Opel News

Which is why a squat Astra coupe in part-camo cover spotted on a curvy backroad near Frankfurt in September rang big bells - and here's the reason why. Opel has today unveiled that car as the hottest Astra ever to find traction on public roads with a 206kW/400Nm turbocharged, direct-injection 2.0-litre four under the bonnet. The Astra gets the OPC (Opel Performance Centre) badge that signifies it's spicier than diced cayenne peppers and makes it a sister of the equally hot 239kW Insignia all-wheel drive turbo V6. The hatchback is based on the Opel Astra GTC that turned heads at this year's Frankfurt motor show. OPC is equivalent to BMW's ``M'' division, Audi's ``quattro' and Mercedes' ``AMG''. The best news - Opel's OPC models are headed for Australia. Timing is everything and new Opel Australia managing director Bill Mott  indicates that the company's more volume-oriented models will come first. Given that timing that puts the Corsa, Astra and Insignia in showrooms in the second half of next year, the OPC range probably won't get here until early 2103. ``We're serious about OPC for Australia,'' he says. ``Astra is a key volume pillar for Opel's introduction to Australia and adding the OPC version will give the model a boost. But t's early days and we still have to work on pricing. ``At the moment, we have to work on launching with volume models.'' Mott says Opel is now at ``full speed'' in Australia and is signing up dealers. OPC adds go with whoa and wow factors that in the Astra's case, adds a body kit with bulging fenders, new nose and tail and a cabin with sports seats, a leather-bound steering wheel and a new instrument design. How do they get all that torque to the ground through the front wheels? On top of the suspension from the Astra GTC - HiPerStrut front suspension with adjustable dampers and the two-mode adjustable FlexRide that controls steering and throttle feel - it adds a limited-slip differential. Opel claims this gives the OPC better stability and handling. The package under the Astra was tested on the Nurburgring track under the supervision of the Opel brand ambassador Joachim Winkelhock. C Current OPC models are the 141kW Corsa (or 154 kW Corsa Nurburgring Edition) and the 239kW Insignia OPC, available as a sedan or wagon.

The Astra GTC OPC is Opel's hot hatch hero and would be guaranteed to give the European brand street cred when it sets up shop in Australia next year. The car is so good HSV even put its badge on it a few years back as the VXR. Carparazzi snapped the next-gen model testing. It is running a 225kW turbocharged 2.0-litre engine with dual exhausts exiting on either side of the bumper.Why the fuss: We could get itWhen's it here: Not before 2013How much:  Around $45,000 (estimate)

... but would you buy an Opel RAK-e concept? Opel says big changes are coming to the way we drive in the near future - and it’s not alone.The Frankfurt motor show revealed an unprecedented three working concepts for personal city traffic - vehicles built within a 1m width and capable of two occupants seated in tandem.“We expect radical changes in the design of city car,’’ says Opel’s vice president of design, Mark Adams.“I’m sure this is a new trend.’’Adams says the RAK-e represents a whole new classification of car segments.He says he picked up on the concept after Opel engineering sent him the brief of a working, electric-powered tandem vehicle.The car satisfies Opel’s seemingly impossible dream of creating a one-Euro car - that is, a car that will ravel 100km/h for the cost of Euro 1.Opel says it more specifically is a one-plus-one seater; is affordable (though no price is even hinted at); will cost Euro 1 in electricity to travel 100km; have a 10km range; be able to travel on the autobahn (in the slower lane);; and fulfil the needs of both individual youth buyers and inner-city dwellers.“The more we can expect sustainability in our lives, the more we will turn to electrification of our transport,’’ Adams says.“If cleaning up cities becomes environmentally and politically important, then these vehicles will come to market,’‘ he says. Quizzed about how close the RAK-e could be to production, he says “soon’’.“This is the same dilemma as what the electric car went through - everyone wants to have it but few are ready to make one,’‘ he says. “But it has to happen - the personal city car has to come. e may just be the first to dip our toe in the water. If we have to take the risk, we’ll do it.’ We just can’t wait.’’The RAK-e was brought to the Frankfurt motor show without Opel being aware that Volkswagen and Audi had a similar concept.It joined the Renault Twizy - an upright, tandem two-seat electric vehicle that comes in two electric power outputs  - the smaller of which is designed for teenagers.Renault will launch the Twizy in Europe in December, priced at about $8000 - which competes with some of the larger scooters.The RAK was the name for the first of two rocket-powered Opel racers dating from the late 1920s.

The car will go head-to-head with small vehicles from its General Motors stablemate brand, Holden.And it comes armed with the Astra nameplate that Holden has helped cement in Australia. The pretty Astra coupe will arrive here by mid-2012 and also aims to give the Volkswagen Golf GTI a kick in the small performance stakes. The GTC will come in with either a 1.4-litre (also used on the Cruze) or 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. These engines deliver respectively 5.9 and 7.0 litres/100km. Opel is yet to confirm exact specifications for Australia, though the range is expected to be the Astra GTC, Insignia and Corsa.

...not just part of the Holden line-up — Opel could easily bring a new price fighter Down Under. It’s currently codenamed Junior and intended to slot in under the Astra and Corsa, with the same sort of appeal as the Mini. ‘‘It’s a chic and stylish minicar that fits with today’s hip, urban spirit,’’ says Opel boss Nick Reilly. It’s still under wraps in this Carparazzi shot but likely to break cover at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

... when the European brand sets up shop outside the GM Holden umbrella for the first time.The baby Corsa is on the wish list for local sales and that means we could also get the baby SUV being developed as part of the Corsa family.

When Opel opens in Australia next year, on its own and not as part of the GM Holden family, it will need some impact cars to draw customers.The Astra is a long-term favourite and there will be several models, most likely including the CC shown here in Carparazzi scoop pictures.The new Cabrio is undergoing its first tests in Germany and is set for summer 2012 in Europe, so could easily be coming to Australia sometime late next year or early in 2013.

The German arm of General Motors today says it plans to expand its model range with a crossover SUV that will be launched in about four years. It will be joined by a small electric hatchback based on the Barina-sized Corsa and expect to play a major role in affirming Opel's position on the Australian market. Opel is expected to enter the Australian market in a co-share arrangement with Holden in early 2012. Models are expected to include the Camry-size Insignia, Astra - possibly including the GTC - and Corsa. The Corsa range could include the 151kW/280Nm OPC hot hatch. Opel vice-president for business and product planning, Frank Weber, says all models in the range are under consideration for Australia. Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke is on record as saying he wants to expand Opel's range and global territory outside of its traditional European base. "I believe that we can achieve a level of about 150,000 vehicles that we can sell annually outside Europe in three years time," he says, adding that parent GM is comfortable with that expansion as long as it is profitable and complements GM's other brands - in this case, Holden. Opel begins deliveries to Argentina and Chile late this year and to China and Australia next year. The move to a small electric car - to complement Opel's existing Volt-based Ampera electric sedan - coincides with the German Government announcing an additional $1.4 billion for research and development aid for electric vehicles. That doubles the government's investment in the technology. The funds include tax rebates, dedicated parking spots and measures aimed at promoting government use of electric cars. Germany aims to have one million electric vehicles on its streets by 2020.

…but the baby Zafira people mover looks like a certain starter in 2012. Carparazzi caught the all-new model under test in Scandinavia, highlighting the lower-line shape of a car expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The Corsa has just been released in its most powerful incarnation yet, with the UK hot hatch market the beneficiary of the VXR Nurburgring Edition. Australians haven't seen a decent hot hatch from GM since the Holden Barina SRi bit the dust in 2005, but with the impending return of Opel, there may be a chance - a Corsa OPC paying homage to the same track. Officially there's nothing more from Opel on its Australian model line-up beyond what was revealed by Opel vice-president for business and product planning Frank Weber. "All are under study, because it only makes sense to come to the market with a certain portfolio size and where you are also different from what Holden has," he said at the Geneva motor show. But given there's a chance of production Astra GTC, the Opel OPC is a shot of making the boat as well. Opel communications director Peter Erhardt says: "we can however confirm that OPC models will be part of the Opel portfolio in Australia. The exact OPC models, their arrival times to market will be communicated closer to the 2012 launch." On sale in the UK next month with a Vauxhall badge and a 22,295/AUD$33,975 pricetag, the VXR Nurburgring edition uses the same 1.6-litre turbo four engine of the existing VXR. The little powerplant now produces 151kW (up from 141kW) and between 250-280Nm of torque (up from 230-266Nm) with the benefit of an overboost function. A modified engine management and turbocharger system, a sports exhaust with reduced back pressure and an apetitite for 98RON PULP the ability to run on 98-octane fuel - have all contributed to the rise in power. The hot little mite has a mechanical limited-slip differential to temper the anger from the front wheels and the GM Europe staffers are saying the LSD also takes care of any throttle-induced understeer or torque steer. The Nurburgring logos are not just for decoration either - the company is saying the lowered chassis tune (toughened up with Bilstein springs and dampers) got its final sign-off after time on the renowned Nordschleife test track. The special edition also gets lighter yet larger Brembo brakes, as well as recalibrated stability and anti-lock brake systems. Clues to the performance upgrade - which boasts 0-100km/h in under seven seconds and a 230km/h top speed - also include stainless steel exhaust tips, Recaro sports seats and forged alloy wheels.