Vauxhall will reportedly pull its Insignia Country Tourer estate from the British car market very soon. This is due to the high costs of fitting the new ‘Whisper’ diesel engine to the family car.
The Country Tourer, first launched in late 2013, is based on the Insignia Sport Tourer estate, but has a more rugged appearance and has been modified so it’s more suitable for off-road driving.
The whole Insignia range is receiving Vauxhall’s new, ultra-efficient 2.0-litre CDTi ‘Whipser’ diesel engine, which produces 168bhp and is compliant with Euro-6 emission regulations. It’s reported, however, that Vauxhall considers the costs of fitting the engine into the Country Tourer’s four-wheel drive system too high to justify applying it to the right-hand drive markets, where sales have been low.
The new engine could have been easily applied to front-wheel drive versions of the Country Tourer. However, Vauxhall sees it as inappropriate to only offer front-wheel drive to a car that has a raised ride height and off-road styling.
Therefore the Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer will soon only be offered in left-hand drive markets. Vauxhall dealerships in Britain will continue to sell the Insignia Country Tourer until all current stock is sold. Pricing for the Insignia Country Tourers starts at £24,989.
Other versions of the Vauxhall Insignia, including the hatchback and standard Sport Tourer, are unaffected by this news.
