Vauxhall Astra (2010)

These are the first official images of the new, British-built Vauxhall Astra, which will debut as a five-door hatchback in September 2009 at the Frankfurt Show and will appear in UK showrooms at the end of 2009.

Marking the sixth generation of Vauxhall Astra in 30 years, the new car's design team was led by Mark Adams, the British designer responsible for last year's European Car of the Year-winning Vauxhall Insignia.

With its strong, cab-forward silhouette, steeply-raked windscreen and sloping rear roofline, the new Vauxhall Astra makes ingenious use of many of the design features found in the Insignia, but in a fresh and innovative way. Also like the Insignia, it has spent over 600 hours in the wind tunnel, benefiting performance, economy and overall refinement.

"We're continuing with the same premium design cues as the Insignia, inside and out of the car," said Adams, Vice President of GM Europe Design. "However, the main design themes, like the wing-shaped light signatures and the blade, needed an individual execution to avoid 'cloning' the model ranges. This is why, for instance, you see twin wings in the rear lights and a reversed blade on its flanks."

Underpinning the Vauxhall Astra's rakish, 4.4 metre-length body, is an all-new chassis with a 71 millimetre-longer wheelbase, benefiting both passenger comfort and packaging. Wider tracks front and rear feature, as does a new rear axle design, which not only improves stability and agility, but takes the Vauxhall Astra's ride comfort into a different league.

Enhancing the Astra's dynamic performance still further is the option of Vauxhall's clever FlexRide system, a rarity in this sector which offers drivers three unique damper settings - standard, sport and tour - while being fully adaptive to changes in driving style and cornering speed.

Pictures of the new Vauxhall Astra's interior will be released soon, but in the meantime expect similar strides in quality to those found in the Insignia, combined with big improvements in packaging, seat design and in-cabin storage. Mark Adams' unique wrap-round dash treatment will also appear in the Vauxhall Astra, but with a different take on that found in the Insignia.

Unique in this sector will be the Vauxhall Astra's optional, latest generation AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting), which features bi-xenon lighting that changes its intensity and reach to suit prevailing road conditions. A similar system was introduced on the Insignia, and is now recognised as one of the most advanced systems available.

The highlight of the new Vauxhall Astra's powertrain line-up is the introduction of an all-new, 140PS turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol unit, which builds on Vauxhall's commitment to engine downsizing and reduced emissions/fuel consumption, while retaining the performance of a larger capacity vehicle. The 1.4T joins three further petrol engines, which range from 100PS to 180PS, and four diesel engines ranging from 95PS to 160PS. All engines are Euro 5 compliant.

"The only part of the Vauxhall Astra which isn't new is its name," said Andy Gilson, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "And that name currently accounts for around 30 per cent of all Vauxhall's car sales, with the five-door hatch taking 60 per cent of those sales alone - so it's important to lead with this body style. Not only is the Astra a crucial new model for Vauxhall, but we're confident that its blend of dynamic design, new-to-class technology and immense driver appeal will attract an even broader spectrum of buyers in this sector."

Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer (2010)

With 10,000 kilometres of gruelling validation at the world's most fearsome and demanding test track now under their belt, the Vauxhall Insignia VXR hatch and saloon are set to raise the bar in their sector with a heady mix of high performance, practicality and sophisticated dynamics.

And now, adding even greater versatility to the range, Vauxhall can confirm that the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer will be the third body style to join the line up and will be available in UK dealerships this autumn, after enduring the same rigorous testing at the notorious Nürburgring Circuit.

Combining all the technical highlights of the VXR hatch and saloon with best in class-matching luggage capacity (rear seats up), the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer is not only the fastest estate car Vauxhall has ever produced, but also the first to incorporate Adaptive 4x4 and an electronic limited slip differential (eLSD).

Like its saloon and hatch siblings, the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer sits 10 millimetres lower than the regular Sports Tourer, and features the unique HiPerStrut system, which reduces torque-steer and maintains negative camber during cornering, thereby improving wet and dry grip levels.

Complementing these features are standard 19-inch alloy wheels (20-inch lightweight forged alloys are a cost option) with bespoke tyres, revised bushing and damper settings on both axles, and Brembo brakes with colour-keyed callipers and vented/cross-drilled discs.

And with 325PS, the Brembos are a must. Using a modified version of the 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 engine that's standard in the Insignia Elite model, the Sports Tourer VXR will hit 60mph from zero in 6.0 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph.

Inside, the Sports Tourer's performance credentials are laid bare, with its front Recaro seats, VXR steering wheel and gearknob, as well as different instrument graphics, VXR sill plates and black headlining.

But where the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer really scores is in its versatility. With 540-litres of load space with the 40:60 split rear seats up, the SportsTourer matches the best in class. Drop the 40:60 split rear seats and you have a maximum load volume of 1530-litres.

Accessing this area has never been easier, thanks to the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer's standard electronic tailgate, which can be operated off the driver's key fob, or via a rotary knob on the inside of the driver's door. Using these functions, not only can the opening height of the tailgate be restricted, but it can also be pre-set at a lower level if you frequently park in a garage with a low ceiling.

Deeper bumpers, front mesh grilles and dual matt chrome exhausts are among the Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer's visual armoury, complemented by a colour palette comprising Arden Blue, Power Red, Carbon Flash Black, Silver Lake, Olympic White and Technical Grey.

'The Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer will be a compelling alternative for buyers in the premium sector who may currently be considering an Audi S4 Avant or BMW 335i M Sport Touring,' said Andy Gilson, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. 'We've already seen a swing to the Insignia from premium buyers who'd never before ticked the Vauxhall box on their wish list, and we expect to see the same buying pattern emerge with all versions of the Vauxhall Insignia VXR.'