First look: Vauxhall's compact SUV future

JUST when Daewoo looked to have all the answers for Holden in refilling its four-wheel drive coffers, GM’s British arm Vauxhall has turned up at the Frankfurt show with an all-new small 4WD.

Developed in-house by GM’s own design team (location unspecified), the three-door four-seater Antara GTC is said to demonstrate just how athletic and stylish a compact 4WD can be.

It has a coupe-like profile, LED headlights, frameless windows and no B-pillar – all said to be unique innovations in its class, in a vehicle which is said to point the way towards the design direction of future Vauxhalls.

Off-road features are left to Antara’s short front and rear overhangs, high ride height and butch styling aspects, while areas of interest for on-road performance include 20-inch alloy wheels and a high-tech 400Nm 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The combination drives all four wheels and Vauxhall claims it can propel the Antara to 100km/h in 8.0 seconds.