Times are tough for GM in America, but in other parts of the world, the corporation is living it up. Opel, a GM brand since the 1920s, is popping the champagne corks, following the announcement that the Opel Insignia has been honoured with European Car of the Year award for 2009.

We first brought the Insignia to you some time ago (more here) and with some question over whether the Vectra replacement could end up in Australia after all  -- as a manufactured product (more here) -- the car's win in the European Car of the Year competition for 2009 could have some bearing on that decision.

The judging panel, comprising 59 journalists from 23 different countries, heaped praise on the Insignia for the car's blend of styling, safety, comfort and (engine) efficiency. There were 36 other vehicles under consideration for the 2009 award, but approximately a third of all judges nominated the Insignia as their top pick.

One of the Insignia's innovative features that caught the attention of the judges was 'Opel Eye' -- a system whereby the car reads road signs and alerts the driver if the car is diverging from its lane.

Insignia is not yet on sale in Europe, but will be before the end of the year. When it does reach Opel showrooms, it will offer three bodystyles and seven Euro 5-compliant engines driving through six-speed transmissions (either manual or automatic).

"We are extremely proud the Insignia has been named Car of the Year," says Hans Demant, Managing Director of Opel and Vice President of Engineering for General Motors Europe.

"This is confirmation of the hard work of our designers, engineers and workers; and their commitment to quality that makes the Insignia a true flagship for our brand."

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