GM Gonna Bring Compact Opel Back To America

Think οf German autοmakers and you are likely tο conjure up names like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Vοlkswagen, Porsche and Audi. Thοse are the οnes we get on this side οf the Atlantic. In their home market, they are jοined, most nοtably, by Opel.

The reasοn we do nοt get that brand in the States is because it's General Motors' European divisiοn, and GM already has plenty οf brands operating in its οwn home market.

But that has not always been the case, and may nοt be fοr much longer, if the latest repοrts prοve accurate.

The German GM subsidiary marketed in the United States between 1958 alsο 1975. Since then, variοus Opel models have been sοld Stateside as Buicks, Saturns and even Cadillacs. But with Saturn lοng gone, and the Omega-based Catera replaced by the stand-alοne CTS, the οnly Opel product making it tο these shοres these days is the Buick Regal.

Recent repοrts suggested once again that GM cοuld be looking tο sell οff Opel, but a proposal repοrtedly being fielded within the GM hierarchy cοuld see Opel returning tο American shores. The idea wοuld be tο have GM fending off its impοrt rivals with an import οf its own, bringing a small hatchback tο the U.S. market wearing an Opel badge and a nameplate such as Juniοr οr Allegra.

Whether it wοuld be an all-new prοduct specifically targeted at American consumers or οne based on a current mοdel like the Corsa pictured abοve remains tο be seen, but sources indicate that, if the prοposal is taken up in Detrοit, we could be seeing Opels οn American rοads as early as 2013.

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2012 Buick Regal GS Officially Rated at 270HP

The official performance and fuel economy numbers on the 2012 Buick Regal GS are out. When GM revealed the Buick’s sports sedan in production trim at the Detroit Motor Show this past January, the company estimated that the Regal GS was good for 255HP and a 0-60mph time of less than 7 seconds.
Now GM announced that the Regal GS’ 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been SAE-certified to deliver 270 horsepower (201kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400Nm) fat 2,400 rpm or an estimated 0-60 mph performance of 6.7 seconds, or 0.9 seconds slower than the car’s European sibling, the Opel Insignia OPC that features a 325HP V6 and AWD.
Power in the North American model is channeled to the front-wheels only through a six-speed manual gearbox, with GM stating that the Regal GS gets an estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg (8.4 lt/100km) on the highway
“The Regal GS 2.0L turbo delivers the highest specific output of any production engine GM has ever offered, and at 135 hp per liter is the most power dense engine ever certified by SAE,” said Mike Anderson, Ecotec global chief engineer and program manager.
“We’ve been combining direct injection and variable valve timing with boosted engines since 2006, and there’s no question the Regal GS turbo has the responsiveness and acceleration of some V-6s, while delivering the fuel economy you’d expect of a four-cylinder,” Anderson added.
The new 2012 Regal GS will go on sale in the States this fall with prices to be announced closer to launch.

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Opel Officially Reveals 2012 Astra GTC, Coming Next Year

This is General Motors’ brand new Opel Astra GTC revealed more than two months ahead of its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-September. The newest member of Opel’s ever-growing Astra family will go on sale across Europe including the United Kingdom where it will be available as a Vauxhall later this year. Recent reports also suggest it may come to the States under the Buick brand.
GM’s European subsidiary is confident about its new Astra GTC with Vauxhall going as far as to claim that it will “lay down the gauntlet to VW’s Scirocco and Renault’s Megane Coupe with a heady mix of dynamic excellence, dramatic design features and competitive pricing".

The production version of last year’s Paris Motor Show concept GTC sports a far more athletic appearance than the rest of the Astra range thanks to the uniquely designed body that includes a more rakish roofline. According to Opel, the only elements the GTC shares with its five-door and estate siblings are the door handles and roof aerial as even the wheelbase and tracks are different.

Compared to the five-door Astra, the ride height of the GTC is lowered by 15 mm while the wheelbase grows by 10 mm, from 2,685 to 2,695 mm and both tracks are wider, at 1,584 mm (+ 40 mm) in front and 1,588 mm (+ 30 mm) in the rear.

Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall say the Astra GTC is a more driver’s car than the five-door model as the company’s engineers having made several changes to the chassis including the adoption of the HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) setup used on the 325HP Insignia OPC / VXR instead of the standard McPherson suspension.

At the rear, the GTC continues to use a Watt’s link axle, while as an option, Opel offers the fully-adaptive FlexRide chassis control system with a choice of three settings - Standard, Tour or Sport.

Moving on to the available lineup at launch, the Astra GTC can be ordered now with a choice of four engines. However, Opel said more powertrains will be offered around its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show adding that the sportiest versions including the future high-performance OPC model will follow in 2012.

For now, diesel options are limited to a 2.0-liter CDTI common-rail turbo unit delivering 165HP and 380 Nm of torque in overboost function. It is fitted with a diesel particulate filter and a six-speed manual transmission, plus a new Start/Stop system. With this engine, the GTC can reach 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.9 seconds en route to a top speed of 210 km/h (131 mph), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 4.9 lt/ 100 km (48 mpg US or 57.7 mpg UK) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 129 g/km.

The most powerful engine is a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit with 180-horses linked to a six-speed manual gearbox offering the GTC a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). A 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine available with 120HP and 140HP completes the petrol lineup.

In Britain, buyers can place their order now for the Astra GTC with prices ranging from £18,495 for the 120HP Sport 1.4 Turbo to £22,430 for the 165PS SRi 2.0 CDTi. For more details on UK pricing, check out the list below.

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Vauxhall Insignia gains New 1.4-Liter Turbo Petrol

It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.
Beginning with the petrol model, the 1.4-liter turbocharged unit, which is also offered in the Astra, delivers 140-horsepower and 200Nm of peak torque, while returning 51.4mpg UK (5.5 lt/100km) in the hatchback and saloon models and emitting 129g/km of CO2. In the UK, the Insignia 1.4 Turbo is priced from £18,680 for the ES Hatchback up to £27,110 for the SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer.
For the new model year, GM’s Vauxhall unit updated the Euro 5 compliant 2.0 CDTi diesel engines in the Insignia ecoFLEX model. The four-cylinder unit is available with 130PS or 160PS power outputs, and for the first time, is offered with Start/Stop technology. The underbody aerodynamic measures and low rolling resistance tires help to improve fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
When equipped with the 130-horsepower version, the Insignia ecoFLEX achieves a top speed of 129mph (209 km/h), with 0-60mph (96 km/h) taking 10.4 seconds. The 160HP model records a 137mph (220 km/h) top speed and a 0-60mph sprint time of 8.9 seconds. Compared to the outgoing ecoFLEX diesel, CO2 emission have dropped by 10 percent, from 129g/CO2 to 115g/CO2.
Prices for the Insignia ecoFLEX diesel models start from £20,345 for the ES 2.0 CDTi 130PS Start/Stop Hatchback and go up to £29,385 for the top-of-the-range SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer 160HP.

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Opel Astra GTC May Come to the U.S. as a Buick

It seems the success of the Buick Regal, which is essentially a rebadged Opel Insignia, has determined GM management to consider bringing another Opel to the U.S., the Astra GTC hatch. Buick will soon have a compact sedan in its range, the Astra-based Verano due to be launched this fall, but it also wants a sporty hatchback with enough power and fine handling to lure young buyers.
According to a report from Car & Driver, the Opel Astra GTC is almost certain to come to the U.S. The model will be launched in Europe at the Frankfurt auto show this September and will go on sale shortly after with four-cylinder engines ranging from around 100 horsepower to more than 250 horsepower in the OPC high-performance model.
In the U.S. however, the car is expected to be offered with the same engines found in the Verano, which uses GM’s Delta platform that forms the base for the Astra and the Chevy Cruze: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 177 horsepower and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with around 220 horsepower. Both engines will be mated to six-speed automatic and manual transmissions. The name that will be used by Buick's version of the Astra GTC is yet unknown.
Aside from the Astra GTC, Buick might also adopt another Opel model that is currently under development, the replacement for the Astra Twin Top coupe-cabriolet. The new convertible will compete against the recently launched VW Golf Cabriolet. If Buick decides to offer the Opel convertible it will become the first Buick droptop since the Reatta

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