The highlights - and lowlights - of Opel and Vauxhall

London

THE parent of Peugeot and Citroen - PSA Group - will become the new owners of the Vauxhall and Opel brands following a takeover of General Motors' European business. GM, which bought control of the marques in the 1920s, has lost some US$9 billion since 2009 in Europe, failing to bring crossover vehicles to market - models that ironically are coming to fruition now.

The deal, worth roughly US$2.3 billion, would be a good one for PSA Group, says David Bailey, professor of industry at Aston University in Birmingham, England. "Peugeot realise they're getting it at a good time, on the cheap, and that they have a range of models that can turn the company around," Prof Bailey says.