Showing posts with label Opel Scoops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opel Scoops. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2012

Spied: Light Update to Bring 2013 Opel Meriva in Line with the Latest Astra


True, the second generation of the Opel / Vauxhall Meriva has only been in the market for two years, but given the recent design changes to the updated Astra family, we shouldn't be surprised that the German automaker has schedule a light facelift for the small MPV as well. Read more »

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Spied: Opel's Upcoming Astra Convertible Opens Up for Some Fresh Air


Even though we are less than a year away from the scheduled start of production of Opel's Astra-based convertible at GM's Gliwice plant in Poland, the company continues to perform tests with early engineering prototypes.

In our latest scoop shots, Opel's engineers removed the cloth top but retained the framed doors on the unfinished test car.

Read more »

Spied: Opel's Upcoming Astra Convertible Opens Up for Some Fresh Air


Even though we are less than a year away from the scheduled start of production of Opel's Astra-based convertible at GM's Gliwice plant in Poland, the company continues to perform tests with early engineering prototypes.

In our latest scoop shots, Opel's engineers removed the cloth top but retained the framed doors on the unfinished test car.

Read more »

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Spied: New European Market Opel / Vauxhall Astra Sedan


In what seems like ages in the auto industry, Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall are still developing the Astra sedan more than three years since the introduction of the hatchback model in the fall of 2009, and two years after Buick launched the Chinese market version of the car under the Excelle GT nameplate.

In the meantime, GM also brought a Buick version of the Astra sedan named the Verano to the North American market.

Read more »

Spied: New European Market Opel / Vauxhall Astra Sedan


In what seems like ages in the auto industry, Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall are still developing the Astra sedan more than three years since the introduction of the hatchback model in the fall of 2009, and two years after Buick launched the Chinese market version of the car under the Excelle GT nameplate.

In the meantime, GM also brought a Buick version of the Astra sedan named the Verano to the North American market.

Read more »

Thursday, April 26, 2012

SCOOP: New Opel City Car Smiles at the Camera Possibly for the Last Time Before its Unveiling


The latest word from Germany is that Opel will release the first official photos of its new city car model on May 8 and that it will not be named Junior or Allegra as originally thought, but Adam, evidently after the founder of the company, Adam Opel.

If the reveal date turns out to be true (we have not yet confirmed the news), these could very well be the last spy shots we get of the prototype model.

Read more »

SCOOP: New Opel City Car Smiles at the Camera Possibly for the Last Time Before its Unveiling


The latest word from Germany is that Opel will release the first official photos of its new city car model on May 8 and that it will not be named Junior or Allegra as originally thought, but Adam, evidently after the founder of the company, Adam Opel.

If the reveal date turns out to be true (we have not yet confirmed the news), these could very well be the last spy shots we get of the prototype model.

Read more »

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Spy Shots: Opel Insignia Prepares for its First Nip and Tuck


It's time for one of Opel's most popular models, the Insignia, which is sold under the Vauxhall nameplate in Britain and as the Buick Regal in North America and China, to go under the cosmetic knife, some four years after its introduction.

We can’t be sure if these prototypes of the Insignia five-door fastback and Sports Tourer (station wagon) that were scooped in Germany are hiding the final changes behind the black and white camo, but if they are, then the exterior styling tweaks should be limited to the front and rear fascias and perhaps to the wheel designs.

Read more »

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spy Shots: New Opel Astra Convertible Caught Out in the Open Again


Opel is sure taking its time to complete the lineup of its popular Astra model. It has already been close to three years since GM's European brand introduced the five-door hatchback, which was followed by the Sports Tourer estate, the three-door GTC and more recently, the 276hp OPC flagship sports model.

In fact, while we're still waiting for the presentation of the four door sedan (closely related to the Buick Verano) and convertible models, we found out that Opel is working on a mild update for the five-door hatch!

The Convertible model seen in these latest spy shots will enter production next year, which means that its world premiere should take place at the Paris Motor Show this fall or at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

Read more »

Monday, March 12, 2012

Scoop: Is Opel Working on a Mild Refresh for its Opel Astra Range?


It has become something of a norm for automakers to update their vehicles after three or four years into the market, depending on their life span.

The fourth generation of the Opel Astra is nearing that phase as it was introduced in five-door hatchback form at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show with the estate model (called Tourer) following a year later at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and the three-door GTC being presented at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Our spy shooters caught up with a vehicle transporter in Germany loaded with a bunch of new Opel Astras, one of which was a Tourer model with its fascia partially masked in tape.

Read more »

Thursday, February 9, 2012

SCOOP: The Not so New Opel Astra Sedan Takes Shape


Opel may have been responsible for the development of the Astra being the first to launch the five-door hatchback, Sports Tourer station wagon and three-door GTC variants amongst GM's global brands, but there's one body style it will be the last to get and that's the four-door sedan model.

The Astra sedan essentially made its debut as the new Buick Excelle GT in China back in the summer of 2010 followed by the North American 2012 Buick Verano at last year's Detroit Motor Show.

Now, our spies bring us pictures of the Opel Astra model while testing in Germany. There's no camouflage up front so we can see that the Opel-flavored version sports the same fascia as the European Astra.

The automaker's engineers covered the rear end, but from what we can tell, the only differences with the Buick models concern the tail lamp graphics and possibly the removal of the chrome eyebrows to create a more three-dimensional look, along with a differen license plate holder and the incorporation of a spoiler lip to the boot.

Read more »

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spy Shots: New Opel Allegra Mini Sneaks out to Play in the Snow


It's winter testing time for Opel's upcoming mini car that is currently known by its codename Junior, but which will probably be called the Allegra when it enters the European market in early 2013.

The Allegra will be Opel's entry in Europe's fast-growing A-segment, though GM Europe's president Nick Reilly has stated that it will compete with the more expensive offerings in its category, which puts it against the Fiat 500 and perhaps even the Mini.

Read more »

Friday, September 23, 2011

SCOOP: Opel's New Junior Mini Spotted Out in the Wild a Year Before Launch


It has been known for a while now that General Motor's European subsidiary Opel, is preparing to enter the increasingly popular mini car category with a new model currently codenamed Junior.

Taken during testing on public roads in Germany, these are some of the best spy shots we have of the upcoming Opel / Vauxhall Junior that will launch as a three-door hatchback.

The baby Opel model will slot beneath the Corsa supermini and is expected to measure around 3,700mm, meaning that it will be slightly longer than the Fiat 500 (3,546mm) which is believed to be one of its closest rivals.

Read more »

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Opel Working on Several New Models Including Calibra Coupe and Small SUV



General Motors Europe president Nick Reilly has confirmed several new models for the group's joint Opel and Vauxhall division, including a new small city car. Reilly recently told Autonews that the so-called "Junior" Opel will be positioned as a premium model targeting “people who care about the status of their car, what it can do, what features and telematics it has”.

Reilly says his previous experience as the CEO of GM Daewoo in Korea has been helpful in developing the small Opel: “We learned quite a lot in Korea, where they actually make money in small cars”. His intention is to make the “Junior” a profitable project for Opel.

Read more »

Thursday, June 16, 2011

SCOOP: New Opel Astra GTC OPC Flogged Around the ‘Ring


What you see here is a prototype version of the all-new Opel Astra GTC OPC, or as Vauxhall buyers in Britain will come to know it, the upcoming Astra GTC VXR, and it was spotted doing test rounds at the Nurburgring race track.

Having already revealed the mainstream models of the new and rather sporty looking in a VW Scirocco kind of way GTC, the Astra’s engineers turned their focus on the fastest and most powerful version of the series, which will look a lot like the original concept seen at last year’s Paris Motor Show.

Read more »

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

2013 Opel Astra Convertible Spy Photos and Video Outline New Softop Model


Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.

Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.

Read more »

Thursday, May 26, 2011

SCOOP: Is this the New 2013 Opel / Vauxhall Astra Convertible?


With the new sporty looking three-door Astra GTC on its way and the Astra Sedan outlined by its sister models from Buick’s US (2012 Verano) and China (Excelle) divisions, the only body style left to complete the range of Opel’s C-segment model series is the convertible version.

Recently, our spies in Germany caught a glimpse of an Astra-based model, which appears to be the cabriolet variant of the series. While we can’t be 100 percent sure, it is clear that this Astra has a boot while the close ups reveal a more raked rear windshield line than you’d normally expect to see on a four-door family sedan.

To get an idea of what the Astra Convertible might look like, here's our artist’s impression based on the upcoming GTC model. Even though our image of Opel’s VW Golf Cabriolet contender was styled with a soft-top, it has not yet been revealed if the German company will adopt this solution or if it will continue to use the current Astra TwinTop’s retractable metal roof.

Read more »

Friday, April 22, 2011

SCOOP: 2012 Opel Zafira MPV Uncovered


These are the latest and most revealing spy shots of the upcoming 2012 Opel Zafira minivan (to be sold under the Vauxhall brand in the UK), which will receive its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before going on sale across Europe this fall.

The new Zafira was previewed in conceptual form at the Geneva Salon in March and will sit atop the Meriva in Opel’s MPV range rivaling the likes of Ford’s C-Max and Citroen’s Grand C4 Picasso.

From the looks of the lightly camouflaged test model, the Zafira has remained close to the Geneva concept car, with the most visible changes concerning the shape of the mirrors and the lower parts of the front and rear bumpers along with the reduced angle of the kink in the rear-side window.

Read more »

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

New Opel Astra GTC Sport Hatch Appears on Facebook Completely Undisguised


The production version of Opel’s stunning Astra GTC Concept from last year’s Paris Motor Show is scheduled to appear this summer with its public debut to take place at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September. However, thanks to Carscoop reader Javier who has a knack for finding future Opel models, we can give you a sneak peak of the production GTC. Javier discovered the picture of the completely undisguised Astra GTC on Opel’s official Facebook page earlier today.

Read more »

Thursday, March 17, 2011

SCOOP: Production Version of Opel Zafira Tourer Concept getting Ready for Frankfurt Show Debut


At this month’s Geneva Motor Show, Opel previewed the next generation of its 7-seater MPV model through the Zafira Tourer Concept. Now, our spies have snagged some new photos of the production version rolling around in Germany as Opel puts the final touches on the compact minivan before its world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this fall.

Being that that Geneva show Zafira was more of a pre-production model than a pure concept, few things appear to have changed on the outside. These include the smaller size and less snazzy alloy wheels, the larger but obviously more practical for everyday use exterior mirrors, the redesigned tail lamps and the more mundane tail pipe designs.

Read more »