Vauxhall has enlisted the help of celebrity football referee Pierluigi Collina as the face of the new Vectra and Signum in a series of TV and press ads which began on October 1.

Although not an obvious choice of front-man for the new models, Vauxhall believes the distinctive-looking Italian embodies many of the qualities found in the two cars.

“As a referee, Colina has to have everything under control, all of the time. The new Vectra and Signum’s advertising slogan is ‘Take Control’, as the latest version of our mid-sized car features intelligent innovations for even greater dynamics, safety and comfort,” says Vauxhall marketing director, Andy Gilson.

In 2004, Vectra sold 48,450 units and Signum 5,501. Vauxhall is expecting year-end sales for 2005 of both models to be down on last year’s figures. To the end of August 2005, 28,573 Vectras had been sold, and 2,086 Signums. Sales predictions for the full year are 45,000 for Vectra and 4,500 for Signum.

Predicted sales for 2006 are similar for both models, despite the fact they are new.