Vauxhall’s lineup continues to get thinner as the PSA-owned automaker has pulled the plug on two additional models: the Insignia Sports Tourer estate and the Viva city car.
Both models have been removed from the company’s UK website and can no longer be ordered. This comes not long after Vauxhall dropped the Insignia Country Tourer high-riding wagon due to poor sales. The same reason is behind the axing of the regular Insignia Sports Tourer estate, although the news reported by Autocar weren’t that much expected.
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Apparently, the Insignia Sports Tourer is seeing strong competition from its smaller sibling, the Astra Sports Tourer, especially when it comes to fleet sales – which is understandable, since the Astra is cheaper and nearly as versatile as the Insignia, and has also recently been updated with a more efficient engine lineup.
Sales of D-segment passenger cars have decreased dramatically in recent years and the segment is declining further in 2019. Over the last decade, Insignia sales have more than halved in Europe.
As for the Viva city car (known as the Opel Karl in mainland Europe), the decision isn’t exactly a surprise as Vauxhall announced last year that both the Viva and the Adam would go away at the end of 2019. Apparently, the automaker has decided to pull the plug earlier, which means only some dealer stock remains for those still interested in one.
Like Opel, Vauxhall is now focusing on its best-selling models, such as the Astra, the all-new Corsa, the Mokka X (which is due to be replaced next year) and the Grandland X. The brand also strives to boost sales of its commercial vehicle lineup that includes the new Combo and Vivaro vans launched this year.