Autoblog

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When the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Vectra debuts at the 2008 London Auto Show in July of next year, it will be called by a different name than the one we've known since 1988. General Motors announced today that its new mid-size family sedan will be called the Insignia, and its design will draw heavily from the well-received Opel GTC Concept that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show last March. For now, though, all we get is the above teaser shot of the car's swoopy rear taillight.

The new Insignia will be built at GM's plant in Rüsselsheim, Germany alongside other models using the Epsilon 2 architecture. The next generation Saturn Aura is also scheduled to switch from its current extended Epsilon platform to the Epsilon 2 architecture sometime around 2011. When it does, we expect the next-gen Aura a bonfied rebadged version of the Opel Insignia for sale in the U.S., which we don't mind since these two sedans aren't sold in the same country.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Here's what the Saturn Aura Red Line should be, courtesy of Vauxhall. The Vectra is being replaced by an Epsilon 2-based car called the Insignia. The Epsilon 2 will also serve as the basis for the second-generation Saturn Aura. That platform sharing will no doubt be good in workaday trim, but Vauxhall's turning up the wick for the Insignia VXR, and we're crossing our fingers that Saturn is hanging out in the gym with its cousin. The VXR will gain visual horsepower and there will be real output from the powertrain to back up the appearance. A twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 laying down 300 horsepower through the all wheel drive system that debuted with the GTC concept car in Geneva. The suspension will be able to cope with the power by using a revised version of the Vectra VXR's adaptive dampers, and the AWD system carries at least one limited slip differential. A 0-60 time in the mid 5-second range sure sounds good, as does the 165 mph top speed.

Just as exciting to us diesel-starved US consumers is the 2.9 liter V6 turbodiesel variant of the Insignia. The diesel packs a not-insignificant 247 horsepower, and both cars get a six-speed manual transmission standard. What will we do if both versions make it Stateside? We'd have a hard time choosing, but it would be amusing to see what Saturn calls the diesel. The Aura Grey Line? Brown Line? The Insignia VXR is about a year and a half away, with lesser models arriving sooner. Cost will be £25,000 -- which we hope doesn't translate into a $50,000 range-topper Epsilon 2.

[Source: Auto Express]

click above image for more views of this Opel Vectra mule testing in the U.S.

Though they look similar, the current Saturn Aura and its European cousin, the Opel Vectra, do not share the exact same platform as many mistakenly believe. General Motors will correct this when the next-generation of each car arrives, and we've already seen a number of spy shots showing a new Opel Vectra being tested in disguise.

These spy shots we bring you today are no different, except instead of being taken in some far off land, they were taken in Death Valley, U.S.A. This is the first time we've seen the new Vectra being tested in the U.S., and for that matter, with so little covering. It's easy to see through the camo to the Vectra's new styling, which is heavily derivative of the Opel GTC Concept that debuted in Geneva last March. That's fine with us, as the GTC is a stunning coupe concept and adding two more doors has hardly lessened the design's appeal. We particularly like the swoop that starts where the A-pillar meets the base of the windshield and then carves a nice line into the front door. It reminds us of a similar swoop on the rear doors of the Toyota Camry, though with a more subtle and tasteful execution. The size of the front and rear overhand is a little alarming, as we think the design would be served better by pushing the wheels out to the corners, but overall the proportions are right on. The car looks neither heavy nor insubstantial, and it appears wider than the current models, as well.

The next-generation Opel Vectra will debut first, and then around 2010 we'll get our version in the form of a new Saturn Aura. It shouldn't be difficult at all to extrapolate what the next Aura will look like from these pics, as we expect a different grille to be the biggest difference.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

Autogespot has spy shots of the 2008 Opel Vectra doing duty in the rain somewhere in Europe. There are a lot of tidbits swirling around the car that carry design cues from the Opel GTC/Insignia show cars under all that black zebra stripe. Riding on the Epsilon II platform, it looks to be taller and wider than its predecessor, allowing more interior room and a wider track. Engine options will include a 200bhp 2.7-liter V6 turbodiesel, a gas-powered 2.8-liter V6, and, for the first time, a 4WD version is in the cards. Inside, the car also gets a major revamp and upgrade.

In Britain, the Vauxhall version of the car will possibly be called the Insignia. It's even been reported that it will be able to drive itself -- entirely without input from the driver -- up to 60 mph, using lasers and cameras. Yum. The car should bow at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this year. Later on, the Vectra will arrive in the U.S. as the next-gen Saturn Aura.

Thanks for the tip, Sander!

[Source: Autogespot]

The next-generation Opel Vectra Wagon will be imported and rebadged as a Saturn, according to a published report. It'll join the Astra (the next Saturn Ion) as the second Opel to be sold in North America as a Saturn. Sources from GM Europe have stated that the annual sales goal for the new wagon will be 50,000 units, and that it should appear in Saturn showrooms in '08 or '09.

The car will be built on the next-generation global Epsilon platform and is expected to feature V6 power and all-wheel-drive. Everyone's mum on naming, but it's not outlandish to guess that it'll be called the Aura Wagon or something similar. According to AutoWeek, Saturn marketers are still deciding how to present the car to its new audience. It'll be positioned as either an upscale wagon or a soft-roader a la the Audi Allroad.

If we had things our way, we'd position it as a premium wagon and bolster that image with a hot Red Line variant later on. Let the next Vue (likely another Opel import, the Antara) assume the mantle as Saturn's off-roader.

No matter how GM decides to market it, the new Saturn wagon will give them a stylish, practical hauler that should have some appeal in a marketplace that has seen fuel-cost-fatigued drivers move away from SUVs.

Note: Current Vectra Wagon pictued

[Source: AutoWeek]