Jalopnik
The General's German brand saw the sign it needed to replace the aged Vectra, so they opened up their eyes — and came up with this — the new 2009 Opel Insignia. It's a new name, a new car and yes, a new badge for the brand preciously misspelled from the name of a gem and it's being revealed in July at the London Motor Show. We're guessing Opel decided to drop this load of shots and details early due to, you know, all the leakage everywhere — both manufactured, silly and otherwise. This new Vectra-replacing four-door will hit the market with a pickup truck-like selection of engine options and powertrains. Buyers of the new Insignia will be able to choose from seven different engines — four gasoline engines ranging from a four-banger 115 HP unit to a V6 with an output of 260 horses and three new direct-injection diesels displacing 2.0 liters and with outputs spanning from 110 to 160 HP. And when you're done choosing your boring engines, you'll have a choice between either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. What else would we expect from a four-door that's 7.9 inches longer than the current Vectra and is built on the General's new globe-spanning Epsilon II platform. Of course we'd expect a variety of available options — this sculpted boat's going to need to play the role of like, every car in GM's multi-brand lineup. And that's why we should care about this new Euro sedan — because everything else with an Opel badge gets sent state-wide as a Saturn, so we're under the impression we'll be seeing this as the 2011 Saturn Aura. But the platform prostitution doesn't end there — the bones underneath will hold the skin and meat of the 2011 Pontiac G6 and the 2012 Chevy Malibu. Rumor is we'll also see it as the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and the 2010 Saab 9-3. Yes, that means the 2010 LaCrosse would actually get an AWD platform — hmm, maybe there's some life in that old brand. Yeah, right. Full press release after the jump.
The General's German brand saw the sign it needed to replace the aged Vectra, so they opened up their eyes — and came up with this — the new Opel Insignia: A New Design Language For A New Era* Sculpted design with a flowing coupé silhouette
* Four-wheel drive, active chassis and seven engines available at launch
* World premiere July 2008 at the London Motor Show
Rüsselsheim. A new name, a new car, a new ambition. With its groundbreaking design and sophisticated technology, the Insignia makes a quantum leap toward rejuvenating the brand and providing the perfect opportunity to discover Opel. The styling of the new 4.83 meter five-seater clearly expresses Opel's strategy to make advanced technology and attractive design affordable.The Insignia boasts a flowing, powerful silhouette with a coupé-like roofline. The body's sculpted shape is accented by a distinctive radiator grille with a newly-designed Opel emblem. Unmistakable design elements include a sweeping front and rear light "wing" signature and a "blade" side contour that begins directly behind the front wheel and glides through the entire side of the body. Both details give the Insignia's a muscular but graceful allure.
"With Insignia we are introducing an exciting new sophisticated design vocabulary, which combines sculptural artistry with German precision," says Mark Adams, Vice President Design, GM Europe. "Our aim was to develop a confident look which compels the world to experience for themselves the superb driving dynamics the Insignia radiates."
Echoing the exterior, the interior shapes and surfaces, which articulate this promise for exciting mobility, are crafted with high quality materials. The dashboard wraps around from the instrument panel to the door in a very sophisticated way, embracing the occupants. This wing theme will be echoed across all Opels. Red ambient lighting, which also will be featured in future Opel models, vibrate a warm, luxurious aura. A lot of emphasis too has been put into the seating, which set the highest standards in ergonomics, comfort and safety.
Opel's pioneering role and unique expertise in lighting technology continues in the Insignia with the latest generation AFL Adaptive Forward Lighting system: Nine different light beam settings automatically adjust themselves to cater to various driving conditions, simultaneously enhancing safety and driving excitement. Another new element on the AFL system is the LED daytime running lights, which consume considerably less energy than a conventional system featuring halogen lamps, thereby lowering CO2 emissions from 6 g/km to nearly zero.
"As each feature demonstrates, the Insignia is the result of our quest to develop a car that combines striking design, excellent driving dynamics and innovative technology" says Hans H. Demant, Managing Director, Adam Opel GmbH.
The Insignia is offered from the start with front-wheel and all-wheel drive. The "Adaptive 4X4" system's proactive, instantaneous torque distribution not only ensures optimal traction but also enhances driving stability and dynamic handling performance. In the all-wheel drive Insignia, the FlexRide mechatronic chassis system with its Adaptive Stability Technology helps the car adjust to prevailing driving conditions and allows the driver to select settings to match his mood. FlexRide is also available in the front-wheel version.
The Insignia will launch with an exceptionally broad range of seven engines. All meet Euro 5 emissions standards and come with either manual or automatic six-speed transmissions. The four gasoline engines range from a four-cylinder 115 hp unit to a V6 with 260 hp. The three new direct-injection diesels feature a displacement of 2.0 liter and outputs spanning from 110 to 160 hp. Subsequently the Insignia engine line-up will be expanded with an EcoFLEX version offering very low CO2 emissions in addition to other, more powerful variants.
"The Opel Insignia sets new standards in technology and innovation — this will be obvious right from the launch. But we are keeping several cards up our sleeves when it comes to environmental compatibility, excitement and safety, which we will play strategically overtime" says Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer, GM Europe.
The Insignia notch- and hatchback will debut July 22, 2008 at the London Motor Show and hit showrooms starting in November. The Insignia was developed at GM Europe's International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, which also is home to its production. The Rüsselsheim facility is one of the most advanced car plants in the industry.
Comments
Sha-Zaam is all I can think of right now about the front grille.
Opal= precious stone
Opel= named after founder Adam Opel
I think some 19 year old eating a sandwich and talking on the phone ran into the side of this thing. Did you see the big dent/crease running down the side?
Would it be considered ironic to completely debadge an Insignia?
Oh and if this replaces the Aura this would be another hit for GM and help move Saturn away from the "plastic door"
into more of the 'Merican VW fold
As long as the emblem remains the circled lightning bolt, nothing else is wrong in the world.
Well, the Aveo is still a bucket of FUBAR, but otherwise everything's okay.
As I said once before, GM will just add a chrome fender vent, just because. Only this time, it will be on the front end of the door crease, so not only will it be non functional, it will also be....... ahhh, I have nothin'
I like it, however, wtf is up with the Nissan GT-R/Subaru WRX STi side crease? Is this the new fender vent?
Why is the gallery tagged "2009 Buick Insignia?"
I like the character line on the side. Very distinctive, and much better than, e.g., Chris Bangles attempts to come up with new ways to put character lines on cars (which I am convinced involves several magnums of champagne, a blindfold, a putty knife, and a clay model of the car).
If they have a bare bones, no option model,
they should call it the Robert Opel Edition...
I think it's quite handsome myself. Nice lines, like the sloping roofline. Not overly chromed either.
Wow, I still remember the Opel Kadett.
[mclellansautomotive.com]
I can't wait for Top Gear to review this, Clarkson was so thrilled with the original Vectra.
How come midsize cars don't leave any space between the front most door hinge and the back of the front wheel? That Camaro had acres there, it makes cars look significantly better proportioned, but carmakers these days refuse to move around the wheelbase an inch or two and leave us with these bland attempts at style. I'm going to go grumble for a while now.
Very nice proving once again that all the good designers are in Europe.
Its a great looking car and I do hope they bring this over as the new Buick. I for one really like the new Enclave.
@AshPipe78:
"Would it be considered ironic to completely debadge an Insignia?"
The car would probably disappear into a wormhole.
wow- what a sweet-looking car.... Amazing that this is the same company that is pimping up Buicks for us...
@Preferredcustomer: You said it way better than I could. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "What a shame an Opel looks better than a BMW these days." That side is fantastic, and and THEN you see the crease, and you think, "Wow even better." At least I do.
@voodoojoo: Cars don't tend to have any space there anymore since the engines are transversely opposed.
Sweet looking ride. Out-looks the Malibu and the future Taurus both. Don't change a thing for the Saturn version. That includes the interior quality, bean-countin' bastards.
@POLAЯ PAPAL EDITION: Holy crap I had just managed to forget that DAMN YOU POLAR.
@Isetta: Me too. When are they going to bring those back? Couldn't mistke those for anything else. Also had a friend who had an Opel Manta.
I still don't understand why it would take them two years to rebadge this as the Aura. I don't care about product life cycles, bring us the best damn thing you have right now GM. Just swap out the freaking badge.
Don't fuck it up please, Mr. Maximum.
It's a handsome car. If it presages the next-gen Aura and Malibu, is this a bad thing? I think not.
BMW not looking quite so exclusive? Jag less of an automotive trendsetter? Screw that. Rarified automobiles come with risks; you pays your money and takes your chances. If it turns out you bought an automotive albatross, well, screw you - you let your money do your thinking for you, and the builders that think they can demand that money finalize the decision.
The bread-and-butter buyers, the folks who get the Malibu because that's what they can afford, they're the ones that really need to be pleased by the builders. We shop where we can but choose what makes our bucks go farthest. If we wind up selecting a model that's a few pay grades below a BMW but every bit as nice, well, that just proves that eventually the bread-and-butter builders can add some jam, and reward our middle-class efforts with some top-drawer rewards.
@mzs: I don't know, the switch from the last to current generation Audi a4, for instance, slid the engine farther back and got more room there, supposedly improving handling ad giving the car more handsome proportions. Leaving more space in that chunk of the fenders seems to be good all-round.
It's a nice-looking car. Attractive lines and very nice lighting design. I'd like to see a little more crisp lines and character in the face, though... it's looking a little ho-hum generic up front.
@voodoojoo:
Because in a front wheel drive car, like this one, the engine sits in front of the front wheels, to maximize traction.
On the Camaro, with it's rear wheel drive architecture, the engine sits behind the front wheels, there's no front overhang, and the doors need to be further back.
@Elhigh: Other than the windshield and general proportions, I don't think this indicates what the next Malibu will look like at all. Amazingly for GM, we've had four different vehicles on the current platform that have had little resemblance to each other.
I like it a lot. It's got nice lines, the crease/character line thing works well and gives the car a little visual interest. Without it, it would be a good-looking Camry.
I think the grill is pretty sharp, too. I'd be tempted to get an Opel grill for the Saturn version - the Opel logo is about the coolest one GM has, and it looks great in this application.
[www.autosbikes.com] The new Mondeo will kill it in sales stakes,& as normal it will be a better drive.You can change the name of the Vectra but it will always be a crappy car.
This is OK for GM Styling. They just seem to be copying designs from other car makers anyway. The Current Aura just bugged me for some reason, and I think I just found out why. The Current Aura:
Now the Previous version of the Chrysler Sebring:
@voodoojoo: The upcoming A4 looks in that spot just like my Volvo 850 did. I always thought Volvo made such a long hood for safety reasons, but yeah I always liked the long hoods myself too.
But all the space under the hood was fantastic in the Volvo. I was able to change the timing belt inside the engine bay. A first for a FWD for me.
Somewhere, there's a designer saying "No, dumbasses, I wrote 'Insignia' there because that's where you were supposed to place the badge!"
why does the gallery have "links" and labels reading 2009 buick Insignia? a little slippage or typo?
@mzs: @yagobal: Much as car designers have sharpened up the blobby lines of the 90s, when even the boxy Volvos looked soft, they don't have the same presence of the cars folks would roll in on an everyday basis without hardly a thought. Old Renault 4s have acres more style than this, even though everything behind the front door is kind of off. What bugs me most is that when they do try to hearken back, the designers make too big a deal of it, and good style becomes a niche, much like how I figure the G8 will do here.
looks good to me. Its a continued step foward for GM. How quickly we forget how bad it was if this isn't considered an improvement.
How long has the G6 been around? Started as a 2005 model? Not that it looks out of date necessarily, but if it'll be 2011 before the new one rolls out that seems like a LONG time without any significant changes.
@UDMan: Yeah, except that instead of a hideous nose like the Sebring's, it has a hideous arse.
I dunno which is worse - but the Saturn's still much better to drive.
Though I'd take a Malibu over it, since that's actually reliable (see also: Ion -> Cobalt).
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