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Ladies and gentlemen of the now, this is what your Vauxhall Insignia shall look like in The Future.
This is the Vauxhall Flextreme (a name generated by cunningly melding the words ‘flexible' and 'monotreme'), a show concept that, says Vauxhall, illustrates how the Ampera/Volt hybrid technology can be fitted into a larger vehicle.
But more importantly than that, it looks ace. Though slightly shorter than the Insignia, the Flextreme sits on a longer wheelbase and is far lower, the roofline cut by a full 19cm.
It is most slippery, boasting a drag coefficient of just 0.22. That figure is helped by a venturi underbody and some decidedly clever-sounding panels behind each rear wheelarch, which extend at 30mph to guide air over the rear of the car and lower turbulence. Cool.
There's more cleverness on board: light sensors in the place of door handles and a plug socket hidden under the central badge.
The Flextreme is powered by the Ampera/Volt's 158bhp electric motor, drawing power from a lithium ion battery back and generating 270lb ft of torque from 0rpm. It can be recharged either from mains electricity, or from the onboard 1.4-litre, 70bhp engine.
Vauxhall says the Flextreme will manage 35 miles on battery power alone, with a combined range of around 300 miles. Average CO2 output is stands at ‘under 40g/km', with 62mph cracked in just under nine seconds.
If Vauxhall can translate those figures into a production car, we shall be mighty impressed. We shall see. But as a design statement, we're loving the Flextreme. What do you think?
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What do you think?
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nickbrown commented on this article
at 02:33 pm on 18 February 2010
Looks awsome. Wonder how those light sensors for door handles work at night
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Robert4 commented on this article
at 03:42 pm on 18 February 2010
Isn't gonna happen. And anyway we like the Insignia as it is already. Why make it worse by making it a hybrid.
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CarreraGTV10 commented on this article
at 04:36 pm on 18 February 2010
Vauxhall are just copying Citroen. The window decorative separators are pure DS3. The rear lights and diffuser are pretty cool though. But, as always, the car is ruined by the badge.
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Mikeado commented on this article
at 04:39 pm on 18 February 2010
Well that wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi metropolis. Plus those are some impressive numbers, although I'm guessing it's all theoretical. It should look good in the metal at Geneva.
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Supreme_Being commented on this article
at 06:10 pm on 18 February 2010
I like where the automotive industry is going now, style-wise. No more daft retro-modern cars, which I personally think is unimaginative.
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