Net Cars Show: Vauxhall

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GM and PSA Axe Plans for Mid-Size Models, Narrow Their Partnership

Even though it hasn't been that long since General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen announced big plans for an elaborate partnership, the two companies have failed to come to an agreement on a number of projects.

After dropping plans to jointly develop a small car for Latin America and a dual-clutch gearbox earlier this year, we now learn that GM and PSA have also scrapped plans for a joint mid-size car program that would have seen models like the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5 sharing parts.

Hot hatches are the Swiss Army knives of the automotive world in that they can do almost everything. Their humble underpinnings mean that they are as practical as any hatchback in everyday use, their tuned chassis and powerful engines can scare a sports car or two on twisty roads and they are, comparatively affordable.

There was a time, not so long ago, that putting anything more than 200-horses on the road through the front wheels was considered a recipe for terminal power understeer. Things have certainly changed and, as Chris Harris points out in the video that follows, front-wheel drive hot hatches have really become very competent.

In a surprise move, GM's troubled European unit Opel announced today its return to grassroots motor racing for the 2013 season with two new models, the Adam Cup for international rallies and the Astra GTC Cup for a circuit program focused on Germany.

"These new motorsports activities play an important role in the strategic re-alignment of the company; they are a fundamental element of our brand profile," stated Thomas Sedran, Opel’s Deputy CEO.

There won't be a battery-powered version of GM Europe's Adam premium mini after all, as Opel and its British counterpart Vauxhall have scrapped the program citing high costs, despite the fact that development had moved on to a working prototype.

The Adam EV would have shared its electric-powertrain with the upcoming Chevrolet Spark EV due to enter production next year, according to a report from Autonews Europe.

More than a year after Opel presented the Insignia OPC Unlimited with an unrestricted top speed of 270km/h (168mph) to the rest of Europe, Vauxhall is now following in the footsteps of its sister company releasing a similar version of the UK market Insignia VXR.

Vauxhall's version is named the Insignia VXR SuperSport and it replaces the current Insignia VXR. Just the like Opel model, the VXR SuperSport does away with the speed limiter allowing the car to hit 170mph (274km/h), or 15mph (24km/h) more than its predecessor. Acceleration from 0-60mph (96km/h) remains the same at 5.6 seconds.

Here comes the latest model from Opel and its British counterpart Vauxhall, the all-new Cascada, a mid-size convertible with ample seating for four that was officially revealed today ahead of a European market launch in March of 2013.

The Cascada is the brand's fourth new model this year following the Ampera, Mokka small crossover and Adam premium city car, and its first convertible after the demise of the smaller Astra Twin Top.

With the Cascada, Opel and Vauxhall are moving away from the compact segment and entering the mid-size sector. At 4,697mm long and 1,840mm wide, the Cascada is not only significantly bigger than the Astra Twin Top, but it's actually 71mm longer than the Audi A5 Cabrio and 85mm longer than the BMW 3-Series Convertible.

The car uses a platform derived from Astra and Insignia underpinnings sporting a 71mm longer wheelbase and front and rear tracks that are 56mm and 70mm wider respectively than the Astra Twin Top.

The company says that despite being significantly larger, the Cascada’s body is 43 per cent stiffer torsionally and 10 per cent more resistant to bending forces than its last open-topped car.

With GM’s European Opel/Vauxhall brands and PSA Peugeot Citroen losing money as well as market share fast, the two groups are looking for ways to make the best out of the alliance they formed on February 29.

Under the initial agreement, GM paid US$423 million (€326 million) for a 7 percent stake in its French partner, which made it its second-largest shareholder. The Detroit carmaker had stated, however, that despite the massive gains for both companies, it might be forced to write down its investment.

Thanks to a series of enhancements, mainly to the engine and transmission, the new Corsa 1.3 CDTI is claiming the title of the most economical diesel model that Opel and its sister company Vauxhall have ever built.

The latest generation of the three-door Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX Start/Stop returns a fuel economy of 3.3lt/100km or 85.6mpg UK / 71.3mpg US, with corresponding CO2 emissions of 88g/km. That's a 0.2lt/100km or 2.4mpg UK and a 6g/km improvement over the 2011 model.

Back in the mid-1980s, General Motors' Opel brand attempted to fight the hugely popular Volkswagen Golf GTI and its like in Europe's compact sport hatchback segment with a performance version of the sleek Kadett E called the GSi (sold as the Vauxhall Astra GTE Mk2 in Britain).

The Kadett GSi came equipped with a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder producing 114hp (115PS) in the 8v OCH model and 148Hp (150PS) in the 16v DOCH (Double Overhead Camshaft) variant.

After the U.S. market meltdown, which resulted in General Motors and Chrysler receiving a bailout, the two automakers along with Ford recovered quickly and are now posting near-record profits.

However, it seems that Detroit's Big Three have to face the fact that, even though their sales are blooming in most parts of the world, the European debt crisis will put their local operations in the red.

According to a report from the Detroit News, GM’s Opel/Vauxhall and its French partner PSA Peugeot Citroen, Ford of Europe and Fiat will lose a combined US$4 billion this year because sales in the Old Continent are slumping to their lowest levels since the mid-1990s.

The stylish, highly customizable city car niche has just welcomed a new member. It’s the Opel or Vauxhall in the UK, Adam, a three-door, four-seater hatchback that will fight the Fiat 500 and the Mini.

Featuring a distinctive styling and what Opel calls a “floating roof” that can be ordered in two different shades that contrast the bodywork, the 3.7 m long Adam is counting a lot on the “more than a million” possible customization options and its lengthy equipment list to make a name for itself in the premium subcompact market.

Opel’s president of design Mark Adams claims, “no other car in this segment can be individualized as much as the Adam… It’s very unlikely that you’ll find two identical Adams out there”. Now, this certainly brings a sense of déjà vu – but let’s not name names…

At launch, the Adam will be available with three four-cylinder petrol engines: a 1.2-liter with 69HP (70PS) and two 1.4-liter units producing 86 or 98HP (87 and 100 PS respectively). Later on, a new generation of small petrol engines with forced induction and direct injection, as well as a new six-speed transmission, will join the range.

Opel's brother-in-arms, Vauxhall, is exhibiting three examples of its new Adam premium sub-compact, each prepared by a different artist.

Fred Butler, Louise Gray and James Small are responsible for what you see in these pictures and video, with the three cars being displayed outside the home of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemasons’ Hall, Covent Garden from Friday, September 14 to Tuesday, September 18, 2012.

General Motors is keeping its Opel/Vauxhall European brands, despite losing money. In an attempt to reduce costs, utilize its plants’ output and face the European financial crisis, it has formed an alliance with PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Yet analysts are not convinced that any rescue plan GM may have devised for its ailing European brands can succeed. In fact, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said that, while it might be costly right now, selling Opel is in GM’s long-term interest.

Not only did Opel and its sister company Vauxhall confirm the name of its four-seater convertible today, but GM's European subsidiaries also dropped two teaser images of the all-new Cascada.

The new nameplate is derived from the Spanish word meaning waterfall (hence the background on one of the cropped from the waist down photos), and it ends in the letter “a”, which is typical for Opel models.

At 4.70 meters long, the Cascada is a full-size four-seater convertible that's significantly longer than the current BMW 3-Series Convertible (4.61m) and the A5 Convertible (4.62m).

This isn't the first time that Opel's as-of-yet, unnamed, Convertible model has set foot onto the Nürburgring, but up until now, we had only seen pictures of the production ready prototypes pushed around the famed race track in Germany.

This freshly filmed footage from the 'Ring shows the brand's engineers trying out a couple of Convertible test cars with their fabric tops in both up and down positions.

For many years, Ford and GM's Opel and Vauxhall brands have been battling it out in Europe's hotly contested sport hatchback segment.

Now, both automakers have come out with new proposals based on their highly popular Focus and Astra compact models.

Whereas Opel offers its Astra OPC (sold as the Vauxhall Astra VXR in the United Kingdom) exclusively as a sporty-looking, three-door hatchback, the Blue Oval's Focus ST is available only as a more practical but less fun to look at, five-door body style.

Fittingly, Opel and its sister company in Britain Vauxhall will announce prices and begin accepting orders for the new Adam mini on the same day that the car will make its world premiere at the 2012 Paris Motor Show on September 27.

The automaker said that it will also premiere a new internet-based configurator for the Adam in its official websites in several markets across Europe.

We have already scooped the regular versions of the European market Opel Insignia facelift a couple of times, but now our spies have snapped the range-topping OPC (sold as the Vauxhall Insignia VXR in the UK) undergoing tests at the Nürburgring track.

Not surprisingly, the OPC model will receive a similar suite of styling tweaks as the normal versions of the series (marketed as the Buick Regal in North America) and which include redesigned bumpers, a new front grille and possibly changes to the headlamp and taillight fixtures.

Up until now, Opel and Vauxhall engineers had been seen working on unfinished, test mules of the upcoming Astra-based convertible model with framed doors and other non-production parts.

Now, our spies were finally able to spot a camouflaged prototype of the open-top model wearing its production body including the electrically operated ragtop.

You may have noticed that we're constantly using the term 'Astra-based', the reason being that while the new Opel model is built on the current Astra replacing the previous Astra TwinTop, company officials have said that the four-seater convertible will gain a new and bespoke name - much like VW's Golf-based Eos.

Opel and its sister company Vauxhall will market the new convertible model as a more premium proposal than its predecessor, despite that fact that it gets a folding soft top instead of the TwinTop's retractable hardtop.

Opel and its sister company Vauxhall are expanding the availability of the firm's new 2.0-liter BiTurbo CDTI diesel engine in the recently updated Astra range.

First offered on the Astra GTC three-door hatch, the oil-burner is now available for order on the Astra five-door hatchback and the Astra Sports Tourer station wagon with deliveries expected towards the end of 2012 (for both the Opel and Vauxhall brands).

Net Cars Show

GM and PSA Axe Plans for Mid-Size Models, Narrow Their Partnership

Chris Harris Puts Ford’s Focus ST Against Opel Astra OPC and Renault Megane RS

Opel Returns to Motorsports with New Adam and Astra OPC Cup Racing Models [w/Video]

Opel Cancels Development of Electric Powered Adam City Car

Vauxhall Unleashes 170MPH Insignia VXR SuperSport, Slashes Price to Under £30K

New Opel / Vauxhall Cascada is a Stylish Mid-Size Four-Seater Convertible

GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen Reportedly Considering European Merger

New Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFlex is the Most Fuel Efficient Opel / Vauxhall Diesel Ever at 3.3lt/100km

Blast from the Past: 1991 Opel Kadett GSi Meets 2012 Astra GTC OPC

Detroit's Big 3 to Record US$4 Billion Combined Losses this Year due to European Car Sales Slump

New Opel / Vauxhall Adam Debuts at Paris, Priced in Germany and the UK [86 Photos]

Vauxhall Gets Artsy with New Adam City Car

Morgan Stanley Report Says GM Should Get Rid Of Cash-Bleeding Opel

Opel and Vauxhall Preview New Cascada Convertible, Bigger Than an A5 Cabrio

U Spy: Watch Opel's Engineers Thrash the New Convertible Around the Nürburgring

Ford Focus ST vs. Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall Astra VXR in New EVO Track Test

Opel and Vauxhall to Begin Accepting Orders for New Adam Mini on September 27

Spied: Opel Insignia OPC Facelift Prototype Offers First Glance at Restyled Interior

Spy Shots: Opel's New Astra-Based Convertible Takes Final Shape Ahead of Paris Debut

New 192hp 2.0-liter BiTurbo Diesel Now Available on Astra 5d and Sports Tourer Wagon