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Australian car buyers are not alone in the shift away from traditional sedans and wagons. Now the Vauxhall Insignia – the twin to the final Holden sedan – has reached the end of the road.
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The Vauxhall Insignia – the European sedan that formed the basis of the final Holden Commodore – has been dropped from the UK showroom line-up, and there are no immediate plans for a replacement.
In an exclusive report by respected UK journal Autocar, the head of Vauxhall told the magazine: “We will fulfil (remaining) orders, but there is no plan in the short-term to replace (the Vauxhall Insignia) straight away.
“There will still be an Opel Insignia [which stays on sale in Europe and other markets, and remains in production in Germany] but there is a gap for us, with no plans to fill for now,” Vauxhall UK managing director Paul Willcox told Autocar.
The Vauxhall Insignia – available as a sedan or wagon (pictured) and made by sister brand Opel in Germany – appears to have already been removed from the Vauxhall UK website.
Its demise follows the axing of the Opel-sourced Holden Commodore in Australia and the Buick version of the same car in the US in 2020.
In the same way the homegrown Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon sedans once dominated the Australian new-car market, the Vauxhall Insignia (plus its Cavalier/Vectra predecessors) and Ford Mondeo (and its Cortina/Sierra forebears) previously led UK fleet sedan sales.
The end of the line for the Vauxhall Insignia follows the axing of the Ford Mondeo in the UK this time last year – and the end of global Mondeo production in March this year.
Autocar says the departure of the Vauxhall Insignia shows “the near total collapse of the D-segment in the UK car market, such models having been usurped by SUVs and crossovers almost to extinction.”
The magazine said the Vauxhall Insignia and Opel Insignia twins could be replaced “around 2024/25” by a sleek electric SUV.
A media statement issued by Vauxhall in the UK said: “In line with UK market trends, and a focus on our move to electrification, Vauxhall has decided to close customer ordering for the Vauxhall Insignia model with immediate effect.
“Production of the Vauxhall Insignia will continue until the (northern hemisphere) Autumn after all existing orders have been fulfilled.
“Ordering and production of its sister model, the Opel Insignia, continues unaffected in markets outside the UK.
“New electrified models will enter the Vauxhall line-up in due course as we move to our commitment to be a solely electric brand from 2028.”
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