12 posts tagged “opel”

As of today, Autocade has 800 models. I’d like to see it get to 1,000 before I do any announcement to the press. Meanwhile, I am quite happy with my choice for no. 800: the Opel GT. I had a lot of scale models of this car when I was growing up.

Opel GT. 1968–73 (prod. 103,463 sold). 2-door coupé. F/R, 1078 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1897 cm³ (4 cyl. CIH). Very stylish compact coupé based on Kadett B components, designed by Clare MacKichan, with Chevrolet Corvette (C3) influences. Some early rust issues. Refined and quick. Smaller 1·1-litre model collectible today and relatively rare, as most buyers went with 1·9. Larger unit only after 1970, with lower-priced GT/J, equipped with the larger engine, introduced in 1971. No direct successor as Kadett C went on the GM global T-car platform.

This has got to be one of those bad journalism moments:

Specifically, the report states (sic):

Analysts say its small-car technology can help Chrysler, known for its minivans and Hummer line. In the past five years, Fiat has been able to regain market share in Europe with its economy fuel-saving cars as well as its luxury line, Alpha Romero.

   I’m sure Chrysler would love to know it owns Hummer and have extra headaches about what to do with that brand, and do Alpha Romeros have anything to do with actor Cesar Romero?

Here are some executive cars that you might not have come across—or you may have, but not often. A few entries on Autocade. I was going to say how none of them are German, but some of you might argue the first one is—sort of.

Daewoo Prince. 1991–7 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1796, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Development of earlier Opel Commodore C-based Royale (GM V-car), but with some new sheetmetal. Prince, like Royale, had ideas above its station and was marketed as a large, luxury car in Korea. Dated at this point but considered a top model for Daewoo (below the similar Royal Salon and Brougham), until it began developing models of its own.

Daewoo Arcadia. 1993–2000 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 3206 cm³ (V6 OHC). Daewoo flagship was in fact a rebadged Honda Legend (1990–6), but not as popular as Hyundai rival. Very refined, as Honda originally anticipated an upmarket move with this generation of Legend. Not directly replaced.

Fiat Argenta. 1981–6 (prod. unknown). 4-door saloon. F/R, 1585, 1995 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC), 2445 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC). Rebodied 132 marketed as all-new car but evidently not. Narrow, 1960s thinking in car that was first released as 132 in the early 1970s. Adequate at best though equipment levels not bad for the era. Facelift for 1984 saw corporate five-bar grille, and addition of supercharged VX and turbodiesel models.

Renault Vel Satis. 2002 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door saloon. F/F, 1998 cm³ petrol, 1995, 2188 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2958 cm³ diesel, 3498 cm³ petrol (V6 DOHC). Unable to confront BMW 5er-Reihe and German executive saloons, Renault went on an original path with Vel Satis. Show car from late 1990s was sleek and modern; production car upright. High seating position, apeing Espace minivan in some respects. Not as capable as Germans, but sold on unusual design. Poor ride, handling, with automatic gearbox leaving something to be desired. Same platform as Laguna II and Espace IV. Facelift shown April 2005, with no RHD models from then.

[Cross-posted at Lucire] General Motors intends to overtake the Toyota Prius with its Chevrolet Volt—a vehicle that is an electric car first, with a petrol engine that only kicks in when extended range is needed. (The Prius, in layman’s terms, works the other way round, with a hybrid engine assisting the petrol one—though around town, the Prius tries to work on electricity only.) Sensibly, in these tough times, GM will sell the Volt as an Opel in Europe, a Vauxhall in the UK and a Holden in Australasia, and unveiled the Opel-badged version in Genève this week.
   Lucire TV will have more Salon de Genève footage, but for starters we feature Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer, General Motors of Europe launching the Opel Ampera, and talking about GM’s focus on electrifying the automobile. Other shots are of the Ampera, including its interior, filling up, and information on its propulsion system.
   It’s finally beginning to feel like the 21st century, rather than a hangover of the 20th.

The Opel Insignia’s shape has grown on me but it is almost too contemporary—suited to today’s trends, so how will it look come 2011? Still, it is miles better than the Daewoo Tosca that is sold in New Zealand with Holden badges. The Vectra C’s replacement should always have been the Insignia in this market, too—I am seeing the Tosca trounced by Camry, Mazda Atenza and Ford Mondeo.
   The first video is a bit dull but the second has interior and exterior shots, filmed against the London background.
   This car has won Car of the Year in Europe and the Gelben Engel from ADAC (the German Automobile Club). In other words, some people think it’s a world-beater, but I don’t believe it will head to the US. There are rumours it could come Down Under to supplant the awful Tosca.
   We do know it sells in China with Buick badges.
   What a shame it has come while GM is in such deep trouble—everyone is focusing on the troubles and not the car.

Somehow, people just don’t think of Cadillacs as small cars. Here are some they made that didn’t do very well. From Autocade.

Cadillac Cimarron (J-car). 1982–8 (prod. 132,499). 4-door sedan, F/F, 1796, 1991 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 2837 cm³ (V6 OHV). A good idea: build a Cadillac that could take on the BMW 3-series, and do it cheaply, on J-car platform. Seville showed that Cadillac could go smaller and succeed, but at least that car did not look like the Chevrolet Nova. Here, Cimarron was essentially a Chevrolet Cavalier clone, yet the price was nearly double. Few were fooled into buying the smaller Cadillac—at least not at the prices the company wanted to charge. Four-cylinder engines did not help perceptions, though V6 arrived in 1985 and was standard from 1987. Final year production of 6,454; cancelled afterwards. Sector not filled till European-market BLS launched, based on the platform of a European J-car successor.

Cadillac Catera. 1997–2001 (prod. 95,000 approx.). F/R, 2962 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Re-grilled Opel Omega MV6, but softened up dynamically. Well made, probably better than US Caddys. Sport model for 1999. Facelift for 2000 brought stiffer suspension for buyers who might want European handling, but it was a case of too little, too late. A good car, but failed to capture new customers for Cadillac.

Cadillac BLS. 2006 to date (prod. 6,029 to end of 2007). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/F, 1910 cm³ diesel, 1998 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC), 2792 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Not sold in US, Euro-Caddy built by Saab of Sweden on an Opel Vectra C platform, which makes this a spiritual successor to the Cimarron of the 1980s. Related to the Saab 9-3 of these years, and out of the same factory. Better made than most Cadillacs and one of the first factory station wagons in the company’s history (from 2007). Front-heavy design out of keeping with the rest of the range and front-wheel drive not that prestigious in its desired sector. Like most small Cadillacs, failed to capture much of the BMW 3er-Reihe market.

[Cross-posted from Lucire] The Opel Insignia has won European Car of the Year, so I was wrong on my guess that a Ford would take the position.
   The Ford Fiesta lost by one point: 320 to the Opel’s 321.
   Volkswagen’s Golf VI was well behind in third at 223.
   This year, 19 had the second-placed Ford Fiesta as their pick, pipped by the 20 who chose the Opel Insignia.
   The other cars and their scores were: Citroën C5, 198; Alfa Romeo MiTo, 148; Škoda Superb, 144; and Renault Mégane, 121.
   The Opel Insignia is called the Vauxhall Insignia in the UK and the Buick Regal in China.

Opel has launched the estate version of its Insignia saloon at the Paris Salon. It’s a smart-looking vehicle and if Holden New Zealand wasn’t such a bunch of idiots treating consumers as shoppers at the Warehouse, we’d have it, too, and the company would be raking it in, instead of trying to convince us that the Daewoo Tosca is acceptable. Meanwhile, Ford is cleaning up with the Mondeo in this sector, as is Mazda with the Atenza or 6 in this mid-sized market.

The last time they made a car called the Chevrolet Cruze, it was a rebodied Suzuki Wagon R:

and, before Holden started selling Daewoo Kaloses, was considered the worst model in its range when it was rebadged with the Aussie lion on the grille.
   This time, it seems Chevrolet Cruze will be the export name for the Daewoo Lacetti replacement in Europe and the US. It doesn’t look very American at all—as usual, it looks Korean, which it is. The good news is that the platform is shared with the next Opel Astra and engineered in Rüsselsheim. The front grille is reminiscent of the Gentra, though the lights are more aggressive. The rear is similar to the Daewoo Tosca:

   Speaking of dodgy Daewoos, I saw, in the metal, the new Holden Barina—Daewoo Gentra X in its country of origin—and the transformation is not very pleasant. The grille does not have a centralized Holden lion badge: it’s placed higher within the grille. Here’s the original Korean model as on Autocade for reference:

 
   I imagine that New Zealand is not going to be far behind Australia, given that the news reports of the facelifted Barina only appeared in the Aussie press earlier this week. Admittedly, I thought I was looking at a Škoda Fabia at first glance, then I had the misfortune of seeing the rest of it. I just hope, for buyers’ sake, this car is safer than the old Kalos.

General Motors provided us with these videos today from the British Motor Show. Still thinking about whether to put them on to the Lucire site as the aspect ratio is wrong and everyone looks 12 ft tall. They include the launch of the Opel Insignia, and scenes from Cadillac, Bentley, Lotus, Renault and Alfa Romeo.