Vauxhall’s VXR sub-brand ‘is definitely not dead’ despite GSi revival
Performance arm of British manufacturer Vauxhall still has a future despite the recent revival of the GSi moniker, according to the firm’s head of performance cars
Vauxhall’s performance sub-brand VXR “is definitely not dead” despite the reintroduction of GSi models, according to the firm’s head of performance cars.
The British manufacturer recently released the Insignia GSi as the performance version of the saloon – becoming the first car to wear the moniker in more than a decade. An even faster VXR version isn’t out of the question, though.
Volker Strycek, head of performance cars for Vauxhall, said: “VXR is definitely not dead. The GSi is not a successor to the VXR. These are two different kinds of cars. We’re talking about a mid-performance vehicle with the GSi, while the VXR is high-performance.”
He said: “The new [Insignia] architecture would be the right thing to use, as although everything is perfectly developed, there’s definitely room for a VXR model. At the moment, though, there has been no decision made.”
VXR was introduced in 2004, denoting extreme versions of existing Vauxhall cars such as the Astra and Zafira, and even having a bespoke model with the VXR8 – a rebadged version of Australian sister brand Holden Special Vehicles’ HSV GTS.
