UK company car drivers had their first glimpse of the new Vauxhall Astra Coupe at the London Motor Show. The sporty lower medium car bears a striking resemblance to Vauxhall's Calibra, and will feature a 'hot' 2.0-litre, 190bhp turbocharged engine, as well as 147bhp, 2.2-litre and 1.8-litre, 115bhp units.

Vauxhall has named its first true sports car since 1910 the VX220, although the car will be called the Speedster elsewhere in Europe. The manufacturer has developed the 2.2-litre (hence the VX220) mid-engined aluminium-chassis car in conjunction with Lotus, and claims a sub-six seconds time for the 0-62mph dash and a top speed of 137mph. The car will hit showrooms by the end of 2000.