Inspiring
A NEW DIMENSION
As the light fades, I discover a unique feature of Scottish country roads – undulating hillocks with blind summits on which I cannot see the road (or traffic) ahead until the very last second. But the Insignia works with me to counter the extra effort of tackling this terrain. Its ingenious Intelligent Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) automatically adjusts to road and light conditions without me having to flick a switch. Nine different functions take all the strain out of trying to find an unlit, single track road by the side of a loch in the inky Scottish evening. The distinctive wing-framed LED headlights flick from high to low beam automatically, widen to improve visibility on country lanes and even swivel sideways by up to 15 degrees to help me see round corners.
Nevertheless, it’s a relief to reach the meeting place in a woodland clearing right on time. The Scottish weather is just as dramatic as the scenery, and rain lashes the windows as I activate the electronic handbrake. It’s hard to make out what’s happening on the TV screen suspended in the trees ahead of me as it flickers into life. On the screen I see Frances Nicholls, Product Manager for the new Insignia. It looks like she’s been kidnapped by enemy agents and is being interrogated. I watch in horror as she caves in under intense pressure and reveals everything about the new vehicle! Well, at least I have all the facts now, too. I turn the Insignia’s leather-clad steering wheel and head back to the main road. As I sit and warm up by an open fire in the hotel later that evening, the man in black, aka GM UK & Ireland Media Programmes Manager Robin Bartlett, explains how they came up with the idea for this very different launch. “The new Insignia is taking the brand to a new level and I wanted to give the launch a slightly out-of-this-world feel.”
To do this they concentrated resources away from the usual hotel scenario that so many car companies follow when launching a new car to the media. “Instead, we wanted to give the event a slightly dark and intriguing feel in line with the proposed advertising, as well as showing off the dynamics of the new Insignia on some great Scottish roads,” adds Robin.
And the product film? “Frances would usually hold a press conference for journalists in a hotel meeting room, to explain the attributes of the new vehicle. When I asked if she’d mind being interrogated on film instead, we were surprised and pleased that she agreed. We hired a small film crew including a director who had recently worked on The Dark Knight and Casino Royale, and they filmed Frances being interrogated in our workshop, complete with smoke and lights. The rest of the scene was shot in some local woods.
“On the event itself, we set the scene with clever lighting and a screen in the trees attached to the battered old Airstream camper van that was used for the interrogation.” This is certainly turning out to be no ordinary car launch. But then, the new Insignia is no ordinary car. A fusion of sculptured artistry and technical precision, it bristles with all the sophistication and innovation of more costly upmarket rivals.
When I wake early the following morning, the sun is rippling across the loch. Today’s task is no less daunting – a 30-mile jaunt along a lonely, ancient military road that snakes up the glen to legendary hill-climb summit Rest and Be Thankful. I smile as I head for the hills, remembering something once said by world-renowned science-fiction writer Arthur C Clarke. ‘The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.’ It feels like we’re making just such an exploration of the unknown in the new Insignia, a car that breaks with convention by offering a combination of beautiful design and leading innovation. And yet, there is nothing to worry about in this story. Unlike HAL, Clarke’s domineering computer in classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the forward-thinking high-tech equipment in the new Vauxhall is here to give me more control and let me enjoy this dynamic driving experience. For instance, it turns on the windscreen wipers automatically when I drive through a sudden, heavy downpour, and the suspension adapts to my driving style. Passing the snowy peak, it’s reassuring to know that the many facets of the new Insignia are working together to help me enjoy this breathtaking but demanding terrain. I really can rest and be thankful as the new Insignia takes me to a new dimension.
TO TAKE A TEST DRIVE OR REQUEST A BROCHURE, GO TO WWW.NEWINSIGNIA.COM OR CALL 0845 600 1500