The Opel Insignia is a

large family car The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category us ...

(

D-segment The D-segment is the 4th category of the Euro Car Segment, European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size ...

in Europe) developed and produced by the German car manufacturer

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

from 2008 to 2022. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship model, slotted above the

Astra Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...

and Corsa in size. The Insignia serves as the successor to both the Signum and Vectra model lines, replacing both vehicles under a single nameplate. The model line was offered in four-door sedan/saloon body styles, five-door liftback, and as a five-door station wagon/estate. Sold worldwide, the Insignia is marketed under multiple nameplates. Under Opel tradition, the model line is marketed by

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

in the United Kingdom, taking on the Vauxhall Insignia name. Both generations of the model line have been marketed in the Americas as the

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. Serving as the premium mid-size/intermediate car of the Buick product range for nearly its entire production, the Regal initially served as the divisional counterpart of t ...

(sales of the Regal continue in China), except in Chile, where the vehicle was originally due to be marketed as the Chevrolet Vectra, but went on sale as the Opel Insignia instead. GM Australia marketed the second-generation Insignia as the

Holden Commodore The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of ...

through 2020 (until discontinuing both the model line and the Holden brand). The launch vehicle of the

GM Epsilon II platform Epsilon is General Motors' mid-size front-wheel drive automobile platform. The architecture was a multi-division project of GM North America, Opel and Saab, and debuted in the 2002 Opel Vectra and 2003 Saab 9-3. Since this platform falls squar ...

, Opel produces the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia in Adam Opel AG Werk Rüsselsheim in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

SAIC-GM SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (commonly known as SAIC-GM; ) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and SAIC Motor. The company was founded in 1997 as Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd or Shanghai GM (). Headquartered in Sh ...

produces the Buick Regal in

Shanghai, China Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

(exclusively for the Chinese market). In the UK, sales of the Vauxhall Insignia were discontinued in 2022. __TOC__

History

In December 2006, Vauxhall stated they would retire the Vectra nameplate from the previous model. Then

General Motors Europe General Motors Europe (often abbreviated to GM Europe) was the European subsidiary of the American automaker General Motors (GM). The subsidiary was established by GM in 1986 and operated 14 production and assembly facilities in 9 countries, an ...

president,

Carl-Peter Forster Carl-Peter Edmund Moriz Forster (born 9 May 1954, in London), is a British businessman. Forster was the group Chief Executive of Tata Motors between January 2010 and 9 September 2011. Born in London, Forster was raised in London, Bonn and Athens. ...

, explained that the all new car would be "a radical departure" from the current model and that the "Vectra" name would be dropped to reflect this change. In late 2007, Vauxhall confirmed that the successor's name would be Insignia. With the Insignia, Opel planned to regain some of the market share that the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...

once occupied during its production.

First generation (G09; 2008)

The Insignia debuted as the Vauxhall Insignia at the 2008

British International Motor Show The British International Motor Show was an annual (bi-biennial after 1976) motor show held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) between 1903 and 2008 in England. The show was relaunched in 2021 with a new location at Farnb ...

in London on 23 July. It then went on sale in European dealerships in October 2008 for the 2009 model year as a five-door

liftback A liftback is a variation of a hatchback car body style, with a more gently sloping roofline, roughly between 45 and 10 degrees, whereas traditional or archetypal hatchback designs tend to use a 45 degree to near vertical slope on the top-hinged ...

and five-door

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...

dubbed Sports Tourer – a departure for Opel which traditionally used the "Caravan" name to denote the estate bodystyle. It was the first production car to be based on the Epsilon II platform, which was also used on other models such as the 2010 Saab 9-5 and the

Chevrolet Malibu The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and from 1997 to 2025. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-w ...

. Design wise, the Insignia offers more knee room than the Vectra. The saloon and liftback variants have the same length, while the

version is slightly longer at . All three models share the same, wheelbase. The Insignia also marked the debut of redesigned badges for both the Opel and Vauxhall brands. For Vauxhall, it was the first car to dispense with the characteristic "V" grille that has adorned Vauxhall models since 1994, which had helped differentiate them from the otherwise identical Opel models. The Insignia was also the first Opel to debut many new and improved safety features, including: * Improved adaptive Forward Lighting –

bi-xenon A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

, gas discharge headlamps with variable light beam distribution in width, direction and range.

Advanced Front-Lighting System (AFS) A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

, static

cornering light A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

, complemented by daytime running lights with

LEDs A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (correspo ...

. Sensors and software monitor the surroundings, traffic and weather conditions so that the system can activate the appropriate lighting function. * Opel Eye – This uses a camera at the top of the windscreen to monitor the area in front of the vehicle. Information from the camera is continuously analysed to identify road markings and traffic signs. Road markings are used as the basis of the first of Opel Eye's two functions:

lane departure warning In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads. These ...

. Traffic signs are recognised and indicated to the driver in the second function: traffic sign memory. At speeds above , Opel Eye warns the driver if the car is about to veer inadvertently out of the lane in which it is travelling. The system can detect road markings and, if they are sufficiently distinct, unmarked road edges. The Insignia was the first

production car Production vehicles or production cars are mass-produced models of automobiles offered for sale to the public and can be street-legal vehicle, legally driven on public roads. Legislation and other industrial rules define the production vehicle ...

to feature a dual function frontal camera with traffic sign recognition. A small number (17 examples) of the Insignia OPC were modified by Erich Bitter and sold as the "Bitter Insignia". Only available with the 2.8 Turbo engine, these luxurious derivatives received a new front clip and other exterior modifications, as well as a more luxurious, all-leather interior, where as much plastic as possible was replaced with other materials.

Pre-facelift

File:Opel Insignia 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI Sport OPC Line-Paket – Heckansicht, 3. April 2012, Velbert.jpg, Opel Insignia saloon (2008–2013) File:Opel Insignia CDTI rear 20100926.jpg, Opel Insignia liftback/fastback (2008–2013) File:Opel Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTI – Heckansicht, 3. Juni 2011, Wülfrath.jpg, Opel Insignia Sports Tourer (2008–2013) File:Opel Insignia Sportstourer Edition Pannacotta Interieur.JPG, Interior

Markets

File:2009 Vauxhall Insignia Exclusiv 130 CDTi 2.0.jpg, Vauxhall Insignia (United Kingdom; pre facelift) File:2011 Buick Regal -- 07-04-2011.jpg, Buick Regal (North America) File:Chevrolet Vectra 2.0 Turbo.jpg, Chevrolet Vectra (South America)

OPC

In early 2009, Opel revealed the Insignia OPC, a high performance variant of the Insignia. Like the preceding Vectra OPC, it is powered by a 2.8 litre single-turbo V6 (Manufactured in Melbourne, Australia). The updated engine makes and . Of this 435, are available from 2,000 rpm. It is paired with a six speed manual transmission / six-speed automatic transmission and Saab's (

Haldex Haldex AB (originally Halda Fickurfabrik AB, then Svenska AB Bromsregulatorer, SAB), also known as Haldex Group, is a Swedish company operating in the commercial vehicle industry. Haldex focuses on brake products, air suspension systems and produ ...

) active all wheel drive system. The Insignia OPC has a modified

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles. The name comes from American automotive engineer ...

front suspension called HiPerStrut which reduces torque steer. Also standard is an electronic

limited slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the ...

for the rear wheels and Opel's ''FlexRide''

adaptive suspension Adaptation, in biology, is the process or trait by which organisms or population better match their environment Adaptation may also refer to: Arts * Adaptation (arts), a transfer of a work of art from one medium to another ** Film adaptation, ...

, which has three settings (OPC, Sport, and Normal). An OPC version of the Insignia Sports Tourer wagon was also unveiled. In April 2011, Opel launched the Insignia OPC Unlimited, with no speed limiter. File:Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer 2012.jpg, Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer (pre-facelift) File:Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC – Heckansicht, 13. März 2011, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer File:Opel Insignia OPC 2015 (15805462541).jpg, Opel Insignia OPC (facelift) File:2015 Holden Insignia (GA MY15.5) VXR sedan (20104110092).jpg, Holden Insignia VXR sedan (Australia; facelift)

Country Tourer

The Opel Insignia Country Tourer made its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013 as a crossover-styled station wagon. File:Opel Insignia Country Tourer 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX 4x4 (Facelift) – Frontansicht, 24. Oktober 2015, Münster.jpg, Opel Insignia Country Tourer File:Opel Insignia Country Tourer 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX 4x4 (Facelift) – Heckansicht, 24. Oktober 2015, Münster.jpg, Opel Insignia Country Tourer

Facelift

A major facelift was introduced in June 2013, with new exterior and interior styling, new engines, and new safety features. The car officially premiered at the September

2013 Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...

, before going on sale later in 2013. The new design includes a newly designed cockpit with a simplified control panel and two eight inch colour displays, a four way infotainment system via new a

touchpad A touchpad or trackpad is a type of pointing device. Its largest component is a tactile sensor: an electronic device with a flat surface, that detects the motion and position of a user's fingers, and translates them to 2D motion, to control a Cu ...

in the centre console, an eight-inch

touchscreen A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...

, steering wheel controls,

voice command Speech recognition is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science and computational linguistics that develops methodologies and technologies that enable the recognition and translation of spoken language into text by computers. It is also ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

and camera based

driver assistance Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are technologies that assist drivers with the safe operation of a vehicle. Through a human-machine interface, ADAS increases car and road safety. ADAS uses automated technology, such as sensors and camer ...

and safety systems, such as full speed

adaptive cruise control Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is a type of advanced driver-assistance system for road vehicles that automatically adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. As of 2019, it is also called by 20 unique names that ...

and imminent collision braking,

rear camera A backup camera (also called a reversing camera or rear-view camera) is a video camera specifically designed to be attached to the rear of a vehicle to aid in reversing and reduce the rear blind spot. The rear blind spot has been described as a ...

lane change assistance A blind spot in a vehicle or vehicle blind spot is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly seen by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances. In transport, driver visibility is the maximum distance at which the dr ...

, blind spot alert, and rear cross traffic alert. The second generation Insignia was revealed in December 2016, and was reported to be renamed ''Insignia Grand Sport''. File:Opel Insignia 2.0T Cosmo 2017 (43153786675).jpg, Opel Insignia (facelift) File:2016 Opel Insignia saloon (2).jpg, Opel Insignia (facelift) File:2016 Vauxhall Insignia Design 1.4.jpg, Vauxhall Insignia (facelift)

Engines

2008–2013

From launch, the Insignia was offered with four petrol engines: :1.6 L ; 1.8 L ; 2.0 L Turbo ; 2.8 L V6 with – and three diesel engines (all derived from the Fiat/GM

JTD engine Multijet is a Fiat and General Motors joint venture, established in 1996, in manufacturing diesel engines with turbo and common rail direct injection technology. Most of the Fiat S.p.A., Fiat Professional, Groupe PSA (Peugeot and Citroën), Alfa ...

), all displacing 2.0 litres: :2.0 L ; 2.0 L ; 2.0 L . In 2009, a 1.6 L Turbo petrol , the ecoFLEX diesels, and the OPC versions were introduced. From September 2010, the 2.0 CDTi diesel engine gained Adaptive 4x4 as an option. A 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI developed with the help of Saab, with , was expected to begin production in 2010. Due to the sale of Saab, production was delayed until 2012. The BiTurbo CDTI was offered with front- or four-wheel drive. All engines have a six speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...

as standard, with some engines having an

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

as an option. Since launch, all diesels have improved their emissions. In 2011, some engines gained Start/Stop, all diesel engines have this option, with more petrol engines expected to gain the technology in the future. A 1.4 Turbo , with S/S as standard, became available - replacing the 1.8 - and the 2.0 Turbo with four-wheel drive was upgraded to ; the front-wheel drive 2.0 Turbo still had . In 2009, a new range of ecoFLEX diesel engine offered same amount of power, but less CO₂-emission (g/km) and fuel consumption. The 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX with and have emission of only 114 CO₂-emission (g/km), as well as a version with 2.0 CDTI 4x4. The Bi turbo diesel engine has 129 CO₂-emission (g/km).

2013–2017

Alongside the facelift of 2013 came a new range of engines – some existing, some tweaked, and some brand new. Diesel engines available at launch include the 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX (also with Start/Stop), with outputs of 120 PS, 140 PS, and 163 PS and the existing 195 PS BiTurbo. There is also a non ecoFLEX engine with 130 PS which is only available with automatic transmission. Petrol engines include the existing 1.4 Turbo and 1.8 (only on some markets), and the all new 1.6 SIDI Turbo engine introduced in the

Cascada Cascada (, Spanish language, Spanish, 'Waterfall'), is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/composers/ producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They functioned as a trio from 2004 to 2021, with their last track ...

, and new 2.0 SIDI Turbo. All engines come with a six speed manual gearbox as standard, with a six speed automatic available as an option on the 1.6 and 2.0 SIDI turbo petrol engines, and the 2.0 CDTI 163 PS and 195 PS diesel engines. All petrol and diesel engines have a Start/Stop system except the 2.0 CDTI with 130 PS. In September 2014, Opel introduced its all new generation of engines – large diesel engine, starting with 2.0 CDTI engine with 170 PS and 400 Nm, which is a part of new strategy in which Opel will introduce 17 new engines in a period from 2014 to 2018. The new engine became available from the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.

Awards

Since making its début, the Opel Insignia has won more than fifty national and international awards, including 'Best Executive Car' in the United Kingdom and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, 'Best Family Car' in Ireland twice, and best car for fleet customers in the United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, and Portugal. * The Insignia was voted 2009

European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising media of the award are '' Auto'' (Italy), '' Aut ...

. * The Insignia scored a five star rating in

EuroNCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven, Belgium. Formed in 1996, the first results were released in February ...

. * In 2011, German institute DEKRA gave Opel an award for the Insignia as a car with the fewest flaws in its class. * In 2012, Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung mbH/Association for Technical Supervision evaluated Opel Insignia as number one in terms of used car quality.

Production and sales

Production started at the end of 2008 on all major markets in Europe. At launch, the Vauxhall versions were produced in Exclusiv, S, SE, SRi, Elite, and VXR specification levels. It was a popular choice with British buyers, being the nation's ninth best selling car in 2009 – its first full year on sale, outselling its direct competitor the

Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a Mid-size/large family car, large (D-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford since 1993 across five generations for model years 1993-2022. As Ford self-declared world car, the Mondeo was intended to ...

, but just falling short of the sales achieved by the more upmarket

BMW 3 Series The BMW 3 series is a line of compact executive cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. It is the successor to the 02 series and has been produced in seven generations. The first generation of the 3 Series was only avail ...

. At the beginning several trim levels were available, depending on the market: Essentia, Edition, Sport, Cosmo, OPC. Later on others were added, such as the Business edition, Selection, Active, 150 years of Opel, and Innovation. By August 2011, over 400,000 Insignias had been sold, and on 26 April 2012, the 500,000th Insignia was produced. The last vehicle rolled off the line in April 2017, in time for the release of the Insignia II.

Second generation (Z18; 2017)

First leaked to the public in December 2016, the Insignia had its public debut at the International Motor Fair in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

in March 2017. The design took cues from the 2013 Opel Monza Concept. From this point, the traditional four-door

notchback A notchback is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment. Notchback cars have "a trunk w ...

saloon version was officially removed from the lineup. The vehicle was officially revealed on 26 June 2017. The car is based on a moderately updated version of Epsilon II platform and was wholly developed by

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

. After the sale of Opel to

PSA Group Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles unde ...

, later

Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...

, it is continued to be produced under license. Opel dropped the OPC designation for its performance Insignia, instead reverting to their older GSi nameplate, last seen on the second generation

Opel Vectra The Opel Vectra is a mid-size car (large family car) that was engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel from 1988 until 2010. Available in Sedan (automobile), saloon, hatchback and Station wagon, estate (from model year 1997 onwards ...

. The GSi nameplate also replaces VXR, on the Vauxhall version of the Insignia. This version of the Insignia is badged as the Holden Commodore ZB in Australia and New Zealand, and as the sixth generation

in the Americas and Asia. After a 2020 facelift, only the 2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine remained available in Europe, while a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder and a 2.0-liter four cylinder diesel replaced the earlier 1.6 and 2.0. In 2022,

discontinued the Insignia from their model range as the result of the brand would moving towards a fully electric lineup and the decline of the

in Europe which also lead to the discontinuation of the

and the saloon version of the

Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a nameplate of D-segment, large family cars (D-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973 and also marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar ...

. Opel also ended production of the Opel Insignia in 2022. PSA later reversed course and said that the Insignia nameplate will be resurrected as a

crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...

in 2024 for both Opel and Vauxhall brands; though this never came to fruition. Under Stellantis' corporate umbrella, the Citroën C5 X and the

DS 9 The DS 9 is an executive car introduced in 2020 by DS. The company's first vehicle to be marketed to both Europe and Asia but assembled solely in China, the DS 9 serves as the flagship DS luxury-premium line, slotted above the DS 3, DS 4 and t ...

now cover the D/ E segments in Europe. File:Opel Insignia Grand Sport 1.6 Diesel Business Innovation (B) – Heckansicht, 5. Mai 2017, Düsseldorf.jpg, Grand Sport File:Opel Insignia Sports Tourer 1.5 DIT Innovation (B) – Heckansicht, 12. Mai 2017, Düsseldorf.jpg, Sports Tourer File:2018 Vauxhall Insignia SRi NAV Turbo 1.5 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Insignia (United Kingdom) File:Insignia B Country Tourer.jpg, Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer (rear) File:2019 Buick Regal Sportback Essence in White Frost Tricoat, Front Right, 07-31-2022.jpg,

Sportback (North America) File:2018 Vauxhall Insignia SRi Interior.jpg, Interior

GSi

File:Opel Insignia B GSi Classic-Days 2022 DSC 0288.jpg, Opel Insignia GSi (pre-facelift) File:Opel Insignia B GSi Classic-Days 2022 DSC 0287.jpg, Opel Insignia GSi (pre-facelift) File:2018 Buick Regal GS Sportback, Front Left, 09-26-2021.jpg, Buick Regal GS (pre-facelift)

Facelift (2020)

File:Opel Insignia B FL IMG 4456.jpg, Opel Insignia (facelift) File:2020 Vauxhall Insignia SE NAV CDTi facelift 1.5 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Insignia (facelift) File:BUICK REGAL GS China (2).jpg, Buick Regal GS (facelift)

Engines

Holden Commodore (ZB)

In 2017, Holden announced that the Commodore would end production in Australia and confirmed that the Commodore badge would be inherited by its replacement - now fully imported. This decision was made on the basis of a survey revealing that a majority of customers were in favour of retaining the long-standing Australian badge introduced in 1978. The ZB Commodore was revealed on the 6 December 2016 as a re-engineered and overhauled version of the Opel Insignia B. The ZB Commodore was offered with four or

six-cylinder engine The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

options, coupled with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

(FWD) or

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

. This was a major departure from the V8 and

rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...

variants available on the previous generation Commodore. There was significant controversy regarding Holden's decision to retain the Commodore name for the 2018 model, despite it being dimensionally smaller than its predecessor, lacking a V8 engine option, and switching from a RWD to a FWD drivetrain. Whilst the decision has been considered to be a safe choice in order to preserve sales, the retention of the Commodore name has been critiqued for Holden missing the opportunity to rebrand its sedan range and push its offering into the more lucrative semi-premium end of the market. , the ZB Commodore has the lowest resale value as a proportion of new price of any car on the Australian market. Due to slow sales and Holden's interest in other vehicle segments, it was announced on 10 December 2019 that the ZB Commodore would be discontinued in early 2020, shortly before GM's decision to retire the Holden brand entirely.

Buick Regal

In July 2023, the Buick Regal was facelifted exclusively for the Chinese market, featuring the updated triple shield logo among the changes.

Motorsport

The Thorney Motorsport team first ran a Vauxhall Insignia VXR in the last round of the 2011 British Touring Car Championship to prepare a two car team for the season of

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. Only one car was run in four rounds – 1 and 2 driven by John Thorne, and 6 and 9 driven by Tony Gilham. Tony's

Team HARD Tony Gilham Racing (Team HARD. Racing), competing as Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD., Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils. and Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown. currently, was a British motor racing team based in Dartford, Kent an ...

bought the two Insignias from Thorney Motorsport, and raced one of them himself in the last round of the 2012 season. Driving both cars for the season of 2013 were James Cole and

Jack Goff Jack Alan Goff (born 6 March 1991) is a former British racing driver. He was the 2012 Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom champion. He made his debut in the British Touring Car Championship on 31 March 2013 at Brands Hatch, driving for RCIB Insur ...

, running under the RCIB Insurance Racing team name. RCIB Insurance Racing/Team Hard sold the cars to BMR for the 2014 BTCC season, and would be driven by Jack Goff and Warren Scott. The Insignia was not as competitive as hoped and the cars were replaced mid season with

Volkswagen CC The Volkswagen CC, initially sold as the Volkswagen Passat CC, is a car built by German marque Volkswagen from 2008 to 2016. It is a variant of the Volkswagen Passat that trades headroom and cargo space for a coupé-like profile and sweeping roofl ...

Other rebranding

In Chile, the Insignia was introduced in 2008 as the Chevrolet Vectra. In 2013, the model line dropped its Chevrolet name, adopting the Opel Insignia nameplate. In August 2012, the Opel Insignia was introduced to Australia; following the 2013 withdrawal of Opel from Australia by GM, the model line was dropped from the market. For 2015, the Insignia returned to Australia (and for the first time, New Zealand) under the Holden marque, slotted slightly under the Commodore range in market position.

2003 Insignia concept

The Opel Insignia nameplate saw its first use on a 2003 concept car. For the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, Opel debuted a concept car previewing a potential mid-2000s

full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as ...

luxury car A luxury car is a passenger automobile providing superior comfort levels, features, and equipment. More expensive materials and surface finishes are used, and buyers expect a correspondingly high quality (business), build quality. The term is ...

(

F-segment The F-segment is the 6th category and largest of the European segments for passenger cars, and always belongs to " luxury cars". The equivalent categories are full-size luxury sedan (or "large luxury sedan") in the United States, luxury saloon ...

) for the brand. Derived from the rear-wheel drive GM V platform used by the VY Holden Commodore and

Statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...

, the Opel Insignia concept vehicle was styled as a fastback 5-door liftback. The engine was sourced from the

Chevrolet Corvette C5 The Chevrolet Corvette (C5) is the fifth generation of the Corvette sports car, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1997 through 2004 model years. Production variants include the high performance Z06. Racing variants in ...

, pairing a 344 hp LS1 V8 with an all-new 7-speed automatic transmission. The Insignia debuted several notable features, including a reconfigurable rear seat (changing between 5-passenger seating and a 2+2 layout with a rear center console), LED headlamps (powered by 405 LEDs), a reconfigurable dashboard and center console (with air-conditioned storage and humidor). The rear

sliding doors ''Sliding Doors'' is a 1998 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow while also featuring John Hannah, John Lynch, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. The film alternates between two storylines, showi ...

were fitted with pantographic hinges, allowing for the deletion of external guide rails. Intended primarily as a debut of the design language of the Opel brand for the mid-2000s, the Insignia was not officially intended for production. In the beginning of 2005, Opel stated that it would not build a production version of the vehicle, claiming it would be too heavy and expensive. Elements of the Insignia concept design were eventually adopted by other GM vehicles, including the 2015 Buick Avenir concept (sharing a similar fastback/4-door coupe configuration) and the 2008-2017 Opel Insignia/Buick Regal (rear fascia) and the 2010-2016

Buick LaCrosse The Buick LaCrosse is a four-door, front-wheel-drive sedan manufactured by Buick since model year 2005, and marketed variously across four generations for the North American and Chinese markets. The first-generation LaCrosse replaced the Centu ...

(roofline); its liftback configuration was adopted by the 2018 Insignia/Regal/Commodore. File:Opel Insignia rear.jpg, Opel Insignia Concept at the 2003

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...

File:IAA 2003 003 - Flickr - Axel Schwenke.jpg, Rear

sliding door A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually parallel to (and sometimes within) a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a ...

s File:IAA 2003 004 - Flickr - Axel Schwenke.jpg, Rear view

Notes

References

External links

Official international Opel Insignia website
{{Vauxhall timeline 1980 to present

Insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

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