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2011 Opel Antara
 
The Opel Antara is entering the 2011 model year with a revised powertrain line-up, exterior styling, and interior updates. Sales will begin at the end of the year. On the exterior the new Antara gets new, front grill with bold logo, redesigned fog lights together with chrome bezels and a well-blended pedestrian protection, modified rear lights and optional 19-inch light-metal wheels. On the interior it gets a new center console with extra storage solutions, new materials and added interior and exterior colors, an optimized instrument graphic and effective interior lighting. The engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2 CDTI Turbo diesel offered in two versions: 163 HP and 184 HP. A 2.4 liter, four-cylinder engine with 170 HP will also be available. All engines are offered in in front-wheel or all-wheel drive and comes as manual or automatic six-gear transmission. The model also gets a re-worked chassis that offers dynamic handling and excellent traveling comfort. Press release after the jump. Full story 2011 Opel GTC Paris
Opel has released today the first details on the GTC Paris, a concept car that previews the future Astra GTC - Opel’s competitor for models like Volkswagen Scirocco or the future Hyundai Veloster. The 4.46 meters concept was inspired by the Richard Bach’s famous novel, Jonathan Livingston Seagull "…and the speed was pure beauty." It’s design was inspired by the Insignia sedan and is defined by "maximizing tension by limiting the amount of lines:" intense, very slim eagle-eye shaped headlamps, a chrome emblem bar, a dramatic low trapezoidal grill. Of course elements like LED running lights / tail lights and rides on 21-inch rims won’t make it to production, but the concept its just pure beauty. Under the hood Opel placed a four-cylinder, 2.0 liter Turbo with direct injection fitted with Start/Stop technology and a six-speed manual gearbox. Opel’s Vice President of Design Mark Adams said: "We wanted to express the most emotional side of the Opel brand and we believe this vehicle creates an appropriate visual impact to reinforce our dynamic sporty character." Updated 09/24/2010: Opel has unveiled today new images and two video of the GTC Paris, but also the concept’s specifications. The GTC Paris features a twin-scroll turbo-charged four-cylinder engine with direct injection - a range-topping 2.0-liter Turbo equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. The engine delivers a total of 290 HP. Check the gallery to see all the new images. Press release after the jump. Full story Opel confirms new small car to be placed below the Corsa
Opel confirmed that they would be placing a new small car below the Corsa. The “Made in Eisenach” will be revealed in 2013 and sounds like it will be something of a city car. It is going to be small, fuel efficient, and geared towards urban areas. A battery-electric version for zero emission might also be developed later on down the road. "This new product will be an important element in our growth strategy" said Reilly. "Along with other new vehicles, such as the upcoming electric Ampera, a sporty coupe and a small SUV, we will significantly expand our product lineup in the future and offer customer choices in several more segments." The future car will be built at the Eisenach plant, where the company has already invested €90 million. It flows along nicely with their growth plan which they have been introducing to the public bit by bit. Their goal is to strengthen each of their plants, including the engine plant in Szentgotthard, Hungary where they will be producing three new engines. These engines will meet the Euro 6 emissions standards, add direct injection to gasoline powertrain, secure a low power/weight ratio, provide smooth running, and substantially reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Press release after the jump. Full story
GM Wants To Expand Opel Brand
The Opel brand has been fairly big in Europe, despite its financial troubles. That being said, the nameplate isn’t that well known outside of continental Europe. That might soon change. General Motors hopes to use the brand’s brilliant product lineup to attack consumers in China, South America, and Australia, according to Deutsche Welle in Germany. GM hopes to establish Opel as a premium brand. Last year, the automaker sold 4,000 vehicles in China, as part of its preparation efforts for expansion into the country. The brand will be marketed as a European premium brand, as there are more and more people who can afford such a vehicle in China. It should be interesting to see what becomes of Buick in China, as they were usually just Opels with a new badge. As we all know, Buick is very popular there, so GM needs to be careful not to hurt that market.
GM Turns Its Attention To Europe
With North America taken care of, General Motors is turning its attention to the European market, where the company is struggling with high operating costs with its Opel and Chevrolet brand. The European vehicle lineup is a bit different when compared to the one in America. Where as its American lineup was outdated and uncompetitive a few years ago, the European products are just fine. The Opel Insignia was 2009’s European Car of the Year and the Astra was third in 2010. Instead of product failures, it’s the high operating costs and mediocre sales that are hurting the company. On top of that, GM’s increased emphasis on importing cars from Korea has lowered production costs. GM of Europe has seen its market share in Germany plummet to 8 percent during the first quarter of 2010. On the plus side, an increased demand for Chevrolet in the United Kingdom has seen the company’s European market share climb by 0.6 percent. During the second quarter, GM did manage to reduce losses, but it was at a terrible cost. There were massive job cuts - around 8,000 people - and the closure of a plant in Belgium. Many believe this, and GM’s overall downturn, has hurt the brand’s image. GM even tried to sell Opel, but they changed their minds. Opel Set To Unveil GTC Paris In Paris
Opel will take the covers off of the Astra GTC later this year at the Paris Motor Show. We don’t have many details at this point, but the GTC Paris will be a concept car, which will preview a production model that we will see in Geneva in 2011. Opel says that “And the speed was pure beauty,” a line from the novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull inspired the Astra GTC Paris. So far, Opel has only released one photo of the car, which shows the outlandish design and the GTC Paris’ logo. Opel insiders are saying that this new model will be shapelier than anything else in the range. This means that it could rival the Volkswagen Scirocco, rather than the Golf. By looking at the photos, it appears that the GTC will be in the middle of those two, using Scirocco looks with a GTI sporty roofline. There will likely be a 230-250 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged General Motors four-cylinder under the hood. We also expect a three-door and a five-door to be available. We are hoping that the GTC will come to the United States as a Buick, but that is more a wild and crazy idea than anything else. The Astra Sports Tourer will also be shown at the auto show, along with the new Meriva. Full story Get some 3D glasses! Opel’s new Meriva commercial is in 3D!
The advent of 3D technology has spurned a new wave of marketing and advertising efforts that are centered on making products a tad more realistic to the eye. And what better way to do that to have the public sport on a pair of 3D glasses to watch a three-dimensional commercial. Without these glasses, however, Opel’s new Meriva crossover commercial is nothing more than your average advertisement, except for the fact that it’s got red and blue hues all over it. Not exactly the kind of commercial you’d want to see when you’re sporting a massive headache. However, if you can cop a pair of 3D glasses - you can even make one if you’re that desperate - then you’re going to enjoy this commercial, which seems to put as much face time on the Meriva as it does on all the 3D-ness it comes with. Either way, 3D’s a brand new advertising approach that hasn’t been done a whole lot before. Knowing how technology works these days, this Opel Meriva 3D commercial just may be the first of new armada of 3D commercials that will hit your TVs and computers. More details on the future Opel Astra Sports Coupe
Opel will expand the current Astra range with a new coupe version set to be launched at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. It will join the current five-door model and the just launched Astra Sports Tourer. The future coupe version will come with a separate, more radical design. It will feature a wider track, a filigree roof structure with a narrow C-pillar, more pronounced rear wheel arches, and the windscreen will be extended from a large glass roof up to a B-pillar. Under the hood there will be the same engine line-up as in the five-door version: a 1.4-liter turbo, a 1.6-liter, 2.0 gasoline engine, and a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel. Opel will also offer a GSI version that will deliver around 210 HP and will compete with models like Volkswagen Golf GTI. An OPC version will get a 2-liter turbo four-cylinder producing 240 hp that will be launched at a later date. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph will be made in the 8 second area and the top speed will be somewhere around 150 mph. Opel to withdraw loan requests
Vauxhall and Opel have withdrawn their offers for aid from the European government. They claim the reason for the dropped request is down to long delays. In a statement, the GM brands said that their request for £1.5 billion in aid has been withdrawn, but money is still needed. Instead of asking for help, GM said it would fund the restructuring itself. "GM’s recently improved financial strength has been a catalyst for making this decision," the carmaker said in a statement, adding that it expected to return to profitability "shortly". GM Europe president Nick Reilly said: “"We cannot afford to have uncertain funding plans and new time-consuming complex negotiations at this time when we need to keep investing in new products and technologies." Just weeks ago, Germany rejected a loan request to Opel, while the UK government is still looking into £275 of loans. 2011 Opel Astra Sports Tourer
Opel has officially unveiled the new Astra Sports Tourer even though the public debut has been set the Paris Auto Show in September. The new model shares the same design DNA and Sports Tourer name as its larger counterpart the Insignia. The new Astra Sports Tourer will be offered with a choice of eight gasoline and diesel engines, with power ranging from 95 hp to 180 hp. The engines can be combined with a six-speed manual gearbox or an automatic six-speed transmission. All variants will also be equipped with a manual transmission including a shift-up indicator that helps in improving the fuel economy. The exterior design of the new Astra Sports Tourer brings a touch of athleticism and undeniable class to compact wagon looks. The tapered profile and the prominent side blade-shaped sculpted into the flanks of the body combine to give the Sports Tourer a powerful sense of forward movement. A muscular shoulder line leads gracefully into eye-catching, sculpted rear light units. After its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the Opel Astra Sports Tourer will also be available with a Start/Stop function on the ecoFLEX 1.3 CDTI engine that develops 70 kW/95 hp. The Opel Astra Sports Tourer will go on sale in November, but prices for this model have not yet been released. The Tourer will be released in direct competition with the Renault Clio Grand Tour and the Audi A3 Sportsback. Press release after the jump. Full story | featured reviews:Opel cars reviews2013 2012 2011
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Opel cars
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