Opel Insignia
Flagship Opel model replacing the Vectra and Signum.
The Opel Insignia is a large family car, classified as a D-segment vehicle in Europe, that Opel built and sold between 2008 and 2022. Its name comes from a concept car shown in 2003. As Opel’s flagship model, it sat above the Astra and Corsa in size, and it replaced both the Signum and Vectra lines under a single nameplate. Buyers could choose from a four-door saloon, a five-door liftback, or a five-door estate. The car was sold globally under several names: Vauxhall Insignia in the UK, Buick Regal in North America and China, and Holden Commodore (ZB) in Australia. Opel produced the Insignia at its Rüsselsheim plant in Germany, while SAIC-GM built the Buick Regal in Shanghai exclusively for China. In February 2022, Opel confirmed the Insignia would end production after its current generation finished in 2022, with no successor planned, citing poor sales and a strategic shift toward the Astra, Corsa, and SUVs like the new Frontera.
In December 2006, Vauxhall announced it would retire the Vectra nameplate. Carl-Peter Forster, then president of GM Europe, said the new car would be a radical departure and that the Vectra name would be dropped to reflect this. By late 2007, Vauxhall confirmed the successor would be called Insignia. With this model, Opel aimed to reclaim some of the market share once held by the executive Omega.
The first generation launched as the Vauxhall Insignia at the 2008 British International Motor Show in London on 23 July. It reached European dealerships in October 2008 for the 2009 model year, offered as a five-door liftback and a five-door estate called Sports Tourer—a break from Opel’s tradition of using the “Caravan” name for estates. It was the first production car on the GM Epsilon II platform, later used by the 2010 Saab 9-5 and Chevrolet Malibu. Compared to the Vectra, the Insignia provided 30 mm more knee room. The saloon and liftback measured 4.83 m in length, the estate 4.91 m, and all three shared a 2.73 m wheelbase. The Insignia also introduced redesigned badges for Opel and Vauxhall. For Vauxhall, it was the first model to drop the characteristic “V” grille used since 1994, which had distinguished Vauxhall cars from their Opel counterparts.
The Insignia debuted several new safety features.
Quick Facts
- Production
- 2008–2022
- Aka
- Vauxhall Insignia (United Kingdom) · Buick Regal (North America and China) · Holden Insignia (Australia and New Zealand, 2008–2017) · Holden Commodore (ZB) (Australia and New Zealand, 2018–2020)
- Predecessor
- Opel Vectra · Opel Signum
- Class
- Large family car (D)
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In December 2006, Vauxhall stated they would retire the Vectra nameplate from the previous model. Then General Motors Europe president, Carl-Peter Forster, 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 Omega once occupied during its production.
The first generation debuted as the Vauxhall Insignia at the 2008 British International Motor Show in London on 23 July. It went on sale in European dealerships in October 2008 for the 2009 model year as a five-door liftback and five-door estate 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. 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 had adorned Vauxhall models since 1994.
The Insignia was also the first Opel to debut many new and improved safety features, including improved adaptive Forward Lighting and Opel Eye, a dual function frontal camera with lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition. The Insignia was the first production car 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'.
Reader's Guide
The Opel Insignia served as the launch vehicle of the GM Epsilon II platform, underpinning other models such as the 2010 Saab 9-5 and the Chevrolet Malibu. Its significance lies in consolidating the Vectra and Signum nameplates into a single flagship model, while also being marketed globally under multiple brands: Vauxhall in the UK, Buick in North America and China, and Holden in Australia. The Insignia OPC high-performance variant, powered by a 2.8 litre single-turbo V6 with 239 kW and 435 Nm, featured Saab's active all wheel drive system and an electronic limited-slip differential. A major facelift in 2013 introduced new exterior and interior styling, new engines, and new safety features including full speed adaptive cruise control and imminent collision braking. The second generation Insignia was revealed in December 2016, reported to be renamed Insignia Grand Sport. In February 2022, Opel confirmed that the Insignia would be discontinued after the model completes its current generation lifecycle at the end of the year without a successor planned, due to poor sales and plans to shift Opel into selling the Astra, Corsa and SUVs like the new Frontera.
Did You Know?
- The Insignia was marketed as the Holden Commodore (ZB) in Australia until the Holden brand was discontinued at the end of 2020.
- The Insignia OPC Unlimited, launched in April 2011, had no speed limiter.
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