Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Euro, GM, Lotus, Misc. Auto Shows, Opel, Vauxhall, UK
First official shots of Opel Insignia interior released
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel / Vauxhall Insignia
The first official look at the Opel Insignia's interior leaves us with the impression that Opel / Vauxhall's new sedan is going to be a nice place in which to log some miles. Put simply, the cockpit is identical to the one first shown in the slick-looking Opel GTC concept that debuted last year. Simple, attractive gauges are joined by amber lighting and a nice blend of plastics, brightwork, and other trim to create a driver-focused cockpit meant to be as usable as it is attractive. One of the little elements that's kind of cool is how the gauge lighting shifts from white to red when the car is put into sport mode. Expect even more info on the Insignia and plenty of closer looks at the cabin when the car debuts in London next month at the British International Motor Show. If you can't make it to London, just exercise a little patience, cross those fingers, and wait. This car will likely come Stateside as the next Saturn Aura at some point in the future. GM's official PR is pasted after the jump.
Gallery: Opel / Vauxhall Insignia
[Source: GM]
PRESS RELEASE:
PREMIUM FEEL AND STUNNING DESIGN DEFINE NEW INSIGNIA'S INTERIOR
- First official shots of new Insignia's interior
- Chronometer-inspired instruments
- Use of high quality fabrics and materials
First impression is of Insignia's bold, wrap around interior, dominated by the signature 'wing' that flows from the front instrument panel and dives into the door panels. The surfaces from the exterior's 'blade' feature are echoed in the shape of the interior grab handle, where the bright accent material sweeps dramatically into the door armrest.
The cabin's interior lighting gives Insignia a unique night-time appearance. Vauxhall's designers have added a warm amber-coloured ambient light to enhance the night driving environment. The instrument cluster is illuminated white, but on pressing the 'Sport' button, the lighting turns red to match the surrounding illumination.
"This is a paradigm shift for Vauxhall," says John Puskar, Executive Director of Interior Design at GM Europe. "We wanted to create interior environments for all our future vehicles that are warm, inviting and sporty. The Insignia is the first evidence of this philosophy."
Cabin practicality will also raise the bar in Insignia's market sector. The centre console offers flexibility and intelligent design solutions, such as a space-liberating e-brake and separate multi-function control on certain models. Both the steering wheel and front seats have a huge range of adjustability to suit all shapes and sizes, while adjustable armrests, ergonomically placed controls, a multi-use storage box and MP3 connectivity will reinforce Insignia's appeal to private and business drivers.
"Every detail was meticulously thought through," says Jochen Werner, Insignia's Assistant Chief Interior Designer. "We even tipped the infotainment centre at a 30 degree angle to allow the centre console to flow and give the car's cabin a greater feeling of spaciousness."
Many of Insignia's interior design features will provide the DNA for future Vauxhall designs. Variations on sculptural artistry – the wing, flowing sculptural forms and a sporty dynamic environment – will be used moving forward, as Vauxhall refines and evolves its new-found design language.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ligor 10:36AM (6/04/2008)
it looks very nice
and I think it's about time to get rid of Saturn and just introduce Opel in the states.
saturn sales last month were way off - I guess not many people like to think of Saturn as an upscale company (trying to compete with Acura), but Opel might just re-frresh things a bit.
add AWD to this car adn bring in a station wagon adn GM should see some nice sales.
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Ahmed 10:43AM (6/04/2008)
I agree. If they dump saturn and bring opel, I'll buy GM stock.
martin 10:44AM (6/04/2008)
there will be an estate version no doubt about it, they'd lose plenty of sales to ford without one
Adam Marcello 12:15PM (6/04/2008)
Who cars what name badge is on the car. You guys are the same suckers that honda tricked into their then inferior cars by labeling them acura.
If your going to just let the badge define the car then you are missing out on a lot of current and upcoming GM and Ford options that meet or exceed japanese products.
Stephen 12:47PM (6/04/2008)
I agree, just call them Opels. That's what they are anyway and it wouldn't have the Saturn baggage. Case in point, I've been trying to get my wife to consider some of Saturn's rebadged Opels. Her reply is: "I'm not going to buy a Saturn!"
why not the LS2LS7? 1:17PM (6/04/2008)
GM just dumped one marque, they aren't going to spend the money to launch a new one (er, well we haven't seen in 20+ years). It wouldn't make financial sense.
Michael 10:38AM (6/04/2008)
Bringing in Opel would be cool, but I'd be satisfied with just this car, too.
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geo.stewart 1:28PM (6/04/2008)
that my friends is a well designed car.
I think with the proliferation of vehicles out there, its hard not to be able to point to one or another and say " I see x in this car and y from z." but this is a well-put together design. I could say I see some old Acura CL tail or Solara tail and ISF line behind the front wheel but honestly that's for when the car looks like design by committee.
This is a well integrated design. I really like the piano black accent lines in the interior.
Borger 10:39AM (6/04/2008)
I really, really like the looks of this car, and love the interior.
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Iridium 10:41AM (6/04/2008)
Opel was sold in the US in the '70s. Opel has always had the best cars GM makes in the world.
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Holden Miecranc 11:10AM (6/04/2008)
Actually, the Opels of the 70's were more poorly made than domestic GM product. They rusted out extremely fast and had electrical problems among others. That is why GM quit selling Cadets and GT's through it's Buick franchises- they just weren't good enough for the American market.
MoonRover 5:43PM (6/04/2008)
A friend bought a new green Opel GT in 1970 and it caught on fire on the way home from the dealer(60 miles away) and burned up, it was a fabulous car, yep.
Soccer Mom 10:45AM (6/04/2008)
Opel/Saturn turn into very nice vehicle. A far cry from the cheap econoboxes of the 90s. I actually the car on the picture.
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TBlueMax 10:48AM (6/04/2008)
This looks so good, inside and out, that I'm having trouble believing these are production-spec pictures. Bring a wagon version to the states and give us some drivetrain options to satisfy sport- and economy-minded folks and this will be a hit.
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DKB_SATX 12:24PM (6/04/2008)
Hopefully they'll design the wagon RIGHT and bring it to the US. The accountants' method for creating an Estate version of this car would be to retain the too-swoopy rear doors (so they use the same rear doors for all models) and end up with a C-pillar monstrosity that looks like something from a sci-fi movie. (old Camry and Taurus wagons for examples, and they didn't start with such a radical upper profile on the rear door.)
tankd0g 10:49AM (6/04/2008)
Looks great, hope they don't bring it here because they'll ruin it with a Pontiac or Saturn grill.
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Golferal 10:51AM (6/04/2008)
The idea of the dash lighting changing to red when put into sport mode is genius!
Does anyone else see a strong BMW influence in the styling? Is very Bangle-esque, but without the ugly part.
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epilonious 11:15AM (6/04/2008)
To be honest, I see a whole lotta Mazda.
It reminds me a lot of the mazda3/6 red-on-black with the textured plastics and the buttony mid-console and the black leather. The main difference is the vent design. Mazda loves it some circular twist-n-point vents, these are the usual directional registers cut to fit the lines.
There is also the lack of iDrive... that knob of fail is in every single BMW it seems.
Big Al 1:09PM (6/04/2008)
I was actually referring to the exterior styling being BMW, but you're right. The interior does look very Mazda.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:19PM (6/04/2008)
Other than the predominance of black and red, I don't see much Mazda. The shapes used in the interior are different from either the 3 or the 6 (not familiar with other Mazdas).
Not that I would think it would be a shame if it did have a lot of Mazda in it.