Last week Opel revealed a sketch of the upcoming Meriva concept car that the company will reveal at Geneva. Our friends of Motorpasion have released a picture of the small MPV.
If the production version of the Meriva Concept stay close to the picture like the future Vectra will be with the GTC concept car, the next-generation Meriva will turn the head in the street.
The future Meriva will share its inner structure with the current Corsa model and will go on sale next year.
Vauxhall has unveiled the revamped Zafira that will be introduced with the new 08-plate.
In addition to the current trim levels, Vauxhall adds the new Exclusiv trim which comes with air conditioning, a CD stereo, remote central deadlocking, electric front windows, side, front and curtain airbags, 16-inch Structure wheels, roof rails and body-coloured bumpers.
The 2008 range gets more equipment as curtain airbags come as standard while Design, Elite and VXR models also get new piano black interior panles around the audio and ventilation controls.
Vauxhall sold 47,813 Zafiras last year, giving the model a total of 27.7 per cent of the compact MPV segment.
Opel has announced it will unveil the Meriva Concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March and released a sketch that previews the next-generation Meriva.
Due to go on sale from next year, the next-gen Meriva will take its inspiration from the Flextreme concept car displayed at the last Frankfurt Motor Show. Like the concept car, it will feature faired-in headlights and raised bonnet edges and will be more stylish than the current model as recent car maker’s models proved it.
technically, the Meriva will share its engines with the Corsa and will be powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre unit and two diesel units, a 1.3-litre and a 1.7-litre CDTI. All models will feature the stop-strat technology to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
Compared to the former generation, it was very easy to do better in term of sales and the Corsa fourth generation reached the 500,000 milestone 14 months after hitting the showrooms. The former Corsa took 24 months to achieve the same performance.
If Clio and 207 are top sellers on the European markets, the Opel Corsa is leader on two major markets, United Kingdom and Germany and its two historical competitors, Ford and VW are far behind with 45,000 less sold vehicles from January to November of this year.
The 10 millionth Corsa will be built during next January.
Due to go on sale from next January, the new Saturn Astra, a re-badged Opel compact car, has been well acclaimed by the American press and Opel is seriously considering producing the model in the US.
The German car maker plans to sell 40,000 vehicles there next year, half of the outgoing model Ion, but if there was a stronger demand for compact cars on the US market, Opel would be ready to move the production from Antwerp to the US. Indeed, the weak dollar will likely reduce the profit margin per car and building there would reduce the currency fluctuations.
The Opel CEO Hans Demant said that Opel would need to sell at least 250,000 cars there to justify building a new production facility. The future Insignia might help, but it would cannibalise the recently launched Aura model derived from the current Vectra. So, Opel needs to think of another model. What do you think of the Corsa?
Opel/Vauxhall has decided to go upmarket with the next generation Vectra and will feature an all-wheel drive system on the topping version, the VXR version according to Auto Express and will get two powerful V6 engines.
Based on the GM’s new Epsilon 2 platform, the car will not feature the system that appeared on the recently face-lifted Saab 9-3 model. Indeed, it will be equipped with the electronically controlled transmission, which made its debut on the GTC concept car. The four-wheel drive system distributes the power between the front and rear wheels and allows more power to be sent to the rear if any traction loss occurs, especially during acceleration. Associated with a revised active suspension taken from the current model, Vauxhall hopes the car will match the premium brand models such as the Audi S4 or BMW 335i.
The VXR will be available with a choice of two engines. There will be a 2.8 litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine which will likely produces more than 300bhp. It will enable the future VXR to have a top speed of 165mph. Like Renault and its future Laguna Coupe, the next Vectra will be also available with a powerful 2.9 litre V6 diesel unit which will have an output of 247bhp.
In order to break the dull brand image associated with the current Vectra, Opel/Vauxhall will give a new name to the future saloon, Insignia. The car will likely be unveiled at the next London Motor Show in July 2008.
When Opel unveiled the GTC concept coupe at the last Geneva motor show, everybody thought that it was a preview of a future coupé. Opel denied considering to build one derived from the next Vectra/Insignia Saloon due to belaunched next year. But the GTC was so acclaimed that Opel has altered its position. The German carmaker is now looking at a possible production version.
The car would offer a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, both in four and six cylinder units. Some have quickly dubbed it the reborn Calibra. The Calibra was famous for its aerodynamic shape resulting in an incredibly low CX value of 0.26. Even the smallest engine allowed the coupé to reach 130mph. Aswith all Opels of that time, the car suffered from a erratic front drivetrain that could not withstand a speed of more than 115 bhp. The Calibra formed the basis for Opel’s DTM efforts in the nineties.
This is possible with the new Vauxhall Vectra VXR for contrary to the BMW M5, its top speed is not governed. Indeed, its turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 developping 255ps allows it to reach 161mph vs 155 for hot BMW! Anyway, you’ll have to catch the driver of te M5 by surprise after a long acceleration on a deserted autobahn because with only a slight pressure on the throttle, he can remind you of his 507bhp…
Anyway, at £23,995 (£24,995 for the estate), this sporty Vauxhall remains somewhat affordable, a price that includes a sophisticated dual-processor electronically controlled damper system. It’s even £1205 cheaper than a Ford Mondeo ST220. For an extra £500, you can get 19” alloys while Vauxhall’s Advanced Forward Lighting ( a nice name for sophisticated headlamps) costs £850 more.
The Vauxhall Vectra and Signum get facelifted so as to face such new ambitious rivals as the new VW Passat and Fiat Croma. The Vectra receives a re-styled front end, with a stretched bonnet, new grille and headlamps, and bumpers recalling those of the Astra. On the whole, the new Vectra looks more dynamic. It also receives a new CDTI 1.9 litre engine delivering 100bhp, which is provided by Fiat. We also note a new tuning of the front and rear suspension. More interesting is the IDSPlus chassis fitted with a Continuous Damping Control (CDC), i.e. electronically adaptive shock absorbers.
Inside, the top sections of the facia and doors receive a new trim while the instrument panel and air vents get rounded corners.
Vauxhall/Opel has sold more than 600,000 Vectras since 2002 and hopes to invert declining sales. As for the Signum, even though it’s more of a commercial failure than a success, it is not left aside. It receives new headlamps, stretched upwards, and a new supercharged 2.8 V6 engine delivering 230bhp, with a maximum torque of 330Nm at 1500rpm only. This unit allows the Signum to reach 155mph and accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 7.7 seconds. The evolution of its cabin is very similar to that of the Vectra.
The new Signum and Vectra sales will start next September.
The new Vauxhall/Opel Corsa should debut in 2006, half a year after its cousin Fiat Punto. Indeed, they will share the same platform, called Gamma, which explains certain similarities, such as the A-pillar. Nevertheless, the raised rear lamps should remain particular to the Fiat.
Another common element will be the 1.3 diesel engine, designed by Fiat. However, GM has kept the right to use Fiat’s diesel technology, so they might elaborate and build a version of their own of this excellent unit. Besides, the new Corsa should be noticeably more stately than its predecessor.
As for petrol engines, they should go on with the "Twin Port" technology, and a sporty turbocharged Corsa OPC developing around 170bhp is expected.
