Opel News

When Opel sets up in Australia next year as a standalone brand, and not just with cars that form part of the GM Holden lineup, the compact Astra will be its make-or-break frontliner.The new Astra is already a motor show star and now Carparazzi has pictures of the go-faster hero car, the OPC model.It is predicted to get a 27 per cent power hike with a 2.0-litre four cylinder engine that makes 225 kiloWatts, as well as pumped-up bodywork and the rest of the stuff it needs to compete with the Renault Megane RS 250, Ford Focus RS and others.

The prestige GM Europe brand looks set to debut late next year as it talks about product for that timeframe, trailing off as the subject of Australian export timeframes for upcoming models is raised.Opel vice president for business and product planning Frank Weber won't commit to anything hitting our shores beyond the three-pronged debut with Corsa, Astra and Insignia."The only thing I can say is that we will start Australia with Corsa, Astra and Insignia, beyond that what we add depends on how it is developing and relative to the Holden portfolio," he says.Anyone who bought a Holden small car before Korean vehicle sourcing took hold might be tempted, with the Corsa's ancestors imported here as the Holden Barina.  The Astra's sales credentials in Australia are strong, but the Insignia and anything to follow are the unknown quantities.The company unveiled the Zafira concept at the Geneva motor show - a car that has a brief Australian history as a Holden - but that, Meriva, Agila and any plans for a pair of small SUVs are all listed as under consideration."All are under study, because it only makes sense to come to the market with a certain portfolio size and where you also different from what Holden has," he says.  Despite talking of avoiding conflict with the Holden range, there's a potential clash in the small SUV segment looming.Opel plans for its compact SUV strategy involve the Opel version of the Captiva, called Antara.  There's also plans for a second - smaller - SUV that might appear at the Frankfurt motor show prior to a 2012 production debut."The small SUV has a lot of potential in a lot of markets, many people still like and are interested in SUVs, robust and high seating, but now it has to be socially compatible as well.""We will have an Antara successor and a car that is smaller than that, dedicated SUV but they will have efficiency and car-like behaviour, the Opel Antara is currently Korean built but the replacement is yet to be decided," he says.Mr Weber says Opel was watching developments in the Australian market, which he suggested has an interesting mix, tending towards larger cars but with a European influence and growth in the smaller segments that could fit Opel's plans."In Europe there is a (small car) market developing looking for style and individualisation, we're talking about a new project called "Junior", a city car."Mr Weber says the four-million-plus unit European small segment - which includes models like the Polo and Fiesta - is developing a need for vehicles with more character."Something different, younger, more character, stylish with a robust driving behaviour, short but not narrow.  It's next to Corsa, under four metres, a foot shorter than Corsa - Junior is a four-seater, based on the Corsa platform and will also bring in an electric-only battery version, built in Germany and will be in RHD," he says."It is a very different, attractive car - we have added three cars to the portfolio that are image-enhancing and emotional, Junior is one of those cars - Opel character, young and different, with volume potential but an image generator as well," he says.Other vehicles that Mr Weber outlined - but stopped of short of confirming for arrival in Australia - include a production version of the Astra GTC show car from Paris Motor Show and a four-seater convertible to replace the Astra droptop, which could be linked to the rumoured return of the Calibra coupe."When you look at the emotional products, there's also emotion attached to four-seater coupe like the Calibra, a car like this could make sense, we are studying it.  I think coupes and convertibles are always a bit connected, aren't they? Theoretically, because of the dramatic rooflines there's a natural connection," he says.While the brand has history in Europe there's little in the way of brand awareness for Opel in Australia, but suggestions of a handicap on that front are brushed aside by Mr Weber, as is the need for any localisation tuning of Opel product.Mr Weber also joined the list of car company executives firing barbs at the Australian authorities over range-extender and battery-electric cars, infrastructure and subsidies in relation to the Opel Ampera's chances of joining the Australian line-up."Australia is one of those undecided markets for electric cars, I have not seen signals of extreme or very serious support.  You need clear signals for your planning horizons - US, Canada, UK, France, Netherlands, Denmark - that there is clear support to establish an electric market in a country," he says.Mr Weber believes there is room in the Australian market for Opel and Holden, although using a comparison with petulant toddler sibling rivalry to illustrate some of the concerns that Holden may have had over the Opel plans."All of our product decisions are made at a global level, not Opel versus Holden, the GM portfolio decisions are made at a global level - Holden is represented at global product decision meetings," he says."When you look at market and volume potential, there is room I think in Australia for something beyond Holden."

Opel is targeting Australia as part of a major export push and the move will dovetail with a significant growth plan being finalised at Fishermans Bend.Instead of competing with Holden's price-driven imports from Korea - including the baby Barina and Captiva SUV - the European models will provide a second sales drive and help plug a number of vacant sales posts, from a sporty coupe to a compact SUV and beyond.The first sign of the new move is the great looking GTC Paris concept unveiled by Opel at the Paris Motor Show as a teaser to the next Astra coupe. It is almost certain to spearhead the new push into Australia.The head of General Motors Europe, Nick Reilly, confirms the plan and is bullish about the potential for sales in Australia."Watch this space," Reilly tells Carsguide as he prepares to unveil the GTC coupe. "We're looking at it, and quite seriously. We're optimistic we'll be able to do something."GM Europe has supplied a range of cars to Holden over the years, from a pre-Korea Barina to a variety of Astra models - most recently the convertible - and even the Vectra.The Vectra was regarded as the best chance for success, but never fired because of the price penalty of shipping from Europe and paying the bill at a time when the Australian dollar was running low. Slow sales saw the Vectra dropped and Holden quickly shifted its focus, as part of a global development and production plan, to Korea. Relatively low production costs quickly made it the first-choice source for local cars, with Holden engineers and designers taking the lead on a number of projects.But GM's global revival has changed the rules and Holden is now looking everywhere for the cars, commercials and SUVs it needs to fill its showrooms. Reilly refuses to go into detail but it's clear he is close to a deal with the new Holden boss, Mike Devereux."Whenever we have something to say, we will. I'd rather not go into the details."But Reilly is bullish about the prospects for GM Europe's two brands, Opel and Vauxhall, during the unveiling of the GTC coupe."The brand renewal is giving us fresh drive," he says.

Green is not just a theme at Geneva. Like chocolate and watches, the Swiss are turning an automotive fad into a phenomenon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.It is one of the first international motor shows to dedicate a “green pavilion” that is allowing carmakers and specialist automotive environment companies to exhibit their wares under one roof.Production ready hybrids, electric concept cars, the electric Mini, the battery powered HydroGen 4 from Opel, a Kia hybrid electric and natural gas car and a city car powered by the latest generation batteries developed by Croatian company Doking are on display. Other companies and some Swiss universities are exhibiting high-tech refueling and recharging stations for tomorrow’s cars.It is the type of ingenuity that is attracting mainstream carmakers too.Two sportscars, the Twenty-4 Le Mans race developed by the same Swiss company, which built the GreenGT electric racer, and the 3.3-litre V6 Quaranta hybrid sportscar developed in 2008 by Italdesign-Giugiaro are also on show. The Twenty-4 Le Mans racer is powered by two electric motors with around 298kW and 2000Nm and weighs less than 900kg. It is expected to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed close to 300km/h.But the green theme is not isolated to one pavilion.Apart from its Quaranta, Italdesign Giugiaro has introduced a family of low environmental impact cars created with Malaysian carmaker Proton. The first Proton concept, uses a hybrid drive system. It is designed to maximise available interior space and ergonomics in a four-seater, five-door hatchback that is just 3.5m long.“This is the outcome of several years of study,” Italdesign chief Giorgetto Giugiaro says. “The solution allows interior spaciousness on a par with that of a D segment car despite maintaining the exterior dimensions of an A segment car.”Finnish electric carmaker Valmet is showing off its Eva 2+2, which it claims can travel up to 160km on one charge and Swiss specialist electric company, Protoscar has the Lampo 2 sportscar. Based on the General Motors Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Lampo 2 uses two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that deliver 300kW/640Nm that enable the light-weight two-seater to hit 100km/h in just 5 seconds and top speed of 200km/h. The car has a range of 200km.Apart from the Europeans, Japan is also showing off some quirky concepts.The Honda 3R-C is a revolutionary one-person battery electric vehicle concept that is making its world debut alongside the EV-N concept, being displayed for the first time in Europe. The three-wheeled 3R-C concept looks to a future when consumers want commuter vehicle for one with zero emissions. The 3R-C uses a battery electric drivetrain mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis. Honda says this allows a low centre of gravity and improved stability.It has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. On the road, the canopy becomes a wind-blocker to protect the driver. The design has a high sided safety shell that provides excellent crash safety as well as protection from the weather. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan.Despite the green tinge to Geneva, petrol power still reins.Porsche’s new Cayenne made its world debut, along with a hybrid version boasting a V8 with the economy of a V6. The car has a parallel hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel economy of 8.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 193g/km, making it the cleanest Porsche in history. Apart from the hybrid, the new petrol Cayennes are expected to be more than 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the previous model.BMW and Lotus are also showing off hybrid models, the ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid  - essentially a very lightly disguised new 5-Series - and Evora 414E hybrid. The Evora shares its 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with the Proton concept. The sportscar also gets two electric motors to drive the rear wheels, delivering 304kW and 800Nm via a single-speed transmission that can mimic upshifts and downshifts of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the third hybrid model unveiled. It follows the ActiveHybrid versions of the X6 and luxury 7 Series sedan.Opel, the European division of General Motors, is showing off its number one prototype of its version of the Chevrolet Volt, called the Opel Ampera.

However, of seven vans rated by ANCAP, just three, including the iLoad, have four-star ratings.The others are the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Volkswagen Transporter. By comparison, the best-selling Toyota Hi-Ace gets a three-star rating.ANCAP manager, Michael Case, said many work vans and other commercial vehicles still lacked proven lifesaving safety features like anti-skid brakes or electronic stability control. Few vans have them fitted as standard, he said."No commercial vehicles currently have a five-star rating, which requires excellent crash protection plus head-protecting side airbags and electronic stability control," Case said.He praised the iMax and iLoad results but said other carmakers still need to lift their game. The iMax and iLoad were crashed at 64km/h to simulate an off-set head-on collision with another car. He is also urging businesses to put safety ahead of penny-pinching when purchasing work vehicles."It's a question of occupational health and safety," he said."The OHS requirements on employers to provide a safe work environment do extend to work vehicles and that often means the commercial vehicles we're talking about." Fleet managers no longer have any excuse to buy unsafe vehicles, Case said."ANCAP is seeing mixed safety performance in its recent crash tests of van-style vehicles and the Hyundai results are good to see," he said. "It has put considerable effort into improving the safety of its vehicles and the results reflect that effort."Case also said parents who also use their work vans as family transport at weekends are risking their families' lives. "That's of particular concern," he said.Both the iLoad and iMax get dual front airbags, anti-skid brakes and electronic brake distribution as standard. The iMax also gets stability control but it is still optional on the iLoad. 

Despite linking with Chrysler, the Italian company is still going after General Motors Europe.The Opel-based operation is one of the GM divisions up for sale as the American giant moves on its own re-structuring and Fiat believes it could be rolled into one giant car conglomerate.The board of Fiat has now given approval "to assess the viability of a merger of Fiat Group Automobiles (including the interest with Chrysler) and General Motors of Europe into a new company".It believes the combined company could generate annual incomes of more than $150 billion.No-one is sure how this will work, although Fiat says it will evaluate a variety of corporate structures, including one which would spin-off Fiat Group Automobiles to allow a merger with GM Europe.

It says everything about the ubiquity of such things that the authorities in Baghdad are holding one. What better way to present the image that all's well in this most dangerous of cities than to stick a bunch of cars on stands and charge admission?The realisation that these things are becoming a bit of a yawn has not been lost on the organisers of the British International Motor Show, which has kicked off in London's Docklands.It started with the most memorable pre-launch stunt in recent history, Opel's new Insignia being lowered by a massive crane from atop Tower Bridge. Cute as these things go, but counting for nothing if the show lacked stars and substance.Unlike some other international motor shows, the Brit edition has plenty of both. There are 600 cars running the alphabetical gamut from Alfa Romeo to ZEV (that'd be Zero Emission Vehicles) worth some $100 million.While Britain's biggest consumer exhibition comes close to being all things to all people, it's the 23 models making their debut that is the chief draw for the anticipated 550,000 punters.The show-stealer is undoubtedly the Lotus Evora. The Norfolk marque's first all-new model in 12 years is a mid-engined 2+2 V6, intended to give Porsche something to think about, especially if _ as anticipated _ it combines the brand's trademark lightweight build (just 1350kg) with razor handling.While the Evora represents a significant step forward for Lotus, Jaguar has looked to the past for the XK60, a captivating special edition of the current production coupe to commemorate the unveiling of legendary XK120 sporters in 1948.Powered by the atmo version of the 4.2 V8, the Jag cops enhancements such as 20-inch Senta alloy wheels, alloy gear knob and selector-gate surround, new front spoiler, chrome-finished side vents and special tailpipe finishers. Which is nice.Performance with an eco-conscience? Why not? Mercedes-Benz is showcasing its BlueTEC version of the stylish CLS. Reassuringly for the rev-hungry, there's a Brabus-built Bullit Black Arrow, their V12-engined C-Class.The show's green tinge is evident in the Lightning Car Company's Lightning, a 100 per cent electric GT sports car, and Allied Vehicles' E7 electric taxi, whose lithium-ion batteries imbue the seven-seater with a range of 160km and top speed of 100km/h. Other green gambits include the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic with carbon dioxide emissions of less than 100g/km.While the British blowout is not spoken of in the same breath as the biennial Frankfurt or Paris salons, the lesson for organisers of Australian events are salient.Not least of these is making `events' singular _ just as we have too much government for 21 million people, there are too many annual shows. Oh, and staging it in a venue that's spacious and accessible isn't a bad idea, either. 

Australia probably won't see a hot European Corsa in the Holden Special Vehicles line-up any time soon.The Corsa VXR has been assessed as a potential starter below the turbocharged Astra VXR, which is doing solid but uninspiring numbers for HSV, but has been dismissed as too expensive.It will be too costly to import and prepare for Australian duty, even though HSV boss Tom Walkinshaw likes the car and sees the need to broaden the base for the hot Holden company.“The problem you have with Corsa is that to produce cars in Europe is expensive, so the core car ends up expensive before you start working on it,” Walkinshaw says.“It's a nice little car, but whether you could actually work on it, then get it into that price envelope to get it into the market is still eluding us. We'll look at other base products available in the GM network and decide if there are any we could work on that would be applicable to this market.”The Corsa VXR has a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that develops 143kW and 260Nm, good enough to reach 100km/h in 6.8 seconds with a top of more than 220km/h. In Europe it competes against the Peugeot 207 GT and Renault Clio Sport.HSV is looking to push the Astra with a limited-edition model from Britain, called the Nurburgring, and will take its 2.0-litre turbo engine for use in a new Elfin sports car.But it cannot make a business case for the smaller Corsa.“The Corsa is a terrific sporty hot hatch, but because Holden does not have that product range, the after-sales support or parts supply, the business case is not as attractive. We'd have to do it ourselves,” HSV managing director Scott Grant says.Despite the Corsa failure, Walkinshaw says HSV is committed to expanding its range beyond V8 Commodores.“We'll broaden the offering over the next few years to cover more of the market,” he says.“It's not powerplant driven. It's about getting younger people into our products.”He draws a parallel between how HSV works with GM Holden and the operation of AMG and Mercedes-Benz.“We make the high-end performance prestige model in that brand and that's what we will continue to do,” he says.However, changing market forces also mean HSV will canvas other four-cylinder models in the future and Grant says the Astra VXR experience had been good for the company.“Eighty-one per cent of VXR customers have never bought a HSV car before and half of them are females,” he says.But Grant says there are still three requirements for a vehicle to join the HSV line-up.“It has to be complementary to Holden, it has to fit our brand DNA and, economically, it has to make sense.” 

But thanks to professional spy photographers and rev-heads with camera phones, it is becoming harder to keep secrets. Cars regularly appear in newspapers and magazines months or years ahead of time because of eagle-eyed snappers.Car companies spend years designing and engineering new models. Ford and Holden, like all carmakers around the world, spend months testing prototypes at test facilities, such as those at the You Yangs and Lang Lang outside Melbourne. But there comes a time when the test mules must make their way into the wider world for testing on proper roads.That's when the camouflage team steps in. It's their job to hide the new lines of the prototypes from prying eyes and camera lenses.Hiding the distinctive new look of a new model is crucial in ensuring the vehicle makes an impact when it reaches the showrooms.The process begins when the cars come off the drawing board and actually become metal.At this stage the company's camouflage team meets with the designers to decided how best to hide the car's new features.This often turns into a negotiation between the desires of the marketing and design departments and the needs of the engineering division.Marketing wants to keep as much hidden as possible, to keep the surprises in store for the official unveiling. Engineering wants as few extra pieces on the car as possible, to make sure all the test data is as accurate as possible.Adding the camouflage can change the aerodynamics, handling, acoustics, cooling and comfort of the car, so a balance must be struck between the two groups. Once that compromise has been reached, the camouflage team goes to work on the cars. The main tools used are stickers, car bras and padded covers.The stickers are an interesting story in themselves. Black-and-white checkerboard has been the usual pattern most companies use — including Ford and Holden — but in recent years a lot of work has been done to improve the shape of stickers, to make them even more effective.Aside from trying triangles and other simple shapes, companies are using fish-shaped diamonds and a new style called “Flimmies”.Flimmies are designed to create a flickering effect, to trick camera lenses. Then comes the padded bodywork covers for large areas such as the front and rear of the cars.“The in-house team does the checkerboard work,” Holden spokesman John Lindsay says.“We get the bras done by an outside company. They are custom-made like a suit. It's measured just like you get at a tailor.”That's no surprise given the front and back of cars are usually the most crucial design elements. But having working headlights and tail-lights are an absolute must.The car, simply, has to drive on public roads, so a close-fitting bra is a vital part of the disguise.The stickers and padding break up the lines of the cars the designers have carefully crafted.In some cases the stickers serve the dual purpose of concealing the design and misdirecting the media.For example, on the new Holden VE Ute the company deliberately put a line of tape down the middle of the car to make sure its new one-piece side panel remained a secret. Carmakers also try to throw the media off the scent by using the wrong badges and numberplates.Though this may sound straightforward, and as simple as putting on a car bra and some stickers, it is anything but when you consider the size of the operation. For example, over the course of the VE Commodore program, 200 cars were used. That's an awful lot of stickers.One of the biggest problems for carmakers is that professional spy photographers know where the testing happens and can stake out important venues. Even though most Commodores and Falcons will never see snow, that doesn't stop both companies undertaking cold-weather testing at Mt Hotham and surrounding areas.The same applies to the manufacturers' hot-weather testing in the Northern Territory.But in some cases the camouflage serves only to make the car attract more attention. That was the case with the Chevrolet Camaro.The camouflage made the car stand out on Melbourne roads, which led, predictably, to a flood of amateur photos on the web.Bob Lutz, the product development chief of General Motors, was sent a letter by a member of the public asking why the car was so heavily camouflaged given that GM had already shown the car at several motor shows, and it had had a starring role in the movie Transformers.Lutz realised that it made little sense to hide the subtle changes to the production model and told his engineers to remove the camouflage from the test cars.Ford, meanwhile, started its own trend of releasing “official spy photos” in the build-up to a model being unveiled. The photos showed thinly disguised versions of the car to act as a teaser to the media and public. The company first tried it with the Territory and again with the FG Falcon.Ford included the Falcon photos as part of a CD of images of its new testing facility in Geelong released only months before the official unveiling of the car in Melbourne.Hyundai followed by releasing a photograph of a disguised i30 in the lead-up to its local launch.Despite all the hard work of the camouflage teams, it is getting harder to keep things secret.The advent of both camera phones and the internet have really changed the nature of the game. In the past, carmakers could go out into the world confident there wouldn't be a camera in every other car they pass.But nowadays, every second person has a camera in their mobile phone.So the chances of a disguised car not passing a camera are remote, to say the least.And if a quality image is snapped on a phone camera or digital camera, the shot can be published on the internet within hours.If you've seen a new car testing in disguise, let us know. 

GM and Toyota have used the forum of the Frankfurt Motor Show to spruik their green credentials. Toyota executive Mike Hawes told reporters his company was investigating biofuels.Toyota has 10 years of experience with its Prius hybrid, which combines an electric and a petrol engine. But this endlessly vaunted car comprises only a tiny fraction of Toyota's sales.General Motors, meanwhile, has developed vehicles that use petrol mixed with ethanol, so-called E-85-capable cars and trucks.Both companies are working hard on technologies and presented their options at the Frankfurt fest.GM Europe president Carl-Peter Foster said makers would probably focus on a range of solutions, as no single technology covered all needs.GM highlighted several electric models at the fair, one of the sector's biggest showcases. Analysts forecast that most carmakers will have a hybrid option in their line-up within the next five years.Ethanol is used in what are also known as flexible-fuel vehicles. These use engines similar to petrol ones, but running on a blend of up to 85 per cent ethanol, hence the E85 tag.The big question, however, is cost. According to some estimates, 'clean' technology can add around $A4000 to the price tag of an SUV.Fuel cells are even more expensive, but are the most promising long-term solution. Toyota announced it would market a fuel-cell car, costing about $A60,000, by 2015.Another implication of the green evolution is having to learn a whole new range of auto jargon. The latest automotive JargonBluemotion Volkswagen's name for the fuel-saving versions of its Polo, Passat and Golf models. The savings are made thanks to narrower tyres and lighter bodywork. Bluetec This is the technology Mercedes-Benz uses to make diesel cars just as clean as petrol engines.The system reduces diesel particles by as much as 80 per cent, An oxidising catalytic converter and a particulate filter combine with other systems to reduce nitrogen oxide. Brake energy recuperationA BMW system in which the energy lost through heat while braking is used to recharge the battery. Fuel cellHydrogen fuel cell vehicles are seen as one way to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions.Hydrogen that is used in the cells is extracted from petrol or natural gas, and a chemical reaction with oxygen produces energy.The only by-product is water. The main drawbacks are the energy needed to produce hydrogen and the infrastructure required to make it available. Diesel hybrid The most common hybrid engine is acombination of electric and petrol, but some producers favour an electric-diesel hybrid because diesel engines use less fuel. DiesottoA petrol engine offering the high torque and fuel economy of a diesel, paired with extremely clean emissions. Mercedes calls it "the future of the petrol engine." Ecoflex Opel's name for a range of low-consumption, low-polluting models with small electric and diesel engines that were launched at theFrankfurt show. Econetic Ford's name for a new range of cars with lowered suspension, aerodynamic profiles and narrow tyres that help reduce both emissions and fuel consumption. The first model is expected in 2008. Efficient dynamicsBMW's environmentally friendly cars using Stop-Start Technology. Electric enginesElectric cars produce no emissions, and significant progress has been made in prolonging battery life. Hybrids Cars such as Toyota's Prius and Honda's Civic that use a combination of petrol and electric engines. In town, hybrid cars mainly use the electric function. For longer- distance driving, the petrol function can be switched on. Stop-start technologyThe engine cuts out when the vehicle comes to a halt and automatically starts again when it needs to drive off.