The car, which will make its public debut at the British International Motor Show in July, is being described by Vauxhall as one of its most ambitious projects to date.

“We've re-defined our design vocabulary,” said Mark Adams, vice president of design for GM Europe. “ “Our aim was to develop a confident look which reinforced the car's driving dynamics but also one that made it clear that this was a premium product.”

The Insignia's make task will be to compete with the latest generation Ford Mondeo, especially in the fiercely competitive fleet sector. Like its main rival, Vauxhall is pitching the car as an upmarket model, featuring more sophisticated design and higher levels of specification than have traditionally been found in the upper-medium sector. The new model is available with five engines at launch – three petrol units and two new 2.0-litre diesel power plants – and this line-up is expected to be joined by a low emitting EcoFLEX variant in the future. Pricing and a UK launch date for the Insignia are yet to be confirmed. To watch the first footage of the car in action click on the video below.