Originally a pump and marine engine manufacturer founded by Alexander Wilson in 1857, turning to car manufacture in 1903. It had been known for its luxury cars at the beginning. Vauxhall, by then in an unhealthy financial state, was acquired by GM in 1925, with Bedford established as a commercial vehicles’ subsidiary in 1930. After the GM acquisition, Vauxhall became a mid-market brand.

World War II saw Vauxhall work on the Churchill tank. In 1945, it had returned to civilian manufacture. By the 1960s, there were quality issues, and by the early 1970s, Vauxhall was losing market share. GM rationalized its European operations so that Opel would dominate, and Vauxhall became increasingly part of a joint development programme, to the point where the majority of cars were rebadged Opels. By the 1980s, the UK was the only market in which the brand was present, and while it had unique models (such as the Cavalier Mk II estate and Holden-sourced cars) most of the output was of rebadged Opels.

GM sold Opel and Vauxhall to PSA in 2017. PSA in turn merged with Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis in 2021. In 2025, Vauxhall’s historical Luton plant closed.