New Vauxhalls at the double
Inside line on radical next-generation Astra and Insignia
● New platform, plus plug-ins and return of VXR badge for Astra ● Next Insignia given a more radical overhaul to boost sales
VAUXHALL’S resurgence under the new ownership of the PSA Group is continuing apace, with major reinventions of the Astra hatchback and Insignia family car due in showrooms in the next 24 months.
The new Astra will arrive first in 2021, and while the car will share much with other PSAbrand hatchbacks, Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman exclusively revealed to Auto Express that it will be “something much more than just a Vauxhall version of the Peugeot 308”.
Auto Express understands that the Astra will eschew the current trend towards taller crossovers and be more of a coupé-style hatchback, as our exclusive images show. The new Vauxhall family face, previewed by the GT X Experimental concept from last year’s Paris Motor Show and made real in the new Corsa, will feature, along with its crisp, blade-like LED front lights.
The sloping back end could include door handles hidden in the C-pillars to accentuate the Astra’s coupé-like shape, although clever use of angles will ensure there’s still plenty of headroom in the back, as well as boot capacity to rival the latest Golf’s 380-litre luggage space. Vauxhall will also be looking to take on the Golf inside, with a choice of large central infotainment screens, digital displays in front of the driver – using the 3D tech that appeared first in the new Peugeot 208 – plus an even greater use of soft-touch plastics for a plusher feel.
Expect everything from wireless phone charging to wireless connectivity to bring the Astra’s multimedia systems bang up to date, while Level Two autonomy featuring adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance will also be available.
Under the bonnet, the old GM engine range makes way for PSA motors in petrol and diesel form, with Norman expecting a comeback for diesel power in the coming years. Both 109 and 128bhp versions of the award-winning three-cylinder petrol engine should be available in the Astra, along with the 128bhp 1.5-litre BlueHDi diesel that is expected to produce emissions below the crucial EU target of 95g/km. Six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic gearboxes will also be offered.
Just as in the Vauxhall Grandland X, a 296bhp plug-in hybrid system will be made available on the Astra, but in a sportier variant wearing a VXR badge. Vauxhall has already said that future VXR models will be electrified, with the Corsa and Vivaro van first up for a hot makeover.
But the Astra Hybrid4 VXR, featuring a 196bhp 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, plus electric motors on the front and rear axles, is expected to go on sale shortly after the new Astra’s launch in 2021. Expect a 0-62mph time of around six seconds, with an all-electric range of
“New Astra will eschew the current crossover trend and be more of a coupé-style hatchback”
more than 30 miles. It’s still possible that an even higher-performance plug-in model could make it into the Astra range: Peugeot showed the 400bhp 508 Sport Engineered concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, which will make it into production.
If you thought the new Astra was radical, then you could be in for a shock when you see the new Insignia, also previewed in our exclusive images. Although sales of family hatch and saloon models have been falling rapidly due to the onslaught of the SUV, Vauxhall is taking a new approach which it thinks could reignite interest in the Insignia.
“The industry is asking what happens after the SUV,” Stephen Norman told us. “And we think the new Insignia will be it. It’s the biggest metamorphosis of what we’ve seen so far from Vauxhall.”
Although Norman wouldn’t be drawn on any more details, Auto Express understands that the current, low-slung Insignia Grand Sport – which has only just been facelifted – will be replaced by a crossover that’s somewhere between an SUV and an MPV. That doesn’t necessarily mean seven seats, but a more premium and spacious high-riding model, along similar lines to the latest Renault Espace, a car that isn’t currently sold in the UK.
As with the Astra, the Insignia will switch from its current platform and engine tech, which come from previous owner GM, and take advantage of the latest systems from the PSA group. That means EMP2 platform technology that promises lower weights and associated efficiency gains, plus the latest infotainment and driver-assistance systems.
EMP2 already underpins a range of Peugeots from the 308 to the 5008, as well as the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV and the premium DS 7 Crossback, while Vauxhall uses the same platform for the Grandland X SUV, which has just added a plug-in hybrid variant to its line-up.
The new Insignia will stretch the EMP2 platform to its extreme – possibly beyond the 4,778mm length and 2,793mm wheelbase of the Peugeot 508 SW. We’re unlikely to see the new Insignia until 2022 at the earliest, but it’s safe to assume that it will mirror other models in the PSA group with its choice of engines and technology.
At least one plug-in hybrid version is likely, possibly more. In a bigger car than Astra, larger petrol and diesel engines will be a challenge without pushing the CO2 average up, hence a focus on plug-in tech. The 128bhp 1.5 diesel is a possibility, though, as is PSA’s 1.6 PureTech petrol.
Vauxhall is not alone in thinking of a radical way to replace its family hatch. It’s rumoured that Ford is thinking along similar lines with the replacement for its Mondeo, which has suffered a similar decline to the Insignia in recent years. Sales of the Insignia across Europe have dropped by around a third year on year in 2019, with the whole category down nearly 20 per cent.
“The Insignia will be replaced by a crossover somewhere between an SUV and an MPV”