The 2008 Opel Insignia was revealed at the 2008 London Motor show together with its UK sibling, the Vauxhall Insignia, and it was an important change from the aging Vectra.
While the Vectra’s image as a mid-size vehicle was not that good anymore, the carmaker tried to change direction and offered a larger car. It made it in three body shapes: sedan, hatchback, and station wagon.

At the time of its launch, the Insignia was offered in two body versions: a hatchback and a classic, three-box sedan. At the front, the fresh design look and the corner-like daytime running lights placed inside the headlights created a fresh image for the Insignia. In its hatchback shape, it looked more like a fastback than a regular two-and-a-half vehicle. That shape helped the car achieve an excellent drag coefficient of just 0.27.

The interior was build from scratch. Its front seat seatbacks were thicker by 2 cm (0.8”), offering softer support for their occupants. The rear knee room was bigger by 3 cm (1.2”) than the outgoing Vectra. A new infotainment generation included a seven-inch color monitor with a 3-D map view, digital travel guide, and improved scroll and zoom functions. Thanks to its split-bench system, the owner could have increased the trunk size from 530 liters (18.7 cu-ft) up to 1,430 liters (50.1 cu-ft).

Opel installed an extensive engine range on the Insignia. The base version featured a 1.4-liter turbocharged unit, while a 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6 powered the most potent version. The Insignia was available with either front or all-wheel-drive.