Opel Insignia Spied in Michigan by WCF Reader

Opel Insignia photographed in Michigan

By Thami Masemola
March 17, 2009 12:04 AM
Filed Under: German, Opel, Spy Photos

A WCF regular spotted this Opel Insignia sedan driving out of a suburban garage in Michigan while he was walking his dogs. According to the reader he was able to take these clear pictures and talk to the driver who also had a 2010 Cadillac CTS wagon in the vicinity.

The driver/ engineer was apparently not too cagey on the fact that the Insignia is being considered for the US but the high costs of reengineering cars of European origin to meet US regulations were quite prohibitive for parent General Motors at this point. Therefore he could not comment on whether it would really wear a Buick or Cadillac badge as it has been speculated.

Opel launched the Insignia in April 2008 after much spy activity. Seven months later it was voted European Car of the Year. The Insignia comes with FWD or AWD drive configuration depending on the model and is being offered with a range of seven engines in the European market. Among them are a 260hp (191kW) V6 and a 160hp (118kW) turbo diesel. Currently three bodies are being made; a four-door sedan, four-door hatchback and wagon.

Thanks for the great tip Uwe!

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Tags: Opel Insignia, Vauxhall Insignia, Opel Insignia spy

Opel Insignia may come to America as Buick and Cadillac (19 comments
Opel Models Heading to U.S. under Buick Brand (20 comments

Comments

Renegade

March 17, 2009 12:10 AM

Buick Regal...any bets against it?

joelynn

March 17, 2009 12:29 AM

it obviously will take the yanks a while to make the suspension soft enough and mess up the handling....

Max_Speed

March 17, 2009 12:36 AM

haha, that was a good one !

ivezajro3

March 17, 2009 12:51 AM

hahaha.. yeah that was a good eurotrash comment on cars we had decades ago....hahahahahaha...get with the program, that car will end up with more luxurious amenities and features then its european counterpart mainly because we tend to have a higher standard of living and simply more money to spend then hot-hatch minitrash driving europeans..

ivanadrive

March 17, 2009 1:26 AM

Erm, so why are lexus and infinity still upgrading suspension and brakes for the European versions? But let's just say that Americans and Europeans still have diffent automotive tastes before World War III breaks out :D

Bristol411S3

March 17, 2009 1:38 AM

Ever wondered why Europeans don't buy Americans cars? Hint: it's nothing to do with them being too luxurious, as I think there's a reasonably sized market here for Audis, BMWs, Mercs, Jaguars, Porsches and the like.

Edited by user on March 17, 2009 at 1:39 AM

dom6698

March 17, 2009 3:47 AM

Boo hoo we don't have useless stuff like OnStar. And we don't have this matcho hang up about big engines or super size McDs. You say you have a higher standard of living, but I don't think I'm wrong in saying us Europeans don't envy it. You keep you 3.8 V6 200hp 5+m long saloons and we'll stick to our 2.0l turbo compact economical cars.

This is so typical for me of the whole 'my car's more expensive' 'mmy car's bigger' 'my car's got a bigger engine' attitude of you Yanks. You spend so little time considering foreign options you're just happy to be seduced by the whole idea that GM/Ford/Chrysler et al are holy and foreign stuff must by default be no good.

Edited by user on March 17, 2009 at 3:52 AM

afterace2

March 17, 2009 10:51 AM

Why our Euro Honda Accord is Your luxury Acura TSX? This is just one of the examples. VWs, Toyotas, Hondas coming from US by private import are so far worse finished and sophisticated than in Europe. Compare Euro Corolla to US Corolla, or Euro Civic to US Civic...

Bristol411S3

March 17, 2009 11:58 AM

And let's not forget that American cars are a whole heap cheaper than European cars. The re-engineering is probably needed to bring the costs down, in fact.

afterace2

March 17, 2009 1:39 PM

True, that's why a "higher standard of living and simply more money to spend" phrase sounds kinda funny. In fact Your fullsize limos cost around the same as our "econoboxes" here.

Andres2007

March 17, 2009 12:52 AM

It is evidently not going to be commercialized under the Cadillac brand. Out of the question!

DieselDog

March 17, 2009 1:38 AM

Change the grille only and, VOILA, a Buick! The design language is too different from that of current Cadillacs to warrant a re-badge to Caddy. Change the grille, don't mess with the suspension calibration as doing so would reduce the "gotta-have-it" factor of buyers younger than 45.

wjaprep

March 17, 2009 2:37 AM

Maybe they are going to try and sale Opels here...

steveRB

March 17, 2009 6:47 PM

wjaprep - My comment wasn't directed at you. It was directed at ivezajro3

wjaprep

March 17, 2009 10:21 PM

Actually Im just a really smart 4 year old, your all wrong. Fail. a

nd SteveRB im not sure wht ur talking about...

wjaprep

March 18, 2009 11:37 PM

SteveRB, ha, no im not a retarded adult, Im a smart 4 year old, like Ive said, can you not read? Im not sure wht i said tht was so bad anyweigh, oh well, its time for my nap time now.

steveRB

March 17, 2009 8:10 AM

You are a either brilliant 6 year old or mentally challenged adult. Which one is it?

Decypha

March 17, 2009 8:32 AM

steveRB man that's deep, but look I reckon it comes down to culture; Americans have a different culture to Europeans and that's that. I'm from South Africa, I know what kinda rifts minor culture differences can create.

genie

March 17, 2009 8:38 AM

You're being a little generous I think. I would have said a 'slightly above average 6 year old'. Anyway the latter is more likely. I think it will be a Buick, the Insignia is too mainstream for Cadillac.

wills2007

March 17, 2009 10:53 AM

I love how people get into a Europe Vs. America argument, pointless, most people living in America aren't American, I spend half my time in London, half in Los Angeles. The fact is the US has much smoother straighter roads, hence the preference to larger engined automatics, and on the whole cheaper petrol (sorry, gasoline), space is a premium in Europe, particularly in the cities, living in London, I'll stick to my diesel A3 Sportback, wouldn't want or be able to fit a bigger car in around here but in LA I lease a Lexus RX, which ironically is small by comparison to my neighbour's cars. ying/yang, different cultures.

lucifa

March 17, 2009 12:09 PM

Just thought I'd jump in here -- ivezajro3, just what on earth are you on? Seriously? You tend to have more money to spend? You have one of the highest GDP's in the world, yet a quick google search shows you have the 92nd best distribution of wealth... so no, most of you do not have more money than the rest of the world. And a higher standard of living -- are you joking? The UNDP Human Development Index results for 2008 show U.S living standards place eight out of the top ten as European countries and Australia in fourth place (represent!). The US is at fifteenth place. So no. Just no. Most of your country does not have more money than Europe, and you most certainly do not have a higher standard of living. Please, I implore you not to look down your nose at the rest of the world and assume they are not as wealthy/good as you are. In my opinion, it's one of the main reasons the world hates America so...

Also, about your military comment - it rankles with me to sink to this level but I will to make a point. Just what do you think would happen if Russia, China and the Middle East retaliated to any major military offence the US launched? Nuclear holocaust, every single country dies. Not so good, yeah? (Scarily, that is still a possibility).

Returning to a more civilised and intelligent level, nobody really cares what the US thinks because of their military capabilities -- they listen to America because it is a superb economy for any and every industry to take advantage of; that's all.

I obviously happen to be Australian, and believe me, I care what the Europeans think. I care what they think considerably more than I care what US citizens think. So no, people do care what Europeans think. And please do not tell us to "shut up". I think a different site would welcome your comments, but I think I speak for a very large part of the members on this site when I say we do not. So please find somewhere else to post if you intend to post that level of international social commentary.

World Peace ftw! ;)

generalzbynio

March 17, 2009 3:01 PM

Coming back to the issue, Insignia is offered in China as Buick Regal. I'm not sure if it is also made in China but I suppose so. Yakees stinks

fast_lane

March 17, 2009 5:28 PM

After reading most of the arguments, I have to agree on both sides. I have European friends who really enjoy driving around in a V8 Mustang when in the USA. Likewise, the American ones would rather drive a smaller, sportier car when in Europe or Asia. Those continents are more congested (space limited) and charge more for gasoline, therefore it would make more sense to have a smaller car.

But the USA is starting to turn away from full-size, muscle/sports, and SUVs to smaller and lighter cars that are more fuel efficient. I also love the fact that the US manufacturers are claiming to make American "style" and "driving" seem more superior to the foreign makes, even though they use the engineering from them (or badge engineering in some cases).

With Honda announcing that they will build only one version of the next Accord for world markets (hopefully not smaller than the current Euro Accord/TSX, which I could live with it), I'm curious if the others will follow suit. Toyota has announced that there will be no replacement of the Avalon, but there will instead be a longer wheelbase version of the next Camry. It also seems that recently the "mid-size" cars offered in the US are crossing over into the "full-size" category, so it makes me wonder.

Back to the point of the Insignia. I like the interior, and impressed by the reviews. But I'm sorry, I just don't like the exterior styling. I have to laugh at those people who think that this car is beautiful, while the Accord and Camry (American) are bland or ugly. If GM is going to turn this into a Buick, I hope they give it major exterior enhancements.

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