Opel News

It has styling that mimics the larger Insignia and is expected to break cover at the Paris Motor Show in September, although there is no confirmation - yet - for Australian sales.

It's a very mild job, mostly changes around the nose, to bring it into line with the latest Opel corporate look.

A pair of Corsa mini cars is running on local roads as Opel confirms seven individual models for its start-up work as a standalone import brand down under.Opel executives confirm Volkswagen as their target in Australia, both for its recent sales growth and success in winning buyers to a relatively upscale European brand.But the company is taking a low-key approach as it joins upscale Infiniti from Japan and supercar maker McLaren as the newest additions to a showroom lineup in Australia that is closing fast on 50 individual car brands."We have our launch lineup now absolutely set in stone. We have played it down until now. We wanted to be sure we had every car we wanted," says Michelle Lang of Opel Australia."And we have the first evaluation cars here now."Opel has the hot Astra GTC coupe as its headliner - complete with …. - in a surprising varied range.When sales begin on September 1 it will have the baby Corsa with three and five-door hatchback bodies, the Astra small car as both a hatch and tourer wagon, the GTC coupe and the Camry-sized Insignia as a sedan and tourer."Opel has always historically offered an aspirational, well designed German car at an affordable price point. We think we will be able to carve out that niche in Australia," Lang says.The biggest question still to be answered is the pricing of the Opels, and how they will sit against the Volkswagen Polo, Golf and Passat - as well as benchmark cars including the Mazda3 and Ford Mondeo - in showrooms. But Lang says there will not be any exchange-rate-driven boost for buyers, despite the recent strength of the Australian dollar."We cannot confirm any pricing, but we're pretty comfortable and we haven't had to adjust that. We're really confident that we're offering great value.""We are going to be pitched fairly and squarely at the Volkwagen segment. But it's more than a price point, it's how they cars are equipped and the amount of power."While Opel is locked for 2012, Lang says the hottest future model from the brand - the baby Opel Junior  that will be pitched against the Fiat 500 - is not a target for 2013."Not at this stage. We've got some really exciting models next year, but the Junior is not one of them."Opel is benefitting from a $13.4 billion investment by GM Europe in new products over the next three years that includes everything from tiny new green engines and battery-powered city runabouts to all-new models. 

"It's business as usual," Opel spokeswoman Michelle Lang says of the Australian launch schedule, due some time in the second half of this year. It is the Opel business itself that is worrying parent company General Motors.Opel lost almost $750 million last year on sales of 1.2 million vehicles. And recent history isn't any better - the German-based company has lost around $15 billion in the past 12 years.GM Opel head Karl-Friedrich Stracke's projections the company hopes for 15,000 annual sales in Australia by 2015 makes the local division a barometer for the company. If it succeeds it will become a blueprint for a limited-volume export planand give the Euro-focused brand renewed incentive to push into new markets.Lang is aware of the grilling the media gave GM vice-president Steve Girsky over Opel's future at the Geneva Motor Show last week but says is has no impact on the Australian start-up. "It is a non-issue for us," she notes. "We report to Germany and it is all systems go."GM's most recent move to prop up the ailing Opel brand came last month with a $380 million (304 million euro) spend on a seven per cent stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen. The alliance partners have agreed to share vehicle platforms and engines and use economies of scale by jointly buying commodities and services.They project $2 billion in annual savings within five years from the alliance but analysts say it doesn't address the issue of overcapacity by either company. And it is that oversupply - too many cars, too few buyers - which is affecting all European carmakers.It was a point Girsky noted at the Geneva Motor Show last week, admitting the revival of Opel would have to occur in a depressed European market. "We're not sitting here hoping the market is going to get better," he told journalists, adding that "Any talk of GM not being committed to Europe should be off the table."At the same time, Mr. Girsky wouldn't rule out plant closures as part of the restructuring plan GM is now thrashing out with European unions. The British plant at Ellesmere Port and Bochum in Germany are the two oldest and most inefficient sites but political pressure has stopped Opel from closing them.WHO IS OPEL?The Opel car company is owned by General Motors and based in Russelsheim, Germany. It has 11 factories and a workforce of around 39,000 that produced around 1.2 million cars last year.It has traditionally competed against Volkswagen in European markets and is responsible for developing small and mid-sized platforms for the global GM family.The company was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 and has been building cars since 1899. GM took a majority stake in 1929 and bought Opel outright in 1931.Opel was nearly sold off in the aftermath of the GFC and GM's bankruptcy in 2009 but concerns over proprietry technology led GM to hang on to the business and in 2010 it announced it will spend around $15 billion over the next five years as part of its strategy to restore the company to profit..LAUNCH MODELSThe well-recognised and well-regarded Astra nameplate will spearhead Opel's Australian launch in the second half of this year. Holden has already done the hard work to establish the model, having sold Opel-derived Astras from 1996 to 2009, when it launched the Holden Cruze.Opel Australia plans to have wagon and three-door and five-door hatch variants of the Astra, topped by the performance-oriented OPC version. The range will also include the Corsa light car and Insignia medium car. Pricing hasn't been announced but Carsguide expects it to be comparable to similar-spec models from Volkswagen, so Polo, Golf and Insignia.

One of those could be the Junior, a 3.7-metre city car that's just a year away from production and planned to slot in below the Corsa - once a Barina - in Europe.

Or tell us about the best thing somebody you know has done. It could be anything from an adventure to an everyday gesture. A wonderful example of friendship. A fantastic place that was visited. A brilliant idea. An example of overcoming the odds. Even proposing. Or having children.You've all been out there doing great things and we want to hear your great stories.Tell us in about 25 words in the comment box below about the 'best thing' and you could be the lucky winner of a $1000 in fuel from Subaru and Carsguide.com.au.We'll be publishing the best stories, and inspiring others to go out and do their best things.Some examples from the Carsguide.com.au team (who aren't allowed to officially enter - sorry about that, folks):Spending a full day in the Hunter Valley learning how to drift a Subaru WRX around the race track. Being able to speed and take the WRX to its limits without breaking any laws was the best thing I have ever done. YvetteBackpacking around Scotland because of the beauty of the country and the freedom of spirit. Perhaps I should add 'hooking up with my girlfriend' -- in case she reads this. MattyGetting married. It was an awesome day and good fun. All the best people you know in the one place at the one time. DennisSailed from the Canary Islands to Barbados on 100ft tall ship... 26 days at sea with no land in sight. Or Hong Kong Rugby Sevens: it was 3 days I can’t remember - but it looked like I had a great time from the photos. NigelHaving my son Hunter, who was conceived in Paris, while my husband and I were on a world trip for 9 months. He's 10.5 years old and I'm so proud of him. He has opinions on everything, but most of all he has a beautiful heart. TraceyVolunteering in the Armenian orphanage in Syria for about a year to teach kids how to use computers and software so they have a better chance of finding a job. LaraHaving a son. He changed my life in ways I could not have believed possible. Paul GoverThis competition has closed, and the judges are considering the entries. Check back here soon for the results.  

In fact, the all-new Subaru Impreza and XV crossover received a five-star tick a week before they hit the road in Australia. The new babies joined the latest Toyota Camry in scoring the top five-star ranking from the Australasian New-Car Assessment Program, although it calls on both Subaru and Toyota to lift their work on pedestrian protection. The press preview of the XV is held this week in Tasmania but Carsguide will not drive the new Impreza until the second half of February.  The newcomers continue Subaru's five-star push and also complete a five-star passenger lineup for Toyota, although some of its commercial and SUV models lag on occupant safety. But ANCAP is now pushing pedestrian protection as well as active-safety systems - such as active cruise controls - to stretch its reach beyond the results of crash tests.  "Many manufacturers are now scoring in the top category for occupant protection but more attention must be paid to protecting pedestrians as well," says Lachlan McIntosh, chair of ANCAP. “Both Subaru and Toyota now need to work on getting the top ratings for pedestrian protection." The Subaru and Toyota results are the first for 2012 and come after a dozen cars hit the five-star target in December, led by the COTY winning Kia Rio. But ANCAP is lifting its bar this year as it demands more protection for new-car buyers.  It intends adding assessment of anti-whiplash seats and head restraints and will also assess safety-assist technologies for a revised set of standards expected by the middle of this year. "In 2008 we said you have to have ESC to get in the game. Now they'll need to have some of safety assist technologies," says McIntosh.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show. General Motors is sparring its Opel Mokka SUV against a Holden version of the Buick Encore. The Encore debuted yesterday on the GM stand at the Detroit motor show while Opel made a less dramatic announcement by press release. Both vehicles share the Corsa/Barina platform and the engines. Yet in Australia, the Opel Mokka will become a stablemate model alongside the Astra as Opel cements its local marketing program. Opel starts launching cars - the midsize Insignia sedan and wagon, Corsa small car and the Astra - from July this year. The Mokka will join the range early in 2013, probably about the same time as the Holden Encore makes its showroom debut. Opel claims it is the first German manufacturer to launch a contender in the growing sub-compact SUV segment. It says that despite its 4.28m length, the SUV can seat five adults "in a commanding position''. The Mokka will be available in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (AWD) layouts. Engines will be a selection from Corsa and Astra, including an 85kW normally-aspirated 1.6-litre petrol; 103kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol; and a 93kW/300Nm 1.7-litre turbo-diesel. All come with a six-speed manual transmission with stop-start technology, with the 1.4 and 1.7 having the option of a six-speed automatic. Opel says that the Mokka introduces new technologies to the SUV B-segment. These include driver-assistance technology like the "Opel Eye'' front camera system and a rearview camera. The Mokka carries ergonomic seating that has been certified by AGR the German healthy back expert organization Aktion Gesunder Rucken. Like other Opel wagon models, the Mokka has the option of being fitted with the fully integrated, latest generation Flex-Fix bicycle carrier. The three-bike carrier is a drawer that slides flush beneath the rear bumper when not in use. Opel Australia says the Mokka will be available at international Opel dealerships from end of 2012 onwards, with details and confirmation for Australian release to be confirmed later.

In a heads-up to what we might see here from Opel (Holden) comes news that GM's UK brand Vauxhall has just introduced its most powerful diesel passenger car engine in the Insignia range. It's good for 144kW/400Nm of torque, but with CO2 emissions as low as 129g/km.  Known as the Insignia BiTurbo, it's available with a choice of five-door hatch and wagon bodies in SRi, SRi Vx-line and Elite trims. The potent, twin-sequential turbocharged diesel is based on the existing 2.0-litre unit which powers models in the Insignia, Astra and new Zafira wagon range. However, in BiTurbo form the engine produces up to 20kW more power and a significant 50Nm of extra torque, reducing the 0-60mph time by nearly one second to 8.2 seconds.  But thanks to a package of eco features including standard start/stop across the range the FWD Hatch achieves a combined 4.8 litres/100km.  What makes the Insignia BiTurbo unique in this class is its use of sequential turbocharging, with the smaller turbo accelerating quickly at lower engine speeds to eliminate `lag', providing 350Nm of torque from just 1500rpm. In the mid-range, both turbochargers work together, with a bypass valve allowing gases to flow from the small to large unit; during this phase, maximum torque of 400Nm is produced between 1750-2500rpm. From 3000rpm, all gases flow directly to the larger turbo, ensuring performance is maintained at higher engine speeds.  Complementing this power gain, Vauxhall's clever FlexRide adaptive damping is standard on all Insignia BiTurbos. The system reacts within milliseconds to driver inputs and can `learn' how the car is being driven and adapt damper settings accordingly. Drivers can also select Tour and Sport buttons, and configure the throttle, steering and damper settings in Sport mode separately.  On four-wheel drive models, FlexRide is integrated with the car's Torque Transfer Device (TTD) and the rear axle's electronically controlled. Limited Slip Differential. These features allow torque to be automatically transferred between front and rear wheels, and between left and right wheels on the rear axle, offering exceptional levels of traction, grip and control.  In common with other models in the Insignia range, the BiTurbo has the option of Vauxhall's new Front Camera System, with traffic sign recognition and lane departure warning, and Adaptive Cruise Control, which allows the driver to maintain a set distance from the car in front.

The new Vauxhall Astra VXR, which goes on sale next year in the UK, is set to become one of the most powerful cars in its class and the fastest production Astra ever. It's powered by a 2.0-litre, turbocharged, direct injection engine good for 210kW and a mighty 400Nm of torque. The 0-100kmh sprint rates in the low 5.0 second bracket. The VXR benefits from a raft of custom made chassis modifications, transforming it into a focused, high-performance coupe. Setting it apart from all other current Astras is a specially developed mechanical limited slip differential, which works on the front wheels. The diff' provides VXR with exceptional lateral grip and traction through bends. Further changes to the chassis include brakes developed by competition supplier, Brembo, and a fully adaptive FlexRide system. In VXR, FlexRide features not only a Sport button, but a VXR button, offering drivers the choice of two, more focused stages of damper, throttle and steering control. Much of the chassis sign-off was done at the Northern Loop (Nordschleife) of the Nurburgring, and was overseen by Le Mans 24-hour race winner, "Smokin' Jo" Winkelhock. The car scores a set of specially sculpted front and rear bumpers, side skirts, an aerodynamic roof spoiler and two exhaust tail pipes in a trapeze shape. Inside, the VXR's cabin gets custom made performance seats with embossed logos in the backs, a flat-bottomed VXR steering wheel and upgraded instruments. Here's hoping.