NEWS ARTICLE
Official pictures of the new Vauxhall Insignia
Forget spyshots – Independent Motoring News has got the first official pictures of the Vauxhall Insignia – the replacement for the Vauxhall Vectra.
The design of the new Insignia is groundbreaking it has a flowing coupe shape. Vauxhall has confirmed that the car will be initially available in hatchback and saloon guise.
The Vauxhall boffins have also confirmed that there will be an all wheel drive version while the vehicle will have an active chassis and there will be a choice of five engines available from launch.The new Insingnia has a sleek design and has an upmarket look to it, which should put pressure on rivals like the new Ford Mondeo and VW’s Passat.
The body’s sculpted shape is accented by sweeping front and rear light designs and enhanced by a bold radiator grille with the new-look Vauxhall emblem. A distinctive “blade” feature runs from behind the front wheel along the side of the car, further emphasising its taut and rakish lines giving the car a powerful stance.
“We’ve re-defined our design vocabulary,” says Mark Adams, Vice President Design, GM Europe. “The Insignia is muscular, but lithe and curvaceous. Our aim was to develop a confident look which reinforced the car’s superb driving dynamics, but also one that made it clear that this was a premium product, albeit still at a highly competitive price in its class.”
Vauxhall have brought its new design ethos inside the car - which should bring new levels of luxury, style and quality. The dashboard’s top-pad wraps around from the instrument panel to the door, creating a unique wing-shape. There’s also ambient lighting, which will be featured in future Vauxhall models. Much emphasis has also been put into the development of the seats, which set the highest standards in ergonomics, comfort and safety.
Vauxhall’s expertise in lighting technology is underpinned by the Insignia’s latest generation AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting) system. There are nine different settings which automatically adjust themselves to cater for various driving conditions. Moreover, the distinctive styling signature of the front and rear light clusters adds to the Insignia’s unique design.
The Insignia will be offered with front-wheel and all-wheel drive with the new ‘Adaptive 4X4’ system’ giving proactive, instantaneous torque distribution which should not only ensures optimal traction but also enhances dynamic handling performance.
The Insignia is available with five engines at launch. All of these will meet the Euro 5 emissions standard and come with either manual or automatic six-speed transmissions. The three petrol engines range from a four-cylinder 140PS unit to a V6 with 260PS. Two new 2.0-litre direct-injection diesel engines will be offered with power outputs of either 130PS or 160PS. In time, the Insignia engine line-up will be extended with an EcoFLEX version offering ultra-low CO2 emissions in addition to other, more powerful variants.
The Vauxhall Insignia will make its world premiere in July at the British motorshow.
Simon McBride