VisualPluginMar 18
   

It’s known that Vauxhall produces vehicles for the UK that are branded as Opel on the continent. Vauxhalls are essentially Opels with the steering wheel on the right

But what is even more hilarious is that Opel and Vauxhall use the same adverts… But mirrored. Like they are the exact same videos, but the video is flipped for the UK

The best example to show you is the advert for the latest Astra model

https://youtu.be/ht36CeDLxmI - Vauxhall

https://youtu.be/D0arupTbe6E - Opel

All-New Astra | Vauxhall

YouTube
Mar 10 at 2:50pmWeb
Show thread   Mar 10
Also not sure why the music is different. Perhaps Vauxhall believes that upbeat K-pop would make the car appeal to young people
Show threadfenchelmitMar 10
@[email protected] i want to see the edit prior to mirroring with the reversed license plate.
Show threadLukyanMar 10
@yassie_j More money left for cars and the investors. (I almost expected flipped text.)
Show threadtends Mar 10
@yassie_j oh my god. finally, we have reached it. peak badge engineering
Show threadziviMar 10
@yassie_j why does terfland do that it makes everything more convoluted for no reasonnn,,,
Show thread   Mar 10
@zaire why does the UK have Vauxhall? It’s an older brand that GM bought in the early days of motoring, but in the 1970s, GM shuttered it’s original vehicle manufacturing. From then on, Vauxhall would basically just take German Opel vehicles and fix them for the UK and Irish market
Show threadziviMar 10
@yassie_j Ah i mean the driving on the other side of the road thing
Show threadziviMar 10

@yassie_j ig just because it would be too much a pain in the ass to change now

but like, lol its so silly tho

Show threadAmyMar 10
@[email protected] @[email protected] i know i'm not part of this thread, just saw this, but what makes left-hand drive inherently superior or more obvious?
Show threadziviMar 10

@NotThatDeep @yassie_j when it comes to things like this, standardization = good

therefore, no standartization = bad

Show thread   Mar 10

@zaire @NotThatDeep it’s not really that dramatic, it’s just ancient history

We only have this concept of left and right hand drive primarily driven by motor cars, many countries before the 1900s carriages just used whatever side of the road they wished, with the only exceptions being rail vehicles (for obvious reasons)

Since the UK and Ireland had a long history of using left-side operation for carriage traffic, this is what they stuck to when they formalised driving standards

Whereas in Europe, due to the influence of such various things like the Prussians, Napoleon, etc, right-hand operation became the norm

It is a problem, I suppose, if you drive across the English Channel in either direction, but beyond having to adjust your positioning on the road, it’s not altogether that problematic

Show threadAnreji  Mar 10

@yassie_j @zaire @NotThatDeep Fun fact, there are a few places where you have to change sides while driving over a simple border! The UK has the benefit of being an island, but for example Hong Kong is properly connected to Mainland China and they drive on different sides. But people cross those borders and somehow manage it just fine. There's even a sign for it! It's one of those things you don't think about that much but it makes sense that it exists :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic#Changing_sides_at_borders

Left- and right-hand traffic - Wikipedia

Show thread   Mar 10
@zaire ancient history! Probably from horse and carriage days. It’s the reason why trains in France and Sweden run on the left, British influence
Show threadArcticMar 10
@yassie_j volkswagen is a small indie company with no funds
Show thread   Mar 10
@arctic Stellantis!
Show threadWillow :bhjflag_bisexual::anarchy_punk_demiboy:Mar 10
@[email protected] hey at least we get the ad without the obnoxious music
Show thread   Mar 10
@witix it’s actually a good advert, like it’s just “here is the car. It looks good. Marvel at it. You can buy this.”
Show threadWillow :bhjflag_bisexual::anarchy_punk_demiboy:Mar 10
@[email protected] "hey bitches we selling this shit over here"
Show threadAmyMar 10
@[email protected] it would be interesting to compare the differences in phrasing they use for equivalent projects over time! I can already see that the Vauxhall one is marketed in terms of power and performance, possibly marketed to men specifically, whereas the Opus one is more neutral and practical.
Show threadAmyMar 10
@[email protected] I mean, I don't know that it's marketed to men. Maybe women care about that stuff in a car too, although honestly I don't know why anyone cares about the power factor of a car they'll be ferrying their children in or using to get to work lol
Show thread   Mar 10
@NotThatDeep I also wonder as well! I think it’s because Astra has had the pedigree of being a “hot hatch” in the UK, so marketing for it being sporty and powerful leans into that
Show threadAmyMar 10
@[email protected] ahh, right
Show threadLiv Mar 10
@[email protected] it gets better btw. It's Opel in Ireland (so yes RHD Opels) but Vauxhall in Northern Ireland.
Show thread   Mar 10

@phenolfight that makes it very funny

So Ireland is the only place (in Europe, at least) with Opels with right-side steering wheels?

Show threadLiv Mar 10
@[email protected] maybe Malta?
Show thread[Yaseenist] CauseOfBSODMar 10
@yassie_j nintendo when they ported twilight princess to the wii: