Garage74: Vauxhall

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Monday, 8 July 2013

Vauxhall Monza Concept

06:45 Kai Saarto No comments

Vauxhall Monza Concept.

After 110 years as one of the UK’s leading automotive innovators, Vauxhall – and sister company, Opel – is set to reveal a groundbreaking concept ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Known as the Monza Concept, and partially unveiled today by Opel/Vauxhall’s CEO, Karl-Thomas Neumann, the car represents a vision of the company’s future, while crucially giving an indication of its design targets. ‘It covers a whole range of subject areas and elements,’ said Karl-Thomas. ‘It carries them forward in a visionary fashion, expressing them with fresh inspiration and clarity. This car is a study that will have a long-term impact on the next generation of Vauxhall and Opel models.’

Monza Concept: Beginning the next generation of Opel/Vauxhall vehicles

The Monza Concept shows what Vauxhall customers can expect to see in the future. It focuses on two major themes – efficiency and connectivity – which will be top priorities for the 6,000-strong team of engineers, technicians and designers developing the next generation of models. The Monza Concept demonstrates outstanding efficiency through its architecture and use of materials, as well as in its aerodynamics and ground-breaking powertrain solution. In terms of connectivity, it offers possibilities that are a quantum leap in the development of infotainment systems.

Representing a styling evolution of Vauxhall’s ‘sculptural artistry meets technical precision’, the Monza Concept develops a new theme which conveys a sense of lithe athleticism, rather than pure muscle power.

This design emphasis is immediately apparent in the vehicle’s frontal styling. A low stance with flowing lines, the clearly defined bonnet and striking headlamp treatment all combine to give the car an extra dose of self-confidence. Further developed signature Vauxhall themes are embedded in the overall look: the typical crease on the bonnet appears more three-dimensional and prominent, while the chrome grille bar carrying the brand logo now sweeps up with winglets at its tips. Two characteristic blades under the headlamps add to the appeal. Overall, the Monza Concept has a light, athletic look designed to convey efficiency, excitement and great driving fun.

While the name ‘Monza’ harks back to an Opel production model, which was first sold in the UK in the late Seventies, Vauxhall’s mirror-image version was the better-known Royale, built from 1978 to 1982. The Monza and Royale combined fresh and rakish styling with clever, functional solutions for drivers and passengers. Similarities between the Concept and original Monza/Royale are visible in some design elements, such as their large, glazed surfaces and low belt line.

The original Monza/Royale was the first car on the market to feature a digital dashboard display and the Monza Concept continues this innovative theme. It introduces ground-breaking technologies for future infotainment and connectivity, showing how next-generation Vauxhall cars will address the needs of a more closely connected and communications-savvy society. They will enable future individual mobility that’s more than simply a driving experience alone.

XVR – The start of Vauxhall’s concept car heritage

Vauxhall XVR.

The Monza Concept is the latest of a long line of influential design studies that Vauxhall has created to illustrate its future styling direction. Nearly 50 years ago, the XVR took centre stage at the 1966 Geneva Salon. Largely the work of Vauxhall’s head of design, David Jones, the concept was remarkably prescient, with its wide, low-profile tyres aping the visual change in contemporary Formula One cars, which required more grip to cater for the power produced by the new 3-litre engine formula. And like the Monza Concept, the XVR provided hints to design cues on future production models, such as the unique, ultra-slim tail-lights of the Viva HC. As well as the XVR show concept, a driveable car was built and tested by Vauxhall.

“With the Monza Concept, we make our automotive future tangible today,” said Karl-Thomas. And fueling curiosity about Rüsselsheim’s newest study ahead of its world premiere, he added: “I can’t yet go into detail about how the Monza Concept’s interior design – and especially its trend-setting technologies – will change the driving experience. However, I can guarantee that viewed from any angle, its innovative body design and perfect proportions will turn heads. But they are just a visible expression of the great substance you will find under the bodywork. Everyone should visit us at the Opel/Vauxhall stand at the IAA to get a look at our exciting future!”

KITT is becoming a reality with ADAM the Speaking Car

13:39 Kai Saarto No comments

As if the ADAM’s multi-million configurations weren’t headline-grabbing enough, Vauxhall has today revealed that it will be the first car in its class that drivers can hold a conversation with, allowing them to give voice commands and receive a verbal response from the car itself.

When fitted with the innovative IntelliLink infotainment system, ADAM is now available with full integration for Siri Eyes Free, the unique intelligent assistant from Apple that helps you get things done whilst driving just by asking.

Using a steering wheel-mounted button, customers with a compatible iPhone running iOS 6 can direct Siri Eyes Free to perform a number of tasks while they keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. This is more than traditional voice activation: you can speak to Siri Eyes Free in ADAM in a conversational tone, just as you would with a friend.

To minimise distraction, Apple and Vauxhall have taken hands-free functionality even further by using Siri Eyes Free mode to interact with an Apple device using nothing more than the driver’s voice. The device screen does not display the Siri text conversation while using the feature in ADAM; this is one of the important safety measures Apple and Vauxhall took during the integration development to ensure the upmost focus on safety.

Siriis available free of charge in all IntelliLink-equipped ADAMs which are ordered from today. Customers who already own an ADAM with IntellilLink can also benefit from Siri Eyes Free, via a free update available from next month. The innovative IntelliLink system can be continually updated throughout the customers’ ownership to ensure in-car infotainment is just as up to date as their mobile communication. Updates are available for ADAM owners through their nearest Vauxhall dealer.

To start sessions with Siri in Eyes Free mode, ADAM owners simply connect their Apple iOS device with the IntelliLink infotainment system via Bluetooth, pair with the system, and use the steering wheel voice activation button. Siri Eyes Free can be activated while other apps such as BringGo continue running in the background. Music or nav directions are automatically muted during this time.

In the Vauxhall ADAM equipped with the IntelliLink infotainment system, owners can use Siri Eyes Free to:

Make voice-activated, hands-free calls to Contacts on their iPhone
Play chosen songs in their iTunes libraries without having to spend time scrolling through menus – and therefore being distracted while driving
Listen to, or compose and send an iMessage, text message or mail to a phone number or anyone in saved Contacts
Access Calendar and add appointments, read incoming notifications as well as configuration for alarm and notification settings
And, of course, Siri also answers simple questions such as game scores, weather or the dates of national holidays

Many capabilities for ADAM’s IntelliLink infotainment system

Vauxhall’s new IntelliLink infotainment system, which made its debut in ADAM, is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Android devices. The full scope of options IntelliLink offers in ADAM also includes TuneIn, a global radio access app, BringGo, a navigation app, and Stitcher, a global podcast internet radio app. IntelliLink brings the connectivity and functionality of smartphones safely inside the car via a seven-inch, high resolution, full colour touch-screen display with Bluetooth or USB connections. IntelliLink, the ultra-modern infotainment system, can therefore be as personal to use as the content kept on an iPhone or Android device. At the same time, Vauxhall IntelliLink is an affordable system, costing just £275.

Standard infotainment for ADAM JAM, ADAM GLAM and ADAM SLAM is a CD 3.0 BT system with radio and CD players, featuring DAB and Bluetooth to enable hands-free calling and USB connections. And the whole infotainment system can be further enhanced with an impressive Infinity Sound System including eight loudspeakers.

New Insignia under the looking glass

09:47 Kai Saarto No comments

These are Vauxhall’s / Opel's first official pictures of the New Insignia range, which goes on sale today with first deliveries to customers in October after its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Available as a five-door Hatch, four-door Saloon and Sports Tourer estate, the new range now starts at just £16,279, nearly £2,000 less than entry into the outgoing line-up. There are four new engines including: a 99g/km 140PS 2.0 CDTi offering large cost benefits to fleet and high-mileage drivers; an all-new 1.6 SIDI 170PS Turbo; and a new 250PS 2.0 SIDI Turbo petrol. Existing diesel units have also benefited from refinement improvements.

An all-new infotainment system, incorporating Bluetooth-operated internet connectivity, an 8-inch touchscreen, and 3D navigation and voice control, is fully compatible with a driver’s smartphone and allows drivers unrivalled communications while on the move. A DMB (Digital Media Broadcast) radio is now standard across the range.

Since its launch in 2008, the Insignia has largely dominated the mid-size sector and launched the eye-catching design philosophy that has permeated all subsequent new models. The Insignia’s classic exterior lines remain for the new range, with only subtle enhancements made to its styling, but inside there are important changes to the car’s instrument cluster and centre console design, as well as improvements to its control-functionality.

The Insignia’s range has been simplified, too. There are now eight trims (down from 14 in the outgoing line-up), ranging from Design to Elite, with a mixture of new models that will appeal to both retail and fleet buyers.

New Powertrains + Chassis Enhancements

Across the New Insignia range, there have been improvements to the car’s ride and handling. Damper and anti-roll bar settings have been revised for better ride and control, while the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system standard in all but the VXR models has been reprogrammed for improved feel. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) levels have also been reduced for enhanced occupant comfort.

The New Insignia range’s powertrain line-up has been broadened still further with the addition of an all-new petrol engine and new derivatives of the existing 2.0 CDTi unit.

Now available with a choice of three power outputs – 120PS, 140PS and 163PS – the New Insignia range’s 2.0 CDTi engine offers drivers ultra-low CO₂ emissions of 99g/km (76.3mpg 3.08 L/100km combined) for the lower two outputs and 114g/km (65.7mpg ( 3.50 L/100km combined) for the higher output unit (figures for Hatch models). But performance hasn’t been compromised, with even the 120 and 140PS models producing up to 320 and 370Nm of torque respectively, and the 163PS model up to 380Nm.

For company car drivers, the new diesel engines offer an even more compelling argument, with both the 120 and 140PS ecoFLEX Hatch versions emitting just 99g/km of CO₂ and dipping in to the 14 per cent Benefit-in-Kind category for the 2013/14 Tax Year.

Also new to the engine line-up are two direct injection petrol units: the new-generation 1.6-litre SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) producing 170PS/280Nm that recently launched in the 2013 Cascada convertible, and the 2.0-litre SIDI, producing 250PS/400Nm. Both engines provide an exceptional mix of refinement, economy and performance. They can be coupled with a six-speed manual transmission and Start/Stop function, or with a new, low-friction six-speed automatic gearbox. In addition to front-wheel-drive, the 2.0-litre SIDI Turbo is also available with four-wheel-drive.

Interior Design and Infotainment

The biggest change existing Insignia customers will see when they sit in the new car is a completely re-designed centre console and instrument cluster. The centre console has been simplified and now has fewer buttons for more intuitive operation of common functions, such as air conditioning and infotainment, while the instrument cluster has new dials and a fresh, high-tech look.

Optional across the range is an 8-inch screen infotainment display (up from 5-inches in the outgoing range) and a new, upgraded instrument cluster with an 8-inch, high-resolution colour display. The cluster incorporates two outer dials showing fuel and revs, while in the centre sits a speedometer that can be displayed in analogue or digital form, or changed to show functions such as smartphone or audio use, or navigation.

The 8-inch infotainment display has touch-screen functionality, allowing drivers to access all functions and sub-menus such as radio stations, song titles, smartphone connection or 3D navigation in an intuitive and safe way. Its illuminated, touch-sensitive surface reacts immediately to finger movements, with even individual letters and numbers being accessible via this method. Up to 60 favourite menus can be stored from all functions and Apps can also be downloaded via the car’s Bluetooth-connected internet.

In addition to button, touchscreen and touchpad operation, Insignia drivers can also control the infotainment system via re-designed controls on the new-look steering wheel. The advanced voice recognition function can also be operated by a single push of a button on the steering wheel.

Stylish new leather and cloth trims are available in the New Insignia range, complemented by upgraded dashboard materials and decors.

Exterior Design & Technology

With 40 industry awards to its name – including the coveted European Car of the Year in 2009 – the outgoing Insignia has earned respect from media and customers alike. One of the pillars of its success has been its premium design – we called it ‘sculptural artistry meets technical precision’ at launch – and with the new range this has been enhanced still further.

Starting at the front of the car, the high-gloss chrome grille is wider and lower than before. The logo-bar that cradles the Griffin badge is thinner and includes winglets that link with the re-designed headlamps. On Elite models, these feature bi-xenon lamps with AFL (Advanced Forward Lighting), which is optional on all other models.

Standard headlamps are trimmed in high-gloss black with chrome-embedded accents, with the up-level AFL lights getting a ‘wing-signature’ daytime running light with energy-saving LEDs.

The lower front fascia inserts are designed to appear slim and wide to emphasise the upper grille size. Fog lamps are combined with wide, black inserts and chrome accents, which grow in width as they near the cabin.

In profile, the New Insignia range’s Hatch and Saloon models are better defined through their unique tailgates and rear spoilers. The crease line on the C-pillar of the Hatch fades out before it reaches the spoiler’s trailing edge, giving it a classic coupe silhouette. On the Saloon, the crease line continues along the edge of the spoiler to emphasise the body’s length.

At the rear, the New Insignia range models appear wider and lower. The high-gloss chrome logo bar has been positioned lower on the tailgate. It extends into the tail-lights and incorporates the slim-look reversing lamps. The tail and stop functions of the two-piece tail-lights are illuminated by LEDs throughout the range.

The New Insignia range offers a raft of technology, safety and comfort highlights. These include state-of-the-art radar and camera-based assistance systems (including adaptive cruise control and second-generation park assist), premium seats, and ‘Open & Start’, the keyless entry and start system, to name just a few.

Two new exterior colours – Emerald Green and Aurum Green – join the exciting 10 colour choices.

Range

The New Insignia range comprises eight trim levels starting with Design, and going up to Elite. There are also two trims – Energy and Limited Edition – which package generous equipment levels popular with retail buyers. And a further two trims – Design and Tech Line – that package comprehensive levels of equipment for company car drivers.

All models have a long list of standard equipment, which includes: