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Next Opel Insignia Will (Also) Become a Crossover in 2022

Between compact cars getting really big and practical, the rise of crossovers and EVs, the once-dominant European D-segment is now being left for dead. And the next victim could be the Insignia.
Next Opel Insignia Will (Also) Become a Crossover in 2022 1 photo
Photo: Opel
The model just received some minor mid-life cosmetic updates which will bring it in line with the Corsa while also borrowing some more efficient engines from parent company PSA.

However, the facelift will only last until 2022, and after that, Opel/Vauxhall may not offer another liftback/estate. This is more than just speculation, as Auto Express magazine was able to secure a statement from Vauxhall’s Managing Director, Stephen Norman.

“The industry is asking what happens after the SUV. And we think the new Insignia will be it. It’s the biggest metamorphosis of what we’ve seen so far from Vauxhall," which basically means they're trying to make it into a sort of MPV-SUV hybrid, as practical as possible but still cool-looking.

The French invented the MPV and they evolved it further this decade. We're looking at the Renault Espace and hoping the Insignia will be just as interesting. But Ford also comes to mind here.

Not only did the company let slip that it was lifting the Mondeo, but we already have a couple of telling prototype sightings. These used to be great, fun, affordable sedans for the family man. We remember when you could have V6 performance models from both models, but even then, they weren't very popular.

We're not very up-to-date with European fleet car sales, but this feels like a gamble for everybody. Insignia sales will be down to below 50,000 units in Europe this year, with the Mondeo doing even worse. About 80% of those are bout to be fleet sales which the companies might lose to BMW or Mercedes.

On the other hand, the American versions of these cars are basically dead. We're referring to the Buick Regal and Ford Fusion. Without a global market, big sedans barely make any sense right now.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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