Archive for Opel

Vauxhall/Opel Insignia, voted 2009 Car of the Year (Europe)

GM must have caught the flip flop disease from somewhere as it has at the last minute turned back on its decision to sell Opel to a Russian-backed group led by auto parts supplier Magna International, which took months and months of negotiation so far.

The deal was looking to be pretty much set in stone and Magna’s existing clientele had expressed unhappiness over a supplier suddenly becoming a competitor as well. Magna’s client list includes Volkswagen, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Daimler and BMW amongst others. Volkswagen had threatened to pull the plug on Magna’s VW group supply contracts if the Opel deal went through but it looks like now there would not be such a conflict.

Now because of “an improving business environment and the importance of its GM Europe divisions to its global strategy”, it has decided to turn back on its offer to sell. It would instead restructure its Opel division on its own, at a cost of 3 billion Euros. Where this money will come from is a big question now, as it most likely will not be able to rely on promises of financing that European governments had promised earlier.

European governments had granted financing from state banks in view that Opel would be in Magna’s ’safer’ hands, and are now pretty pissed off that GM had pulled the old classic bait and switch tactic on them. Obviously the financing were granted assuming Opel would be in Magna’s hands soon. Germany’s government said it wanted GM to repay 1.5 billion Euro in bridge financing by the end of this month. Germany had offered a total of 4.5 billion euros in financial aid for the Magna deal. Opel workers are also pissed off as in their view now their jobs are less secure and held a protest, carrying black coffins with GM and Opel logos on them.

GM Europe president and ex-BMW man Carl-Peter Forster immediately left the company Friday last week after the announcement of the sale flip-flop. “A sudden shift like this is scarcely comprehensible. I do not find the process in any way okay. I would have wished for a completely different result,” said Forster. He clearly did not want to be any part of an Opel that remained under GM rule, and apparently he has already been offered a job with Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover.

Magna had nothing else to say but this – “We will continue to support Opel and GM in the challenges ahead and wish to thank everyone who supported the Opel restructuring process for their tireless efforts and dedication over the past several months.”

German-based and General Motors-owned auto maker Opel, has released interior shots of its 2010 Astra, ahead of its official launch at this year’s auto show in Frankfurt. The sixth generation Opel Astra, which will also be sold under the Vauxhall brand name features a fresh interior that not only looks good, but one that is functional as well.

Design wise, the interior is treated to, among others, red ambient lighting (from above the centre console and within the door handle recesses), a four-gauge instrument panel with chrome outline on each gauge plus an LCD trip display and soft-touch surfaces. The auto maker assured that the interior offers a high-quality ‘feel’ with the materials used, as well as with tactility offered by the buttons and switches.

With the lack of storage areas in the previous model acknowledged as a problem, the new one comes with various storage solutions, including a sun glass case inserted above the door opening on the driver’s side, pen holders, a two-part glove box, under-seat drawer (for passenger seat), centre console with a 9-CD holding capacity and more.

Featuring a platform that is also used in the Chevrolet Cruze, the new Astra is expected to be offered with a number of engine options including a base 1.4 liter normally aspirated petrol, a 120HP – 140HP with 175Nm – 200Nm of torque 1.4 liter Turbo as well as a 180HP 1.6 liter Turbo that is carried over from the Insignia. There will also be a few turbo diesel engines including a 1.3 liter, a 1.7 liter as well as a 2.0 liter version. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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The new Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer packs the practicality of a wagon with an electrical tailgate, the traction of all-wheel drive, the massive power of a turbocharged engine and the sweet sound of a V6 all in one vehicle.

The 2.8 liter turbocharged V6 from the top of the line Insignia originally producing 260 PS has been modified to make more power in the Insignia VXR. It now produces 325 PS, and this is put down to all wheels via an Adaptive 4X4 system and an eLSD (electronic limited slip differential). 0 to 100km/h takes 6 seconds.

Other changes with the VXR variant include a ride height that is 10mm lower, and a system called HiPerStrut, which is said to reduce torque steer and maintain negative camber during cornering, thereby improving wet and dry grip levels. The tourer rides on 19 inch alloys (20 inch forged at an option) which hide some nice Brembo stoppers behind their spokes. On the inside you have Recaro seats at the front and VXR specific steering, shifter and instrument panel graphics.

The Insignia VXR’s competitors are spelled clear. “The Insignia VXR Sports Tourer will be a compelling alternative for buyers in the premium sector who may currently be considering an Audi S4 Avant or BMW 335i M Sport Touring. We’ve already seen a swing to the Insignia from premium buyers who’d never before ticked the Vauxhall box on their wish list, and we expect to see the same buying pattern emerge with all versions of the Insignia VXR,” says Andy Gilson, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director.

Of course countries that get Opels instead of Vauxhalls will receive the Insignia OPC, which is the same animal with a different badge.

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The new 5-door Opel Astra hatchback is built on the same new global Delta platform as the Chevrolet Cruze, and hopefully if this crucial model is as good as the Opel Insignia was, things will look pretty bright for GM Europe. As usual with Opels it will be sold in the UK as a Vauxhall.

As with most hatches sold in Europe there is a never-ending list of engine options available to suit the requirements of a wide scope of society. You have a 1.4 liter, a 1.4 liter turbo, a 1.6 liter turbo (180 horses in the Insignia), and a trio of turbodiesels with 1.3 liter, 1.7 liter and 2.0 liter capacities. The 1.4 turbo engine is new, and is said to eventually make its way into the American market. The higher powered versions of the Cruze will also eventually get this engine in certain markets.

Something different is the new “Opel Eye” system which is essentially a driver assistance camera mounted between the rear view mirror and the windshield that recognises raffic signs that indicate speed limits or overtaking bans and displays them in the instrument panel. It also provides a lane departure warning.

A public debut of the new Astra will be held at the 2009 Frankfurt Motorshow in September, and will hit the showrooms by end this year.

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GM Europe’s Insignia has been getting good reviews

Well, the conditions for Fiat to take up a stake with the now bankrupt Chrysler has been fulfilled, and Fiat has been quick to look to something else in order to hasten the move towards consolidation of the auto companies during this recession.

Many have predicted that there will only be a few automakers left after this slump, with the rest either eliminated or merged. Datuk Syed Zainal’s suggestion for Proton to merge with Perodua a couple of weeks back would put Proton under the Toyota umbrella via Perodua’s Daihatsu shareholding, which is in turn owned by Toyota.

Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Vauxhall and Opel could share B and C platforms

Anyway back to Fiat and the New Chrysler – a third piece of the puzzle that Fiat is said to be interested in acquiring is GM Europe, which covers Opel, Vauxhall, and other GM European operations. The resulting company would be a giant with annual sales of 6 to 7 million cars, which is claimed to be similiar to how much the Volkswagen Group puts out. Saab is pretty much a separate thing, and at least 10 parties are interested in acquiring them at the moment, according to Saab spokersman Eric Geers.

The new company is temporarily given the codename Fiat/Opel and is described by Fiat head Sergio Marchionne to be a “marriage made in heaven” as Fiat and Opel could consolidate their B and C segment cars to use the same platforms, while Fiat continued with its small A-segment platform and Opel’s D-segment platform. Apparently Fiat offered 1 billion Euros for Opel, but GM considers the amount too small for the moment. No updates if any other follow-up offers were made.

Volkswagen’s platform-sharing success is an inspiration to all

But of course whenever there’s any news to do with GM you have to listen to what their unions have to say. Opel senior labor leader Klaus Franz says if the Fiat and GM Europe merger does happen, between 9k to 10k jobs may be lost via factory closures and other restructuring. He then accused Marchionne of trying to build a global carmaker financed with German and American taxpayer money.

Volkswagen’s CEO Martin Winterkorn also warned that achieving and maintaining real synergies between multiple brands while increasing volumes and lowering costs is a very difficult thing to do. He added that Volkswagen’s platform-sharing strategy started all the way back in 1992 and it was alot of hard work and planning for it to be the success that it is today.

And Fiat and GM have already been in some sort of alliance from the year 2000 to 2005, which ended in GM paying over US$2 billion to get out of the arrangement because it was not going very well. At that time Fiat was burning cash at a rate of nearly US$2 billion a year, accumulating $14 billion in net losses during the 5 year period. It was the time of the Fiat Stilo which went nowhere, and a Fiat Punto that shared components with an Opel Corsa.

Whatever happens, it’s really one thing to build a huge empire that could be the second largest carmaker in the world and perhaps the largest in the future, but another to structure and manage it properly once formed. Just look at GM and its mess of brands. You could end up flourishing like the Volkswagen Group or just another GM or DaimlerChrysler.

General Motors has revealed Vauxhall’s interpretation of the Chevy Volt which will be offered in a right hand drive form, and that potential buyers can expect a production version by 2012. Based on the Chevy Volt and the Opel Ampera, this almost similar looking Vauxhall Ampera also features the Voltec electric propulsion system, meaning for journeys of up to 60 kilometers, it runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery pack and this is done by emitting zero emissions.

Once energy in the battery pack is depleted, electricity generated from an engine-generator extends the Ampera’s range to more than 500 km. Recharging can be performed via a 230 volt house hold power outlet. GM also revealed that its Australian subsidiary Holden, will offer its own version of the Volt/Ampera for the Australian market. Personally, the Ampera looks a little better than the more down to earth Volt. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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General Motors-owned Opel will debut the Opel Ampera which is basically a re-badged version of the Chevy Volt at the Geneva Motor Show that will take place on March 3rd. Although the Ampera shares the same platform and drive system with the Volt across the Atlantic, this European version features a different design treatment, especially on the front fascia. Looking at the teaser image released by General Motors, the Ampera looks more modern or futuristic compared to the Volt.

Nothing official has been released regarding its drive system other than the fact that over a full charge, the electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery pack can deliver 60 kilometers in range, and when energy is depleted, the range extending internal combustion engine will increase the Ampera’s driving range to more than 500 kilometers.

The electric motor should be good for 150HP and 370Nm of torque and its batteries can be recharged via a 230 volt electric outlet. The 5-door 4-seater hatch’s combustion engine should also be able to be fueled with biofuel or E85. The Opel Ampera is expected to hit European roads in 2011.

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The new Vauxhall Insignia (UK name, also called the Opel Insignia in Europe and Buick Regal in China) has been voted as the 2009 Car of the Year (Europe)!

The Insignia won by the tiniest 1 point margin – 321 points, beating the first runner up, the Ford Fiesta to the pole. Trailing behind in third place is the new Volkswagen Golf Mark 6 with 223 points. The last time a car won by 1 point was in the 2001 awards where the Alfa 147 beat the Mondeo by one point.

Other finalists included the Alfa Romeo MiTo with 148 points, the Citroen C5 with 198 points, the Skoda Superb with 144 points, and the Renault Megane with 121 points. To quality for the awards, a car must be launched within the past 12 months and must be available in at least five European countries.

There has been much fuss about the new Insignia from the European motoring press and this news should be a slight bit of music to GM’s ears during the difficult times they’re facing now. There is speculation that the Insignia will bring back the Lotus Carlton in spirit form. The old Carlton was also a Vauxhall/Opel, and the top of the line Insignia’s 260 PS 2.8 liter turbocharged V6 would be quite tuner-friendly, making the job easier.

The COTY awards jury is made up of 50 senior motoring journos from 23 countries, and the UK jury includes Steve Cropley of Autocar, Andrew English of the Daily Telegraph, Ray Hutton of the Sunday Times, Paul Horrell of Top Gear UK, John Simister of The Indepedent and Phil McNamara of Car Magazine.

Look after the jump for more photos and a video of the Insignia

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The Opel Zafira people mover is now available with a 1.6 liter turbocharged CNG engine that produces 150 horsepower and 210Nm of torque, the rough equivalent of a very torquey normally aspirated 2.0 liter engine. Relying on the on-board CNG tanks alone, it can travel up to 370km thanks to its 4 separate CNG tanks and a 14 liter backup regular gasoline tank (obviously downsized from the gasoline-only model) provides up to 150km of additional mileage for you to get to a CNG station and fill her up.

Now this is the kind of powertrain that we need in the new Proton MPV, forget the CNG, even a nice small displacement turbocharged would be nice to provide a relaxed and torquey drive without having to rev the engine much.

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The new Opel Insignia (badged as a Vauxhall in the UK) is now in China, badged as a Buick. The Insignia is wearing the Buick Regal badge, the nameplate of a car that used to be a D-segment contender in China but has since been replaced by the Buick LaCrosse, which is also sold in China.

The last time there was a Regal in China was back in mid-2004 before it was replaced by the LaCrosse. The Buick LaCrosse is due for replacement soon though, with its lifecycle expected to end in 2009. GM is also planning a new LaCrosse based on the same Epsilon II platform that the Insignia/Regal uses, so does this mean China will have two Buicks of similiar size?

It will initially be offered with two inline-4 petrol engines. One is a 2.4 liter normally aspirated unit putting out 165 horsepower, probably the LE5 from the GM Family II engine range. The other would be the 2.0 all-aluminium direct injection turbo found in the European Insignia, putting out 220 PS and 350Nm of torque between 2,000 to 5,200rpm. It also features twin balancer shafts to smoothen out vibration.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Buick Regal.

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