OPEL CLIP

GM Europe design is light years ahead of what GM Europe design was just a few years ago. The Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, Astra, Vectra, and Zafira are all - at this time - look much flashier and more expensive than just one generation ago.

The Insignia group of vehicles won't be fully revealed for a number of months. Automakers all enjoy building hype. Hundreds of Pontiac G6's were given away on Oprah Winfrey's show a few years back. The smart fortwo has been touring America ahead of its on-sale date. The faster-than-Z06 Corvette was 'caught' (wink wink), extensively, on video before General Motors wanted to even talk about it. In any case, this very partial Opel Insignia reveal is one of the better hype-builders. Sure, it's a bit geeky; plenty unbelievable; and it's not as if this is the C7 Corvette. But it's well done and 10x cooler than the Hyundai version of the same concept.

ACROSS THE POND - Opel & Vauxhall Corsa

You're deep in the heart of Kansas. You have long, flat, empty roads. You want to go fast, man. You are a hop, skip, and a jump from great mountain roads in Colorado. Arkansas' back roads are not far at all.

And you're concerned that GoodCarBadCar's recommended cars from Across The Pond, though good and fine, are just not offering the juice you need. 100bhp from a small Fiat is plenty fun, but we're talking about empty roads. Let's have some fun. Suzuki's Swift Sport is very unlike any Swift we've ever known.

But c'mon - this country was built on Z28's and Mustang GT's. How can The Good Car Guy expect you to make such sacrifices? I mean, hey - oil is expensive; but you're living high on the hog. Preserve the oil, sure. Just don't starve me of it.

I hear ya. Vauxhall and Opel are - rather, were - not renowned for their hot hatchbacks. Vauxhall, being General Motors British brand and Opel the European GM outlet, built cars for straight lines with very little excitement. Then along came the Astra VXR. (We'll stick to Vauxhall talk now, Opel would call it the OPC but I don't speak German.)

Vauxhall's Astra VXR is wild, stupid, crazy fast. There is a lot of power flowing through two wheels, and those two wheels are also tasked with steering the car. It also looks like a handsome version of a very angry European hatchback. We'll see this car on our side of the pond as the Saturn Astra, with 100 fewer horsepower.

I digress. The Astra VXR sounds like it fits the bill for Kansas boy who heads to Colorado and Arkansas for roads more worthy than his straight lines. Realistically, if other options include the Fiat Panda 100HP and Suzuki Swift Sport, that Astra is thousands of £ too expensive.

Move on down the ladder, my friend. If you're willing go up two notches from the Panda, but just one from the Swift Sport, and come down a couple steps from the Astra VXR, a £15,625 Corsa VXR is your's. Oh, forgot to mention. You can't buy the Corsa in Kansas, just like you can't buy the Panda or Swift. For that reason, GoodCarBadCar is supplying the video below. Ya ain't never gonna see one of these VXR's in action - and GCBC considered it important viewing.

Pricing for this Corsa VXR is inching toward the domain of Mini Cooper S. The Corsa is unlikely to be recommended by many over-and-above that other Brit, but with 189 horsepower; 140mph capability; plenty of equipment; and modern sporting looks, the Corsa is at least worth watching.

GET YOUR LOTUS ELISE AS A VAUXHALL WITH A JAGUAR V8

No, it may not be the normal route to a high-performance Lotus, but Caral, a British tuner, will get some attention with its V8-powered Vauxhall VX220. Indeed, it'll no longer be a VX220 but a V8XS.

See, when Lotus introduced the Elise Part Deux, General Motors' UK subsidiary decided it would like a version for itself. With a hefty restyling, a (slight) softening and a turn towards all-rounder, the Vauxhall VX220 was born. As was the Opel Speedster. 

It became apparent, however, that if people wanted a Lotus they were more than willing to pay a little more for... a Lotus. And they did. GM stopped its deal with the sportscar maker and Lotus became the only badge on the front of the Elise.

Although Lotus hasn't been building any cars for Vauxhall or Opel in quite a while, that isn't stopping Caral from getting hold of performance lovers who want their lovingly cared for VX to be stepped up a notch. Caral wanted to begin fitting a longitudnally-mounted GM V6 at first but has moved past that. For a car that originally powered up to the tune of 147 or 200 horsepower, the 450-bhp supercharged Jaguar V8 must be quite a thrill.

No doubt Caral puts in quite a bit of labour to jam a 4.2L V8 in the midst of a very tiny roadster. Nevertheless, they figure the job can typically be done for less than £30,000. The process includes the addition of a roof air intake, a six-speed gearbox, and a wheelbase lengthening for a very Audi R8-like effect.

THE FUTURE SATURN AURA? SEEN AS OPEL INSIGNIA

Vauxhall and Opel have brought nigh unto identical model lineups for quite some time. Recently, Saturn has been brought into this little subsection of the General Motors fold; but for the most part with the everydayish models. No Agila, Corsa, Tigra, or Zafira for those of us in the New World. But the Vectra remained fairly well intact during its Atlantic crossing and became the Aura. The Antara is the newest Vue and the Astra even kept its name.

For the brand-spankin'-about-to-hit-the-auto-show-circuit Insignia to become Aura v2.0, one can assume three things. Firstly, Saturn will have to be able to sell it at a great profit. GM buyers often find deals where Honda and Toyota customers can't. Yet the price can't get too low that the dollar/euro exchange eats further into profits.

Secondly, GM suits must decide whether they want to continue carrying a vast array of the competing models. Malibu, G6, and Aura are incredibly direct competitors. Easily toss the Impala and Lacrosse/Allure into that mix if you like. Furthermore, the G8 isn't out of reach for the top-line Malibu/Aura buyers.

Finally, to what degree does a financially struggling conglomeration like General Motors fall back on old habits - selling outdates automobiles with ridiculously high incentives for a really long time. See Saab 9-5, Chevrolet Cavalier, etc.

If, however, Saturn does import the Insignia as the Aura or as the Insignia or as the Vectra, it'll likely look a lot like the car in the pictures you see here.