Thursday 26 April 2012

500,000th Opel Insignia leaves Rüsselsheim plant

  • 500,000th Insignia is a Sports Tourer with the new 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI engine
  • Insignia success story continues with national and international awards
  • Rüsselsheim plant combines compact and mid-size cars on one assembly line

The 500,000th Opel Insignia has left the assembly line of the Rüsselsheim plant in Germany in a ceremony attended by the Plant Director Axel Scheiben. The vehicle in question is a white Insignia Sports Tourer station wagon equipped with the state-of-the art 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI engine (143 kW/195 hp output, 400 Nm torque) which had its debut in February.

“I and all the employees here at this plant are very proud of today’s achievement. Since the Insignia’s launch in October 2008, our staff went the extra mile, “says Scheiben. “Right from the start we knew that the Insignia was a true winner. I am delighted that the 500,000th Insignia is equipped with the latest two liter BiTurbo diesel engine. The new unit was launched very recently and has already enjoyed very positive feedback from the media and customers.”

Insignia 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI: sequential double turbo and twin-intercooler system
Apart from the sequential turbo system with two different sized turbochargers, the Insignia 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI is the first time a passenger vehicle has been equipped with a twin intercooler system with two completely separate cooling circuits. Thanks to its sequential double turbo system with two charging stages, the Insignia is designed to deliver especially agile, responsive and fluid performance under acceleration. This is especially true of the Insignia Sports Tourer which when fitted with the six speed manual gearbox, Start/Stop and forward wheel drive can sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in just 8.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 225 km/h. While performance is high, fuel consumption is as low as 5.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions only 134 g/km.

Apart from the 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI unit, the Insignia family offers a further three diesel engines and four more diesel powertrains. On the gasoline side, the new 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX (103 kW/140 hp) is one of the most efficient engines of the midsize segment where fuel consumption is as low as 5.7 liter per 100 kilometers and 134 g/km CO2.

Insignia Success Story
Since its debut in 2008, the Insignia has won more than 50 national and international prizes, including the prestigious “Car of The Year Award 2009”. In terms of reliability, the Insignia was declared the best used car in the mid-size vehicle segment (September 2011) by the German used car watchdog, “GTÜ” (The Association for Technical Supervision). In addition, the Insignia scored a major success in the 2012 DEKRA used car report, the second time in a row. The vehicle was the segment leader for the lowest amount of faults. The praise by the car experts is also reflected in customer demand with Russia currently leading the league table in terms of sales growth. In 2011, about 150,000 Insignias were sold in Europe with the UK and Germany still the biggest markets with 46,000 and 26,000 respectively.

Of all the Insignia cars produced in Rüsselsheim around 40 percent are Sports Tourers, 40 percent hatchbacks and the remaining 20 percent of vehicles are notchbacks.

Ultra Modern Rüsselsheim Plant

The state-of-the art plant in Rüsselsheim began operating in January 2002 and is home to the only General Motors owned factory in Europe that can assemble vehicles from two segments on one assembly line: in this case compact and mid-size vehicles.




 

Rüsselsheim produces 60 vehicles an hour or 860 a day, among them the hatchback, notchback and Sports Tourer body styles of the Insignia as well as the five door Astra. The assembly line therefore requires a high degree of flexibility. The 770 fully automated robots on the line have been programmed to distinguish between all the different models and are able to process around 12,900 different parts used to build the Insignia. Some 3,000 thousand workers work a two-shift pattern in the plant that is one of the most modern car manufacturing plants worldwide.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Opel Insignia and Volkswagen Passat in consumption test

Opel Insignia 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX wins in German magazine 'Auto Zeitung' Test of Consumption.

  1. Opel Insignia 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX
2. VW Passat 1.4 TSi BlueMotion



Model:
Opel Insignia 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX
VW Passat 1.4 TSi BlueMotion
Engine:
4-Cylinder, 16V, Turbo
4-Cylinder, 16V, Turbo, Direct Injection
Capacity:
1364 cm³
1390 cm³
Power at:
103 kW/140 PS
4900 – 6000/min
90 kW/122 PS
5000/min
Max. Torque at:
200 Nm
1850 – 4900/min
200 Nm
1500 – 4000/min
Empty weight:
1581 kg
1452 kg

Performance


0-100 km/h:
10,9 s
10,3 s
Top Speed:
205 km/h
205 km/h
Consumption


AUTO ZEITUNG-
Norm round:
7,0 l / 100 km
7,7 l / 100 km
Minimal consumption:
5,2 l / 100 km
5,4 l / 100 km
Maximal consumption:
11,8 l / 100 km
14,7 l / 100 km
EU- Consumption:
5,7 l / 100 km

5,9 l / 100 km

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Opel Enhanced FlexFix System carries up to four bikes

  • Second generation carrier can take more weight including e-bikes
  • New tilt function facilitates access to tail gate even when carrier is fully loaded
  • User friendly, no need for tools and easy on the back thanks to low height
  
The enhanced, second generation FlexFix bicycle carrier system which can take up to four bikes at a time is now available for the Astra Sports Tourer and the Zafira Tourer. The innovative system, which is exclusive to Opel and is integrated in the rear bumper of the vehicle, ensures stress-free transportation of bicycles, so that a holiday or country break with family or friends is a relaxing affair.

The enhanced Opel FlexFix system for the Astra Sports Tourer and the Zafira Tourer is geared towards the transportation of two bicycles, as is the case with the Corsa, Meriva, five-door Astra and the Antara. It now offers a series of innovations including an increased load capacity. The first and second bike can now weigh up to 30 kilograms each (so far 20 kilograms max.). This means that the increasing popular but heavy e-bikes can now easily be carried.

 As part of the second FlexFix generation an extension kit is now available, including a clip-on adaptor so that a further two bicycles of up to 20 kilograms each can be transported. The entire loading capacity is 80 kilograms. Special holders with rubber inlays ensure that the bikes are held securely in place. Additionally, the new carrier system can be locked so that the bikes are protected from thieves when the vehicle is stationary. Another big selling point of the FlexFix system of the second generation is that even when fully loaded it can be tilted so that the tailgate of the vehicle can be opened easily, providing quick access to the luggage compartment.
  
Onboard user-friendly and ergonomic flexibility exclusive to Opel
   
With the FlexFix Opel remains the only car maker to offer a bicycle carrier system that is fully integrated and always onboard. The user-friendly bicycle carrier is very easy to operate as it can be adjusted by hand without the need to use tools. When not in use it disappears invisibly into the rear bumper. This is another example of the typical flexibility associated with Opel.

 Another big plus point of the Opel FlexFix system is its outstanding ergonomics: in contrast to other systems such as roof racks where you have to lift the bicycle high over your head, the FlexFix carrier is located close to the ground making the awkward act of lifting unnecessary.  The back experts at Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (AGR – Action for Healthy Backs) emphasized this when as the world’s first production car the new Meriva was awarded their highly coveted seal of approval for its overall ergonomic concept including the FlexFix carrier.

 In contrast to roof rack based systems, the vehicle is not subjected to a 120 km/h speed limit, as the bikes are stored at the rear. This stable arrangement is particularly secure in a sharp braking maneuver or during impact. If the gear box is in reverse, an acoustic signal warns the driver that the bicycle carrier is still fully extended. 

The prices for the FlexFix carrier start at 590 euro (all prices refer to Germany and recommended retail price including VAT) in the Corsa, Meriva and Astra (five-door version) and 650 euro in the Antara. The newly enhanced FlexSystem can be purchased for 690 euro for the Astra Sports Tourer and for 790 euro in the Zafira Tourer. The adaptor kit which provides space for a third and fourth bicycle and is used in combination with the second generation carrier is available for 227,30 euro.



Thursday 12 April 2012

SPY: Opel Insignia Facelift

Four years after premiere Opel Flagship it's time for facelift


Upcoming Opel Insignia will be restyled on the front and rear. There are changes in the front grill, front bumper and the headlights units. At the rear of the new Opel Insignia may be changed tail lights and bumper. Tail lights get LEDs and also Rear Park Camera will be avaible.

New, or improved Assistance systems are expected.

Inside are also small variations. Higher quality materials are to be installed. Ambient LED lighting to enhance the interior feel and new touch screen in the center console. Heads Up Display as option. With new Opel Insignia comes new small engines family -  there will be a 1.6 SIDI Turbo (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) gasoline engine with Start/Stop system and new 1.6 CDTI diesel (from Astra J facelift), are also working in the Insignia. Total Opel will continue to offer four new EcoFlex versions.
Top version OPC is likely to have increased performance.


Touchscreen Multimedia system 

HUD