Vauxhall is putting the good, old-fashioned estate car back into the spotlight with its new STX Concept that’s anything but retro. It’s an all-electric show car that previews the look of future models – and gives the familiar Vauxhall Griffin badge a cool makeover, too.
Making its public debut at the Paris Motor Show on Monday 12 October, the STX combines a low-slung, but still practical estate body with four-wheel drive and a claimed top speed of more than 124mph. There’s bodywork that moves to help it slip through the air, while cameras take the place of door mirrors.
The STX is a design study, but its influence won’t be limited to the motor show stand. The redesigned Griffin it wears on its nose will appear on Vauxhall’s next all-new production model, potentially a new Corsa, which is due to be revealed in 2027.
STX stands for Sports Tourer eXperimental, borrowing the Sports Tourer name that have been used by Vauxhall estates for years, including the Astra. The company’s estate-car history stretches back to the 1950s, and this concept explores how that tradition could develop as buyers switch to electric power.
Eurig Druce, Vauxhall managing director and Stellantis UK group managing director, said, “Vauxhall was an estate pioneer in the UK as early as the 1950s. With the STX Concept, we are reimagining the estate for the electric era, combining bold, visionary design with functionality, efficiency and driving pleasure. This study previews the next step in our Bold and Pure design philosophy and explores distinctive features that could influence future Vauxhall models.”
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There’s quite a change to the traditional Vauxhall badge itself. The Griffin has appeared on Vauxhalls for more than 120 years, but this version loses its flag for the first time. It also gets a cleaner, more angular shape, designed to be easier to make out when illuminated – as all car brands seem keen to do thanks to changing legislation and a move away from unsustainable chrome.
That new emblem sits in the centre of an updated version of Vauxhall’s Vizor front panel that’s taller and more prominent than before, with angled, upright strips of light at its outer edges that gradually fade towards the middle. The badge forms the centrepiece of the brand’s new Compass design, with the familiar crease along the centre of the bonnet also emphasised.
The lighting treatment carries through to the back, where slim illuminated lines meet around a lit-up Vauxhall name so there’s no mistaking this car from anything else. Horizontal rear lights pick up the pattern used at the front, while Vauxhall says the steeply sloping rear combines its new look with extra load space – so it should be ideal for dogs!
There’s more lighting along the sides, including illuminated STX lettering that tapers towards the front. Glass light strips extend rearwards from the window line at the rear pillars and continue into the roof, while the cameras replacing conventional mirrors have sharply defined shapes to match the rest of the body.
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The STX is finished in silver and blue and features pronounced wheelarches, with little bodywork extending beyond the wheels at either end. Vauxhall says its low shape is designed to improve efficiency on longer journeys and help keep the car stable at higher speeds.
The alloy wheels play their part in managing airflow and improving efficiency, too. Their three-section design is intended to help air pass around them, while also nodding to similar wheels fitted to Vauxhalls of yesteryear: the Nova and first Corsa.
Then there are the moving bits of bodywork at the back. Blue sections beneath the car extend at speed, while upright sections behind the wheels move outwards. The system adjusts to driving conditions, with the aim of reducing air resistance, cutting energy use and improving stability. Vauxhall says these features are intended to help the car travel further on a charge – although my guess is we won’t be seeing anything quite so complex on a production Vauxhall you can actually buy.
There’s more fancy lighting tech to come inside, too. Vauxhall’s designers intend to develop the ‘Painting with Light’ approach seen on the 2023 Experimental and 2025 Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo concepts, bringing together specially developed lightweight seats and lighting effects.
For Vauxhall, the STX concept car has two jobs: exploring the future of the estate and introducing styling ideas for its next generation of cars. Its new badge already has a production destination, with the Griffin set to appear on that all-new Corsa in 2027 and across the rest of the Vauxhall range.
