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Vauxhall Vectra

Vectra's big show in the snow!

As GM's stunning GTC concept took centre stage at Geneva, our pictures show how Ford's big rival is already close to completion

Auto Express Car Reviews

The two-door GTC concept gives clues to the look of the next-generation family model, but these images are a tantalising glimpse of how the real thing is shaping up. "There's no doubt that the GTC is a preview of the design of our next upper medium front-wheel-drive cars," said General Motors' vice chairman Bob Lutz. "Why deprive people of great styling? We have now established ourselves again as a corporate leader in automotive design."

	Visser also poured cold water on talk of a Calibra-inspired coupé version, even though the show car is a two-door

As you can see, the distinctive air intake at the bottom of the GTC's front bumper will make production, as should the coupé's rising waistline. The five-door also features conventional rear door handles, rather than hidden SEAT Leon-style items.

Unfortunately, the show car's smart matt paint finish won't reach dealerships, and it seems that bosses are having a rethink regarding the model's proposed name change. Auto Express had learned the new car was set to wear the Insignia badge, but the decision has yet to be signed off. Accord­ing to executive director of sales and marketing, Alain Visser, both Insignia and Vectra badges are still in the running.

And he didn't rule out the possibility of reviving an old badge, although this is an outside bet. "We have a policy of using names that end in 'a', and we'll stick to that," he said.

Visser also poured cold water on talk of a Calibra-inspired coupé version, even though the show car is a two-door: "If you look at sales in this sector, coupés have the smallest market share, so this is a low priority."

The new family car will make its debut in production form at Septem­ber's Frankfurt Motor Show before hitting British dealers in mid-2008.