Vauxhall will unveil a new ‘Experimental’ concept car at the Munich Motor Show in September to preview the brand’s future direction, featuring styling touches such as flush-fitting body surfaces to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and sustainable materials.
These first photographs of the new prototype – called Experimental – show a clear evolution of the British brand’s current design language. The firm’s now trademark Vizor grille is present, featuring a simple 2D logo and imitation grille bars. It’s flanked by an even slimmer LED running light signature than seen on the firm’s current cars, such as the new Astra, plus new vertical elements to reinforce the firm’s ‘compass’ design theme.
This theme is continued at the rear, where the tail-light clusters show a prominent LED strip that stretches round onto the rear wings of the vehicle. It’s also clear from Vauxhall’s initial images that the car adopts a heavily raked, coupe-like profile for its tailgate, again focusing on aerodynamic efficiency.
This is because the Experimental is likely to be based on the STLA electric car platform from parent firm Stellantis – most likely the Medium architecture for family-sized cars. On other Stellantis EVs, such as the forthcoming all-new Peugeot 3008, the automotive group has confirmed that STLA Medium will offer compatibility with batteries large enough to deliver a claimed 435-mile range.
Auto Express previously reported that the Vauxhall would reinvent its Insignia large hatch as a family crossover with sleeker proportions, which could possibly also see the revival of the Manta name. There’s a possibility that the Experimental concept previews a future production model along these lines.
Shots of the interior show a material finish for what looks to be the car’s sporty seats, with Vauxhall outlining that “the profiled seat structure hints at a sustainable, resource-conserving approach to the ergonomic seats that are typical for Vauxhall vehicles.” The brand’s seats have been endorsed by the German campaign for healthy backs for some time now, and this looks set to continue. The images released also show chunky wheels with what Vauxhall calls a “vane-like” design.
Speaking on the Experimental concept’s styling, Mark Adams, Vice-President, Design, Vauxhall said, “The Vauxhall Experimental marks the start of a new chapter for our brand. It was designed to provide a tangible vision of where the Vauxhall brand is heading. We will be revealing more details soon – so stay tuned.”
The car will be unveiled in full at this year’s Munich Motor Show, starting from the 5th September.
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