Vauxhall Insignia

A new name, a new car, a new ambition. The Vauxhall Insignia 2008 Range is an important step to rejuvenate the brand and provide the perfect opportunity to discover Vauxhall. It replaces the Vauxhall Vectra.


The total length of both versions of four and five-door is of 4,830 mm and wheelbase of 2,737 mm is also the same. Its dimensions are similar to those of the Ford Mondeo, the rest of its direct competitors are below in this paragraph.

The Vauxhall Insignia is a sedan comparable to others as the latest generation Renault Laguna, Citroen C5, Ford Mondeo, Alfa Romeo 159, Peugeot 407 and more.


The Insignia's fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and driving dynamics benefit from the aerodynamic efficiency has been improved with more than 650 hours in the wind tunnel. The result: The best in-class drag coefficient, Cd of 0.27.


The availability since launch of both the four-door body and the five is particularly important for some markets like the UK and France, where two volumes versions hatchback traditionally enjoyed a large market share within the middle segment. Customers from Germany and Spain, however, usually prefer the three-volume versions of four doors.

The interior of the new Vauxhall Insignia debuts red ambient lighting, which will also be featured in future Vauxhall models. It has also placed considerable emphasis on the seats, which, according Ople-set the highest standards in ergonomics, comfort and safety.

Adaptive Forward Lighting
The pioneering role and expertise of Vauxhall in lighting technology continues in the Insignia with the latest generation AFL Adaptive Forward Lighting System Advanced: settings Nine different light beam is automatically adjusted to meet the various driving conditions, simultaneously enhancing safety and driving excitement. Another new element on the AFL system lights are LED daytime, which consume significantly less power than a conventional system including halogen lamps, in addition to lowering CO2 emissions from 6 g / km to nearly zero.
The Vauxhall Insignia is offered from the start with front-wheel and all-wheel drive. The proactive system "Adaptive 4X4", instantaneous torque distribution not only ensures optimal traction but also enhances driving stability and dynamic driving performance.

Vauxhall Insignia in the four-wheel traction, the FlexRide mechatronic chassis system with its Adaptive Stability Technology helps the car adjust to prevailing driving conditions and allows the driver to select settings to match his mood. FlexRide is also available in front-drive version.

Seven engines
The Vauxhall Insignia will launch with a range of seven engines. All meet Euro 5 emissions standards and come with either manual or automatic transmission with six gears. The range of four petrol engines ranging from a 115 hp unit to a V6 with 260 hp. The three new direct-injection diesel engines have a displacement of 2.0 liter and outputs spanning from 110 to 160 hp. Subsequently the Insignia engine line will be expanded with an EcoFLEX version offering very low CO2 emissions in addition to other more powerful variants.

The Vauxhall Insignia has been developed at the International Technical Development Center of GM Europe in Rüsselsheim, Germany, which also house production. The Rüsselsheim facility is one of the most advanced automobile plants in the industry.

Volvo C30 BEV

Volvo C30 BEV (battery-powered Electric Vehicle) was introduced in prototype form of electric vehicle with zero emissions last September, during the Frankfurt Motor Show 2009.

For the first time that Volvo presents a model of its kind that works only with electricity, without lowering standards of quality, comfort and security settings that identify the brand.

During 2009, the brand has produced a limited number of vehicles for the sole purpose of testing its performance and security, and integration of electric propulsion system in the rest of the vehicle. In 2010, this fleet will expand to a total of 50 units as a test vehicle.

The future BEV Volvo C30 is a compact model, its dimensions and interior space, makes it appropriate to move electricity in urban and intercity travel day with a maximum autonomy of 150 kilometers, a figure more than enough points Lennart Stegland, Director of Special Vehicles at Volvo Cars.

Electricity and fuel
Electricity is a renewable energy source has some advantages over traditional fuels and can be ideal for the car. Of the known benefits, highlights the energy efficiency of electric motor on emissions of particulate pollutants to the increasingly stringent anti-pollution standards and cheaper compared to continuous price increases of petroleum and petroleum products into gasoline or diesel.

Propulsion system and Lithium Ion battery
The propulsion system consists BEV Volvo C30 by an electric motor housed in the engine compartment, together with all its components, weighs 280 kilograms and yields a maximum power of 82 kilowatts, equivalent to a power of 111 horse of an engine fueled by gasoline or diesel.

The lithium ion battery is charged by connecting an outlet to the home network standard of 230 volts in less than eight hours.

One of the main tasks of the engineers at Volvo's Special Vehicles is the optimal location of the battery. It is located in the space left by the fuel tank in a thermal propulsion vehicle outside the zone of deformation of the vehicle scheduled to situations of collision.

Since the Volvo C30 BEV solely powered by electricity, the battery capacity must be greater than assembling hybrid battery connected to the mains, with a capacity of 24 kilowatt hours.

Benefits of the lithium ion battery
BEV Volvo C30 offers a fully charged battery, a top speed of 130 kph and acceleration from zero to 100 mph in 10.5 seconds.

Interior room for four occupants
The Volvo C30 BEV shares the same cockpit design and the four-seat interior configuration that a Volvo C30, with the same measures of protection, comfort and roominess.

But this version differs from normal in the dashboard, with specific indicators of this new version, such as gauges and charts that report on road speed and energy consumption. It also has a charge status indicator on the battery.

The same safety standards as provided
The high safety standards that Volvo Cars implanted in their products are totally independent of the type of fuel that feeds the vehicle. The main protagonist, for Volvo, safety is the human person and expertise in security focus on providing maximum protection in real situations subjecting the vehicle collision extensive testing until the results meet the high standards quality.

The fact that Volvo Cars intends to introduce an electric vehicle market will be just as safe as any other car bearing the emblem of the Swedish brand.

Volvo has identified all security scenarios related to electrification in all its stages, from the post prior to a collision. After careful study and relevant, engineers must create solutions to manage each of these situations identified, ensuring that all future electric cars to comply fully with the stringent security standards in all aspects Volvo.