone seen it in the flesh, so to speak?

Horizon81

Can't say I have. Seems it's Vauxall's attempt at entering the 'city car' market a la Aygo, Up, Ka etc

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-events/geneva/2015/where-does-the-new-vauxhall-viva-leave-the-adam-and-corsa/

pogofish

Why on earth would they want to resurrect the Viva? - It was one of the crappiest cars ever.

Tobster86

Why on earth would you get excited about a Vauxhall?

DominicH

The marketing does seem strange. First, as pogofish says, it's not like the original Viva is a classic or anything, unless your dad had one and you get misty-eyed about it. Pretty humdrum family car, in its day. Second, the new car is nothing like the old Viva. Different shape, different part of the market. Third, the ad campaign seems to be "it's better than a fifty-year-old car." Not much of a selling point.

I mean Viva is a good enough name. They should just market it as a smart, or indeed vivacious, city car, and leave it up to people of a certain age to recall the old Viva, possibly with a shudder.

aeroblade

Tobster86 wrote: »

Why on earth would you get excited about a Vauxhall?

Why would anyone get excited about any car? After all, they are all cars anyway.

Horizon81

To be honest it doesn't look too bad, and with the proliferation of needless electronically controlled rubbish on cars these days I'm all for basic cars coming back. EDIT - just read they come with cruise control, totally unnecessary on a city car! I'd rather have a Sandero over this.

AdrianC

You don't get "basic cars". You won't get "basic cars". There are so many legal requirements that all new cars must comply with, as well as basic economies of scale, that everything comes with a pile of electronics. They quite simply won't be type-approved without. If you've got a fly-by-wire throttle (required for stability control etc), adding cruise is the cost of a couple of buttons.

Anyway, the Vauxhall Viva/Opel Karl is the replacement for the Agila/Suzuki Splash. Look at the target market that implies. Of course it's going to be dishwater.

photome

aeroblade wrote: »

Why would anyone get excited about any car? After all, they are all cars anyway.

Unless it an M series or a lexus or a yaris,, anything I have forgotten?

motorguy

pogofish wrote: »

Why on earth would they want to resurrect the Viva? - It was one of the crappiest cars ever.

They didnt. Its a brand new car, just using an old name.

Also, relatively speaking, all cars were crap then, compared to what we have now.

pogofish

And the Viva was about the crappiest of the lot.

I simply cannot see any marketing advantage in harking-back to that bucket, no matter how new reliable or different today's model is.

Its about on the same par as launching a new plane and naming it after the flaming Hindenburg! :eek: