Peter Hope has been at Vauxhall since 1989 and before taking the customer experience director role was the company’s marketing director for four and a half years. He has an expanded brief to ensure a fully integrated and holistic approach to customer experience, from landing to retaining customers. Analysts suggest that Hope’s appointment is part of a “strong initiative to improve brand image through product and customer experience”. Despite comment that Vauxhall has been losing share, its sales are still rising, up nearly 5% in 2014. The customer experience role is becoming more prevalent in the car industry, with both Audi and Ford introducing similar roles, so Hope will have an interesting time keeping one eye on his peers.