Erich Bitter, founder of Bitter Cars, is at it again transforming GM vehicles for a select few. His latest model is based on the new Opel Insignia [Buick Regal in the States] and these are the first photos of the car, courtesy of the folks over at Motor Talk.
Bitter has yet to make an official announcement on the modified Insignia but it said that it is based on the 260HP 2.8 V6 Turbo 4x4 model with pricing to be around the €65,000 [US$80,500] mark. If true, that's €25,000 more than the model upon it is based and close to €19,000 more than the 325HP Insignia OPC.
GM's European division has fine tuned several engines in the Opel / Vauxhall Insignia range (known as the Buick Regal in the States0 for better economy and lower CO2 emissions. Aside from the changes made on the 2.0-liter Turbo unit that yield close to five per cent drop in emissions, all 2.0-liter diesel powerplants including the ecoFLEX models benefit from improvements that make them greener and less costly to run.
The official performance and fuel economy numbers on the 2012 Buick Regal GS are out. When GM revealed the Buick’s sports sedan in production trim at the Detroit Motor Show this past January, the company estimated that the Regal GS was good for 255HP and a 0-60mph time of less than 7 seconds.
Now GM announced that the Regal GS’ 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been SAE-certified to deliver 270 horsepower (201kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400Nm) fat 2,400 rpm or an estimated 0-60 mph performance of 6.7 seconds, or 0.9 seconds slower than the car’s European sibling, the Opel Insignia OPC that features a 325HP V6 and AWD.
It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.
Last month we wrote about the Opel Corsa OPC Nurburgring Edition, a 210HP version of which only 500 units will be built. Opel had initially released three photos of the new car but now, the German carmaker returns with a bevy of new pictures of its pocket rocket. Naturally, all shots are taken at the Nurburgring racetrack, on the old Nordschleife section as well as on the modern Grand Prix circuit.
Opel didn't offer any new information on the car aside from announcing that the average fuel consumption is 7.6 liters/100 km (30.95 mpg) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 178 grams per kilometer.
Following last month’s presentation of the Opel Insignia OPC Unlimited, Vauxhall introduced its own version of the performance sedan with the VXR moniker featuring the de-restricted package. The Unlimited option removes the standard Insignia VXR’s 155mph (250 km/h) restrictor, allowing Vauxhall’s range-topper to exploit its all-wheel-drive chassis and 325HP turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 engine to the full topping out at 170mph (274 km/h).
More and more carmakers are quietly abandoning their gentleman’s agreement of limiting top speed of their production models to 250 km/h (155 mph), despite the fact that the only place in Europe to legally drive that fast is on certain sections of the German autobahn. The latest company to do so is Opel which has released a new version of its high-performance Insignia OPC called ‘Unlimited’ without an electronically-restricted top speed.
“We are responding to frequently expressed customer wishes,” says Alain Visser, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at Adam Opel AG. “Insignia OPC buyers are generally experienced and responsible drivers who want to enjoy the full technical possibilities of their car.”
'Tis the season for shopping at Vauxhall as GM's British subsidiary has announced a significant 20 per cent discount on most of its new models, just days before the VAT increases in the country by a hefty 2.5 per cent in early January. The automaker's offer is called "Vauxhall Countdown" and it is available on new cars purchased between December 27, 2010
GM has revealed the production version of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show's Buick Regal GS concept but to our disappointment, the automaker has kept the 255HP 2.0-liter turbocharged engine instead of the Opel Insignia OPC's far more potent 2.8-liter twin-scroll turbocharged V6 with 325 ponies. The General's cost-cutters also ditched the OPC's four-wheel drive system as the GS is a front-wheel drive model only.
Buick says with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the GS will accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than seven seconds (*estimated). In comparison, the basic $28,200 VW Passat CC 2.0 Turbo with 200HP completes the standard sprint in 6.9 seconds, while the European Opel Insignia OPC in 5.8 seconds.
Later on, Buick will offer the GS with an optional six-speed automatic with Driver Shift Control.
The car rides on standard 19-inch alloy wheels and all-season tire, with 20-inch polished alloy wheels shod in performance tires being optional. Braking power comes from a four-wheel disc brake system featuring Brembo front calipers, while there's also a standard StabiliTrak stability control system with integrated, full-function traction control.
In a live web chat held on GM's official blog earlier this week, Buick Product Marketing Director Roger McCormack sat down and answered questions from the general public. He revealed that the Buick is looking into expanding the brand's U.S. lineup with new models in the near future.
Aside from the small crossover model that has already been confirmed, McCormack said Buick is considering several options including a coupe, a convertible with either a soft-top or a retractable hardtop and a station wagon.
One question was about whether or not Buick is considering the possibility of a coupe model, in which McCormack answered: " Yes, very strong consideration."
Even though automakers have been shifting millions of advertising dollars to the Internet, they aren't about to let go of TV any time soon. Following a series of web and print ads, GM is launching the first of several television commercials on the all-new 2011 Buick Regal.
The first TV spot for the Regal saloon is titled "Autobahn" and features the voice of Kevin Bacon. As you may have guessed by the commercial's name, GM is playing up the Regal's German roots.
GM's UK division Vauxhall is expanding the Insignia's range (yes, that's the new Buick Regal in the States) with its first-ever passenger car to combine all-wheel-drive and diesel, the new CDTi 4x4 model that will hit British showrooms in September in four-door saloon, five-door fastback and Sports Tourer versions.
In the beginning we wanted to write about the new Chilean market Chevrolet Vectra but for no particular reason we decided to spend some time looking into GM's global crate of nameplates. Now, pay attention because you may get lost in translation: in Europe, GM's execs scraped the Vectra name as it was considered synonymous with "boring" in favor for the more snazzy "Insignia". In Chili, the current Chevy Vectra which is the same car as the outgoing European Opel / Vauxhall Vectra will be physically replaced by the Insignia but for some reason, the new mid-size sedan will retain the same name as before.
Moving east to Brazil and Argentina, GM thought it would be a good idea to patch the Vectra nameplate on the Chevy branded, third-generation Opel Astra sedan and hatchback models. However, in the same two South American countries, Chevrolet continues to sell Opel's previous, second-generation subcompact model as the Astra! And just for the record, the Omega nameplate that once decorated Opel's last, range-topping RWD sedan, is now used on Chevrolet's Brazilian market Holden Commodore aka the Pontiac G8... Don't you just love GM's name-sharing bin; nothing ever goes wasted!
These days marketers and advertising agencies alike come up with all kind of weird ideas to grasp the attention of consumers. In the UK, GM's British subsidiary Vauxhall is promoting its newly launched Insignia sedan by offering a free grille and light shine service to Londoners. Visitors to the new Bermondsey Square development just off Tower Bridge Road in central London today (that's Thursday, 23 October, 2008) will be able to get a quick 'face buff' at the service which opens between 8:00am and 12:00pm. -Continued
Simon Ewart, spokesperson for Insignia, commented, "The grille and light shine service brings a little bit of 1950's New York magic to London, but there's a serious message behind it – the issue of safety and keeping car headlights clean during the winter period."
- Related Stories:
- Opel Insignia Tuned by Irmscher
- New Opel Insignia Images and Details
- Opel Insignia ecoFLEX 2.0 Turbo Diesel
