Sculptural artistry and technical precision - the designers have remained true to the dynamic Insignia's core design elements. In the same manner as its sedan counterparts, this newest member of the Insignia family presents leading technologies in a premium aesthetic of sportiness. This balance of performance and capacity is summed up in the name: Insignia Sports Tourer.

This new station wagon will be celebrating its premiere at the Paris Motor Show from October 4 to 19. "This is a car that highlights the active lifestyle of its owner through dynamic design and sporty performance. We wanted a name that would send precisely that kind of signal," Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer for GM Europe, explaining the term Sports Tourer.

The designers have given the rear end a unique yet cohesive appearance by pulling the "wraparound" tailgate far into the flanks and accentuating it with large, distinctive, fully integrated tail lights.

This dynamic look encloses an interior that offers ample space for five occupants and a highly competitive luggage compartment with a volume of 540 liters. The Sports Tourer has retained an identical wheelbase of 2.74 meters as the sedan models and added around 80 mm to its length for an overall 4.91 meters.

With a high level of safety features and a wide range of groundbreaking innovations such as the integrated FlexRide mechatronic system, the Adaptive 4X4 system, the "Opel Eye" front camera and new-generation AFL headlamps, Opel is continuing on with its mission to make attractive design and innovative technology accessible.

Next to the exceptionally broad range of seven engines for the sedans, two new engines - a downsized gasoline turbo engine and a new turbo diesel - will be available from its launch. In addition, an ecoFLEX variant with remarkably low fuel consumption and CO2 emission levels will be added to the range in the near future.

The Opel Insignia Sports Tourer will hit the market in Spring 2009.

As workers hauled a 4.7 meter-diameter orb from Potters Fields Park, a massive object fell 45 meters in six seconds and was caught at the last minute, revealing an intact car never seen before by the public - the new Opel Insignia.

More than 300 guests were on hand to watch the new car plunge from the orb as it was suspended in the air. Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer for GM Europe, who drove the Insignia onto the stage after it landed safely on the ground, said: "We are very proud of the Insignia and decided that an extraordinary car needed an extraordinary entrance, that's why we chose to drop in at one of London's most frequented and iconic locations - Tower Bridge just next to the London Assembly".

On Saturday, July 19th, the 3.2 ton orb "crashed" to earth, then on Sunday, July 21st, a 62 metre-high crane lifted the orb out of its massive crater on Potters Fields in a mock clean-up mission. The car dramatically fell 45 meters back to earth where one of the key challenges for organisers was to ensure a safe Insignia landing.

Visser added, "We wanted to highlight the attention to detail and high focus on precision that went into developing the new. Just like the Insignia, this event had to be meticulously coordinated - right down to the last minute details".

Using the latest technology, a team of 60 people worked a total of over 7,200 hours to plan, set-up, rehearse and execute the reveal. They worked for 96 consecutive hours on-site at Potters Fields to ensure the success of the car's high-speed fall, allowing the vehicle to reach a descent speed of 7.6 meters per second.

The machine that made this all possible required roughly 3 kilometers of power and control cables - it also contained 152 meters of air hoses and more than 120 air fittings. Thirteen computer-controlled pneumatic brakes stopped more than 2.7 tons travelling at breakneck speed.

The Insignia celebrated its debut at the British International Motor Show (July 23 - August 3, 2008). It showcases many leading technological innovations. That's another reason for the car's dramatic entrance - to highlight Opel's dedication to exactitude.