Mark Adams (vice president of design at Vauxhall) said in a recent promotional video that the C Pillar area of the new Astra was a “key dynamic feature” that also brought in some heritage from previous Vauxhall models. It certainly works, adding a nice touch to an otherwise stodgy area as well as improving rear ¾ visibility. Elsewhere, this modern trait can also be seen with great effect on the new Lotus Evora, where it is even more apparent that the coming together of two glass triangles is a neat design trick, doing well to enhance the coupe shape and hide bulk in the rear of both cars.

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Around the front, the headlamp units (on the black display car in particular) definitely have a hint of BMW 6 Series about their form. Not in a copycat way, but the rearward biasing V-shapes give a very recognisable face with just a touch of aggression to the nose of the vehicle. Good aggression though, not in a ‘get out of my way, I rule the fast lane and my car looks annoyed to show for your stupidity’ sort of way. Not that I am saying that of 6 Series and their drivers of course...

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