Vauxhall Insignia: official pics

This is the all-new Insignia, Vauxhall’s replacement for the Vectra, and the car intended to take on the Ford Mondeo at its own game.It’s larger and better looking than the car it replaces, but it’s also been engineered to offer the sort of quality feel previously unknown to Vauxhall drivers. The car will be making its official debut at the London Motor Show in July, with the first cars being delivered to UK customers in October.These official pictures show a car which, like the Ford Mondeo, Citroen C5 and Honda Accord, features more individualistic and “premium” styling, intended to help distinguish it from other D segment rivals. Like other mainstream manufacturers, Vauxhall is keen to press the increasingly upmarket credentials of its new family car, while continuing to undercut marques like BMW and Audi.The Insignia is the first production model to use GM’s new Epsilon 2 platform, a much altered and improved version of the original Epsilon used by the current Vectra. It’s grown substantially, being nearly seven inches longer than the current car. There will be three bodystyles available, a four-door saloon and a five-door hatchback (which use identical doors and glass shapes for production efficiency), along with an estate that follows later.The exterior design is striking, with the saloon and hatchback boasting coupe-like profiles and a shrink-wrapped, compact look (surprising, considering the car’s Mondeo-beating dimensions). A distinctive scalloped shape runs from the driver’s door down the side of the bodyshell, working with the relatively shallow ‘glasshouse’ to emphasise the car’s sport profile.Hatch, saloon and estate all use the same wheelbase this time – and there are no plans to replace the unloved Signum ‘executive hatch’. The estate is less of a load-lugger than the Vectra wagon is, we’re told that it adopts the concept of the semi-sporting Audi Avant. The tracks of all Insignia models increase by around 50mm compared with the Vectra, there’s a 50mm rise in the bonnet height to cope with new crash regs and the seat heights are higher, too – although Vauxhall claims “only a few millimetres” rise in overall height. Both saloon and estate have more luggage space than the already-generous Vectra.Vauxhall design chief Mark Adams reckons Insignia’s interior design takes GM’s European models to a new level of materials quality and sophistication. The architecture and ambience is far more radical than the severe practicality of the Vectra, in fact it makes most BMWs look austere. Three petrol and two diesel engines will be available from launch in the UK, all of which meet Euro V emissions standards. Although the Insignia’s weight has not been disclosed, the basic 138bhp four-cylinder petrol motor will have its work cut out motivating such a big car. At the other end of the line-up, the range-topping 258bhp turbocharged V6 petrol motor should have no such difficulties. The diesels are both versions of GM’s new 2.0-litre common-rail turbo motor, initially in 128bhp and 158bhp states of tune. More powerful versions will follow, in addition to a high-economy EcoFLEX variant. Insignia will make its debut at the Lonon show in July, with more versions and specification confirmed at Paris in September. The first cars will be in British showrooms in October, and Vauxhall intends to make a big splash for the car’s arrival. Company bosses say the long-term decline in ‘D’ segment sales has been levelling off in recent years, and that private buyers are becoming more interested in these cars.Britain is likely to be the Insignia’s most important market, with early estimates suggesting as much as 45 per cent of production could come here (with Germany accounting for another 38 percent). Prototypes have spent considerable time on UK roads to refine the car’s ride and handling – and Vauxhall insiders confirm the UK market will get unique models, including an SRi variant intended to fight the Mondeo Zetec and Titanium.