Filed under: MPG, GM, Opel, Green Daily
Happy 25th birthday, Opel Corsa.
Do you think that GM can produce a successful small car? They succeeded... in Europe (and later in other markets badged as the Chevrolet Corsa or Chevy). The Corsa is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Introduced in 1982 as the Opel Corsa in the European Continent and as the Vauxhall Nova in the UK, the car helped GM enter the subcompact segment in Europe, and a new factory was installed near Zaragoza, Spain.
While at that time critics were really harsh on such a late entry (For instance, Ford had started producing the Fiesta in 1975 in a new factory near Valencia, Spain), the product has become a very successful one. Small engines (including a late '80s introduction of an Isuzu-sourced diesel plant) meant high MPG and gas-saving for European pockets. The Corsa even had a sporty version that sill managed to run under 8 l / 100 km (about 30 mpg).
The Corsa is now in its fourth generation, which has a lot in common with the Fiat Grande Punto, including a sweet 1.3 CDTi diesel engine which is surprisingly good (if you ever rent a B segment car in Europe you will probably drive it), EcoFlex options and they're even fitting a hybrid powerplant into it.
How about getting it into the US as a Saturn? Check the gallery for the hybrid concept and compare the current generation with the pic above (which I just love).
Gallery: Opel Corsa Hybrid Concept
[Source: Auto-news, El Periódico de Aragón]
