8.9.2003
IAA Update: Opel Insignia
Opel presented the Insignia, an automotive vision of the future and a design study with a new formal concept, tonight at GM Europe premiere event on the eve of the first press day the IAA, Frankfurt International Motor Show.
In addition to its progressive, elegant and dynamic design, the Insignia features numerous innovations including extensive use of LED lighting technology and innovative doors as well as driver-oriented variable rear seat space.
Other highlights include the versatile interior layout and excellent driving dynamics. The driver-oriented, rear-wheel drive concept car can be transformed from a comfortable four seater for day-to-day business purposes, into a sporty five-seat transport vehicle. The 344-hp aluminum V8 engine gives it a top speed of 250 km/h (electronically controlled), with acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in under six seconds.
Premiere: New Opel design language in large format for first time
With its well-balanced proportions and its progressive, elegant and dynamic lines, the Insignia shows how Opel's new design language translates to a large sized car. This departure from a conservative notchback silhouette is evident in the coupé-style body lines and design details. The Insignia's short overhangs and balanced proportions (length/width/height: 4803/1914/1414 millimeters) and the long 2915-mm wheelbase are just as striking. The wide track (1666 mm) emphasizes the Insignia's dynamics even further.
Eye-catchers: Striking profile and 21-inch aluminum wheels
Seen from the side, the surfaces and lines are equally dynamic. Discreet chrome frames accentuate the clear, elegant window graphics without disturbing B-pillars. The design of the large 21-inch aluminum wheels, satin-finished with polished elements, echoes the body's styling cues and provides an eye-catching finale to the Insignia's silhouette.
The door handles are activated automatically when the Insignia's owner approaches the car. The "Open & Start" system, installed in the new Astra for the first time on a production model, identifies the owner by means of coded, theft-secure, radio remote control that replaces the conventional car key. At the touch of a button, the rear window and tailgate are opened or closed by electric motors.
Clear accents are provided by a chrome strip and two twin exhaust tailpipes integrated into the bumper. The large, V-shaped, three-dimensionally tapering tailgate dominates this view of the car and conceals plenty of exceptionally variable space underneath. According to the VDA standard test method, the trunk capacity is 410 liters when the Insignia is being driven as a four or five seater. Folding the complete rear seat forward yields an absolutely level surface with up to 970 liters of load-carrying capacity.
High-tech and craftsmanship in the interior
Continuing a tradition of innovative interiors, the Insignia features yet another new idea. The section of the center tunnel separating the two individual rear seats can be moved back under the trunk-floor to reveal a folded seat that can be raised electrically to make the Insignia a five seater.
All secondary control panels such as the infotainment system or the air-conditioning are hidden away under ingenious sliding covers in the center console. Thanks to a reversed layout – the dials are positioned in front of the needles – the numerals are not hidden as the needle moves past them. This is made possible by the use of transparent dials that are easy to read in any light conditions, thanks to the use of modern light-emitting diodes (LED).
Light source: 405 diodes replace conventional bulbs
The styling tension between state-of-the-art technology and classic craftsmanship is one of the most exciting features of the Insignia's interior. Finest leather contrasts with turquoise decorative seams and inlays made of dark Macassar ebony wood, with dark-brown, high-gloss lacquer surfaces combined with satin-finished aluminum. All this is illuminated in stylish, indirect blue and green light emitted mysteriously by diodes located in invisible slots in the doors and ceiling.
The Insignia demonstrates how light will be generated in future cars. Deflected in various directions by prisms, it comes from no fewer than 405 light emitting diodes in the headlamps, rear lights, fog lights, brake lights, instrument,s and the car's interior.
Parallel sliding action: Pantographs for the doors and tailgate
Pantograph hinges with two pivot points have often been tried in automobiles, but this is the first time that the door has been successfully realized without multiple levers and without destroying styling.
Both the large tailgate and its rear window can be opened parallel to the roof by remote control, which means that they can open even if the car has been reversed up to a wall – especially since they open with the aid of electric motors. A total of 45 electric motors are installed on the concept car. They not only open and close the doors at the touch of a button, for example, but also move the seats forward automatically to make access to the rear easier.
Power pack: Rear-wheel drive and V8 engine
Opel's engineers chose an all-new GM rear-wheel drive architecture being developed for future global products as the basis for the Insignia's dynamic concept. With double wishbones and coil springs at the front and a five-link axle at the rear (decoupled for refinement), the Insignia delivers exemplary cornering behavior and high directional stability. Hydraulic load-leveling control compensates for changes in payload. In line with the dynamic character, the Insignia is powered by the Corvette's 344-hp aluminum V8 engine, which gives it a maximum speed of 250 km/h (electronically controlled), with acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in under six seconds.