	turbox
	View My AgentSpace

New Opel Insignia Drops in on London

turbox submitted on 07/21/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 12:53 PM
from: ucarmagazine.com

[3] user comments | category: New Cars

Print this Page |

Digg It |

del.icio.us

Tags: New, Opel, Insignia, Drops, in, on, London

Tag Links: New, Opel, Insignia, Drops, in, on, London

New Opel Insignia Drops in on London

London. 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 Opel Insignia.

-New mid-sized sedan revealed to public in dramatic event
-Forty-five meter drop in six seconds onto Potters Fields Park
-Technical data and pricing announced tomorrow at the London Motor Show

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

The Insignia debuts tomorrow, July 22, at the British International Motor Show, where Opel will announce the vehicle’s technical data as well as its price in Germany. Sales begin immediately in Germany for both the hatchback and notchback versions with a line-up of seven engines. All meet Euro 5 emissions standards and come with six-speed transmissions, either manual or automatic.

The new Insignia also is the stage on which Opel showcases many leading technological innovations. That is another reason for the car’s dramatic entrance: To highlight the car company’s dedication to exactitude.

On Saturday, the 3.2 ton orb “crashed” to earth. A 62 meter-high crane on Sunday lifted the orb out of its massive crater on Potters Fields in a mock clean-up mission to pique the curiosity of the public. Monday, the car dramatically fell 45 meters back to earth. The trick for organizers was to ensure a safe landing.

“We wanted to highlight the attention to detail and the high focus on precision that went into developing the new Opel Insignia. As with the Insignia, this event had to be meticulously coordinated down to the last minute detail,” Visser adds.

Using the latest technology available, a team of 60 people worked more than 7,200 accumulative hours to plan, set-up, rehearse and execute the stunt. They worked 96 continuous hours on-site at Potters Fields to ensure 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 possible required roughly 3 kilometers of power and control cables; it contained 152 meters of air hoses and more than 120 air fittings. Thirteen computer-controlled pneumatic brakes stopped more than 2.7 tons traveling at breakneck speed.

The event was emceed by Kate Thornton, a British journalist and television presenter best known in the UK as the first presenter of The X Factor and known internationally as a presenter of the VH1 coverage of the Concert for Diana. The day was capped by a performance by the all-woman British musical group Bond, whose recent Classified has sold more than three million CDs.

Read Article

Comments:

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters):
[img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent004.myautospies.com/users/150/Sample-Gallery/sample1.JPG[/img]