Vauxhall cars

2010 Vauxhall Astra teaser

Vauxhall revealed the first teasers on the 2010 Astra that will make its official debut at the next year’s Frankfurt Show. Vauxhall/Opel hope to continue the design success its been enjoying with the current Astra and Corsa.

Vauxhall is touting the new Astra’s Front Camera System used in the upcoming Insignia, which combines traffic sign recognition with a lane departure system, improving occupant safety and potentially helping drivers avoid fines.

Press release after the jump.

Vauxhall Astra TwinTop receives new VXR styling pack

Vauxhall unveiled two editions of the Astra TwinTop called Exclusiv and Exclusiv XP. For the U.S. audience, the TwinTop is like a prettier version of the Pontiac G6 convertible. The two Vauxhalls come with new 18-inch alloy wheels used exclusively on this editions, heated mirrors, leather interior, leather steering wheel and heated leather seats. The Exclusiv XP also receives a VXR styling package.

The Exclusiv XP edition comes with a new VXR styling pack consisting in a new front spoiler, new side sills and a re-designed rear bumper. The engines available for the two editions are a 1.8-liter gas engine developing 140 hp, a 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine capable to develop 200 hp and a 1.9-liter diesel engine developing 150 hp. Pricing starts from £19,295 (at current exchange rates is about $34,396.)

Vauxhall Corsa VXR Arctic Edition

Vauxhal revealed today a new Corsa VXR special edition. The "Arctic Edition" will make tis world debut at the British International Motor Show on July 22. It will be limited to only 500 units, each priced at £16,995.

The Corsa VXR Arctic Edition will be powered by the new 6.2-litre, 431PS V8 engine, and the recently launched Astra Nurburgring Edition.

It will feature unique Glacier White paintwork, bespoke black 18-inch V-spoke alloy wheels with ultra-low profile 225/35 tyres and a Remus Sports exhaust.

2008 Vauxhall Astra TwinTop Exclusiv XP

With Spring absent this year, there’s no better car than the Astra TwinTop to deal with a mix of weather conditions, be they sub-zero or near-Sahara. And now there are two new models, the Exclusiv and Exclusiv XP, bringing added style and panache to the four-seater convertible range. As with all TwinTops, they feature a three-piece electro-hydraulic roof which can be raised and lowered in less than 30 seconds – even while the car’s moving at up to 18mph.

In addition to the TwinTop Exclusiv (which replaces the Exclusiv Black edition), the Exclusiv XP model gains the stunning VXR Styling Pack as standard, with a body-coloured lower front spoiler, rear lower skirt, lip spoiler and side sills. And for the first time, the TwinTop Exclusiv – along with the Exclusive XP – can be specified in two new colours, Star Silver and Panacotta, as well as the existing Power Red and Black Sapphire body colours.

Vauxhall VXR8 gets new LS3 V8 engine

Vauxhall’s mighty VXR8 super-saloon gets a potent new V8 engine this summer, with even more power and improved performance. The new unit allows the VXR8 to raise the bar yet again among its rivals, optimizing its sophisticated rear-wheel drive chassis still further and retaining its mantle as a driver’s car like no other in its class. New color and equipment options further enhance this, the fastest car to wear the Griffin badge.

Known as LS3, the new V8 engine’s capacity grows from 5967cc to 6162cc, and thanks to various improvements over the outgoing LS2 unit, such as high-flow cylinder heads, new pistons and an enhanced valvetrain, power is up by 14PS to 431PS at 6000rpm.

This translates to a reduced 0-60mph time for cars with automatic transmissions (down from 5.0 seconds to 4.9) and improved in-gear acceleration for manual models (50-70mph in 3rd gear drops from 2.8 to 2.6 seconds; 30-50mph in 2nd gear drops from 2.0 to 1.9 seconds). And if you fancy smoking your VXR8 at a track day, you’ll see 80—100mph times fall from 4.3 to just 4.0 seconds in 4th gear.

2008 Vauxhall Tigra Sport Rouge

Hot off the catwalk the stylish Sport Rouge is the latest edition to the Tigra range featuring a dynamic new change to the drop top roof. The new Sport Rouge replaces the Sport model, and features a whole host of standard equipment.
Perhaps the most eye-catching feature is its roof which is now covered in a stylish Bordeaux Red coloured fabric. As with all Tigras, the new-look roof can be raised or lowered in just 20 seconds.

This edition is available in four body colours - Metro Blue, Star Silver, Flame Red or Black Sapphire - and comes as standard with central locking, electrically adjustable door mirrors, CD player and steering wheel mounted controls. Also standard are 16” alloy wheels, an aux-in MP3 player jack and Sports seats.

If that’s not enough you can upgrade to a choice of 17 inch alloy wheels, a full leather pack and rear parking sensors, or even a stylish VXR pack to make your car really stand out from the crowd.

Offered with a choice of three engines – the nippy 1.4 litre and 1.8 litre petrols, and the economical 1.3 diesel – prices range from £15,705 to £17,195.

2008 Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition

There are plenty of hot hatches on the market, but it’s the Astra VXR that’s the undisputed Ring leader. And to prove it, Vauxhall has pulled the wraps off the Nürburgring edition, named after the car’s spiritual home, where much of its pre-production development was carried out.

Based on the standard Astra VXR and priced at £21,295, each individually numbered Nürburgring edition will come with an exclusive all-white paint finish and lightweight white 18-inch alloy wheels, equipped with bespoke Dunlop tyres, are also specified. Other exterior features include dark tinted windows, carbon fibre effect mirrors and B-Pillars and distinctive chequered flag body graphics, to further emphasise the car’s incredible performance.

Mechanically similar to the standard VXR, the Nürburgring Edition produces 240HP in factory tune, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. Each UK-specification car will also come provided with a Remus Sports Exhaust, developed with Vauxhall’s BTCC race team, Triple-Eight Race Engineering, which provides a power increase of up to 15hp.

Vauxhall VXR8 with Corvette engine

The current Vauxhall VXR8 is powered by a e 6.0-litre V8 engine. But this is not enough to target sports-cars like Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG. And this is why Vauxhall will launch a new version of its VXR8, this time powered by a 7.0-litre version of the Corvette engine.

The new model will be badged the W427 and will arrive at the UK dealers in September with price tag of around £55,000.

The W427 will be based on the Australian Holden HSV unveiled at last month’s Melbourne Motor Show. With a maximum power of 570bhp and 640Nm of torque the car will cover 0-60mph in around 4.5 seconds, and go on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

A spokesman for Vauxhall told Auto Express; “We are in the early stages with development. The car is going to feature a number of components developed from the racing version, and we need to make sure that everything is tested properly before customer deliveries start.”

Vauxhall revealed new logo

Long established as the face of the marque, Vauxhall’s Griffin will be given a new look for 2008. The new incarnation follows the rapid progress Vauxhall has made in vehicle design and overall brand perception in recent years, underpinned by the success of both Astra and Corsa models.

Displaying a more dynamic and contemporary look, the new Griffin will make its first appearance on the new Insignia, which will debut at the British International Motor Show in July. It will then appear progressively on every all-new Vauxhall launched in the future.

Bill Parfitt, Vauxhall’s Managing Director, said that the new-look Griffin represented far more than just a badge re-design: “While the new-look Griffin pays homage to our 100 year-plus manufacturing heritage in the UK, it also encapsulates Vauxhall’s fresh design philosophy, first showcased in the current Astra, and set to continue with Insignia.

Vauxhall release ’official Spy Shots’ of the Insignia and explain how and why they camouflage test cars

Spy shots is what auto makers hate the most. What can be more annoying than seeing a top secret car all over the internet? Well, Vauxhall decided to release a series of spy shots with the upcoming Insignia.

The Insignia will make its world debut at the British Motor Show on July 22nd. With a highly attractive, completely new body line and sculptural design, Insignia is set to cause a sensation in its class – but surprises only work if they are not revealed beforehand.

The team responsible for camouflaging prototypes began making their preparations for the test phase when the new car first progressed beyond computer simulations and clay models. Together with chief designers and engineers, the team established which of the car’s characteristic lines should be kept hidden the longest from prototype paparazzi.

Together, they developed a "facelift" for the upcoming model that would disguise the prototypes as much as possible. One of the variants had an especially elegant, flowing rear section, for instance, so a pronounced spoiler was designed to mask it. A wooden model was built as a cast to form the plastic camouflage parts needed for around 200 test cars that have to be disguised in the run-up to series production.

After the jump, Vauxhall explain how and why they disguise their test cars