At the Beijing show Opel has shown as a preview to the Chinese public of the three volume version of the Astra, the brand’s sixth model available in the Chinese range, and the hybrid Flextreme concept.

With the new four door Astra, the German company will be better placed to respond to Chinese market demand, where the three volume sedan has already been chosen by 85% of drivers. The three and five door variations have already experienced notable interest and are the most-sold Opel models in this country, where the Astra, TwinTop, Vectra and Zafira are also available. Thanks to a pearl like the panoramic windshield (which no longer impresses us “spoiled” European drivers), the Astra GTC was recently voted “most fashionable car” by the Chinese Commercial Centre for Import Cars and sina.com, a major web portal.

In China, where 2007 alone nearly 8,500 000 vehicles were sold, Opel with its 3700 cars, represents a tiny niche. But thanks to the new model the company can count on broadening its sales through its greater presence in the market, guaranteed by new dealerships, taking the number to 45.

Continue reading: Beijing 2008: Opel broadens its China presence

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There’s still some time before July 2 when - at London’s exhibition hall - Opel will present its new Insignia: sedan that will substitute the Vectra and which will revolutionize style, including dynamic design in its vein, exemplified by the Meriva Concept seen at Geneva.

The Rüsselsheim company has branched off with some new teasers that will concentrate on the car’s lights, an element playing an important part in the complex line. The rear lights (the first teaser of the rear light we had already published in November), will be based on the AFL adaptive technology that manages the stream of light modifying it according to conditions.

The AFL (adaptive-front light) headlights will incorporate an LED battery that will function as a day beam, guaranteeing sensible saving on energy, and therefore fuel, compared to traditional lamps.

Opel Insignia Teasers

Continue reading: Opel Insignia: new teasers and details on the lights

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GM has officially announced the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva Concept that will be shown in Geneva next week.

The Meriva concept is a very different beast from the current Meriva, with its FlexDoors system (rear hinged doors). According to GM, the b-pillars “have been retained for passive security reasons”, a phrase that seems to point to a production-ready car.

Continue reading: Opel Meriva Concept - the official announcement

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Some photos of the Opel Meriva Concept surfaced today. The small MPV features rear-hinged rear doors that can open to a 90° degree angle. If you put together the presence of the b-pillars and the sober interiors, the Meriva Concept looks pretty much ready for production.

Via | Carscoop

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The American giant GM will be displaying three world premieres and seven European premieres at the forthcoming Geneva International Motor Show. Their numerous brands will be presented in all their glory, despite recent difficulties in Detroit.

Other than the new three-door Aveo (which was discussed recently on the Italian site), Chevrolet will unveil a new version of the Epica, equipped with a new 6-speed automatic gearbox.

For Opel the cars on display will consist of the Meriva Concept, the new Agila and the freshly restyledZafira, equipped with a new engine line-up. As for Saab, they will be displaying the 9-4X Biopower Concept which was unveiled in Detroit, whilst
Cadillac will present four European debuts: The Provoq Fuel Cell Concept, the CTS Coupé Concept, the CTS-V and the Escalade Hybrid. From Hummer and Corvette there is a new model from each on display: the HX Concept from the former and the excessive ZR1 from the latter.

Finally, the GM HydroGen4 Concept car will be on display, equipped with a fourth generation fuel cell. This vehicle represents an important evolution of its precursors showing off better dynamics, a more durable system, and a superior day-to-day usability. The vehicle is equipped with a fuel stack containing 440 series-connected cells that produces 93 kW of electricity. The performance statistics are remarkable for an electric motor at 100bhp (73 kW) which according to GM can manage 0-100km/h in around 12 seconds. The prototype’s three hydrogen tanks are made of carbon fibre and can be filled to a high pressure of 700 bar. The capacity of 4.2 kg of hydrogen guarantees a driving range of up to 320 km.

Continue reading: Geneve 2008 - the GM lineup

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The Opel GT will be coming to market in Europe in the spring of 2007, with a price near 33.000 €. Il will be equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, outputting 264 ps. Its price-to-horsepower ratio seems to be much more favorable than its main rivals (Mazda MX-5, Honda S-2000, Audi TT).

The Opel GT is a pretty compact roadster: 4.100 m long, 1.813 m wide and 1.274 m high, with a wheelbase of 2.415 m and an ooverall weight of 1,395 kg. The luggage compartment is pretty meager: 157 l with the soft-top up, 67 l with the soft-top down. The 18″ allory rims feature 245/45 tires.

The GT’s powerful engine is also pretty elastic: maximum power output is at 5,300 rpm, but maximum torque output is constant between 2,000 and 5.200 rpm, at 353 Nm. The Opel GT will go from 0-100 km/h in 5,7 seconds and it will reach a top speed of 230 km/h.

Continue reading: Opel GT - new photos and details

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Carscoop has published the first official images of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR, the english version of the Opel Corsa OPC, from which it will differ only in the front grille and in being right-hand drive instead of left-hand drive. The Opel Corsa OPC will be shown in public for the first time at the next Geneva auto show (march 2007).

The Corsa OPC / Vauxhall VXR will feature 18″ alloy rims, aggressive front apron and rear spoiler, race-like external mirrors and a big triangular exhaust tube, embedded in the rear air diffuser. The interior will feature Recaro sport seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

The engine is a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit derived from the one mounted on the Meriva OPC, which on the Corsa will output 190 ps and 261 Nm of torque. Thanks to this engine, the Corsa OPC will sprint from 0-100 km/h (0.62 mph) in 6,8 seconds, a tad faster than the Clio RS, with a top speed of 225 km/h. To cope with the added power the suspensions have been revised, with new damper and spring settings. Some help will also come from a new ESP system.

Continue reading: Opel Corsa OPC / Vauxhall VXR

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Two small sedans for the central and eastern European markets have been announced today: the Fiat Linea and the Opel Astra.

The Fiat Linea is the sedan version of the Punto (punto is the italian for point, linea for line). It will be shown for the firt time at the Istanbul auto show (November 2-12 2006) and will be built in Turkey by Tofas, the joint venture between Fiat Auto and Koç Holding, in the Bursa factory. Deliveries will start in the second half of 2007.

The Linea was designed by the Centro Stile Fiat, headed by Frank Stephenson (the “creator” of the Mini), with Giugiaro’s Grande Punto as a starting point. The Linea is 4.56 m long, 1.73 m wide and 1,5 m high, with a wheelbase 2.6 m long). The trunk has a capacity of 500 liters (17.7 cubic feet).

Continue reading: Opel Astra and Fiat Linea - small Euro sedans

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A nice commercial for the TwinTop Vauxhalls, seen surfing on giant ocean waves …

Via | Motorpasion

Continue reading: English commercial for the Vauxhall Astra Twin-Top

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Coming hot on the heels ot the first official pics of the new Corsa, these spy-shots of the Opel Corsa OPC, show the hot-hatch version circling the “usual” Nurburgring.

The 1,6 liters turbo-charged engine should output 180 hp, enough for a 7.2-7.3 seconds sprint from 0-100 km/h.

And, who knows, maybe the production version will even keep the huge rear extractor and the courageous “embedded” triangular exhaust tube.

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