Opel Unveils New Insignia

After a series of image leaks over the past week, Opel finally made the

introduction

of its brand new midsize vehicle lineup official. The

striking car you see here is the successor to the Vectra, and the

vehicle that will compete in Europe against the critically acclaimed

Ford Mondeo, Citroen C5, Volkswagen Passat, and others. And, to kick

things off, they've ditched the Vectra name in favor of something

fresh - Insignia.

The

Insignia is a significantly larger vehicle than the model it replaces,

growing in all dimensions, wrapped in sheetmetal that's striking,

modern and contemporary. GM's German division chose to stick closely to

the design language it displayed in recent concept cars, including the

GTC and Meriva. A couple of interesting details include new headlamps

that feature available LED lighting, and the fact that the Insignia

will be offered in three different bodystyles - a hatchback, a

notchback sedan and a station wagon. GM is still

withholding images of

the Insignia's interior, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Opel

will offer a wide variety of gasoline and diesel engines, and Insignias

will be available in either front or all wheel drive configurations,

the latter featuring on-demand technology. In addition, Opel will also

be offering an ECOflex variant, a model specifically geared to reducing

fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Originally,

the Insignia was destined to be launched at the London Motor Show this

July wearing the Vauxhall badge, Opel's twin brand with identical

products (other than the badges) only available in Britain. As General

Motors continues to synthesize its global product range, there is a

good chance that the Insignia will be sold here in North America as a

Saturn product, specifically the next-generation Aura.