Opel Corsa - Story

Opel Corsa A

The front-wheel drive Corsa was first launched in April 1983 to replace the Opel Kadett C City. Built in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door saloon models, with four-door and five-door versions arriving in 1984. The basic model was called just the Corsa, which was followed by the Corsa Luxus, Corsa Berlina and the sporty Corsa SR. Six years later, the Corsa received a facelift, which included a new front fascia and some other minor changes. The models were called LS, GL, GLS and GT. The Corsa was known in the UK market as the Vauxhall Nova.
A Vauxhall Nova for the British market

Power first came from 1.0 L 45 hp, 1.2 L 55 hp, 1.3 L 70 hp and 1.4 L 75 hp petroleum engines. (the first engines were all equiped with carburators, fuel injection came later, only on the 1.2 and 1.4 engines). The engines were based on well proven GM Family II design, except for 1.0 L engine which was based on the OHV unit from the Kadett C. There was also a 1.5 L diesel engine available, which was also used in the Isuzu Gemini at around the same time. The engines and most of the mechanical components were derived from those used in the Astra/Kadett.

A rare "Sport" model was produced from 1983 in order to homologate for the sub 1300 cc class of Group A for the British Rally Championship[citation needed]. These sport models had SR suspension, SR engine with twin Weber 40 DCOE carburettors, a bespoke camshaft, close ratio GTE gearbox, and few luxuries. This gave 93 hp and a top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h) with a 0-60 mph time of 8.9 seconds. These are by far the rarest models (500 produced) and thus acquire a high market price if one does become available.

A 1.6 L multi-point fuel injected engine with 100 PS (74 kW) and capable of 186 km/h (116 mph) was later added to the Corsa/Nova, giving decent performance and being badged as a GSi (GTE in pre-facelift models in the UK, later models were all called GSi). A model with an 82 PS (60 kW) 1.4 L multi-point fuel injected engine also became available as the SRi, which was otherwise mechanically identical to the GSi.

The design was freshened in 1990 with new bumpers, headlights, grille and interior, but the car was showing its age against strong competition such as the Renault Clio and Peugeot 106.

Vauxhall Nova

The Vauxhall Nova (name for the Opel Corsa in UK)was produced by General Motors between 1983 and 1993, primarily for the British market. It replaced the Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett City. All Nova and Vauxhall Corsa models were made in Spain, with the first British customers taking delivery of their cars in April 1983. It gave Vauxhall a much-needed modern competitor in the UK supermini market, as the Chevette was older than the majority of its competitors, chiefly the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro.

Sales in the UK were strong right up to the end, but by the time the last Nova was made in early 1993, it was looking very dated in comparison to more modern rivals like the Peugeot 106 and Renault Clio. Its successor was the Corsa (B); the first Vauxhall to adopt the same model name as the Opel version.[citation needed] By 1996, all models of the Vauxhall and Opel ranges were identically named.

Opel Corsa B

In 1993 the Corsa B was unveiled, and in the UK, Vauxhall dropped the Nova name, with the car now being known as the Corsa. The following year, it was launched by Holden in Australia, as the Barina, replacing a version of the Suzuki Swift sold under that name. This proved a success, and was the first Spanish-built car to be sold in significant volumes in the Australian market.

Power came from 1.2 L Family 0, 1.4 L and 1.6 L Family 1 petrol engines, as well as an economical 1.5 L turbodiesel engine. Unlike the previous model, there was no saloon version, but one was designed in Brazil for the Latin American market, as saloons were much preferred to hatchbacks. This was also introduced in South Africa and India. A station wagon, panel van and pick-up truck were also introduced. The wagon version was sold in some European markets (including Italy), badged as an Opel. The Corsa also spawned a small coupé called Opel Tigra. A 1.0 L 3-cylinder Family 0 economy version was launched in 1996, and a Lotus-tuned suspension was added as well as an exterior refresh. Strong competition came from new models like the Peugeot 206, Fiat Punto and Škoda Fabia.
1997–2000 Holden SB Barina Cabrio (Australia).

The sedan model is still built and sold in Latin America as Chevrolet Corsa Classic. A budget version introduced for the Brazilian market, the Chevrolet Celta, has bodywork resembling the late 1990s Vectra and Astra. The Celta is sold in Argentina as the Suzuki Fun.
2003-2007 Version of the Corsa still sold in the Brazilian market called Chevrolet Classic. .

The saloon and wagon versions were produced in China by Shanghai GM as Buick Sail and Buick Sail S-RV, respectively, until 2005. That year they became known as the Chevrolet Sail and SRV. In September 2006, Chile became the first country outside China to receive the Chinese-assembled Sail; it is called the Chevrolet Corsa Plus, available as a four-door sedan with a 1.6 L 92 PS (68 kW) engine. The Corsa Plus includes dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, electric windows and central locking as standard equipment.

In India, the hatchback, saloon and wagon versions were sold as the Corsa Sail, Corsa (or Corsa Joy) and Corsa Swing respectively until the end of 2005. The hatchback model was still being produced, and extensively marketed in South Africa as the Corsa Lite under the Opel branding until 2009 at which point the Corsa Lite was discontinued.

Mexico
Main article: Cars in Mexico

In 1994, General Motors de México first marketed the Corsa B as the Chevy, which would quickly replace Volkswagen's Sedán as the people's favorite. For 2004 (after the Corsa C was introduced), a Mexican designed and produced version of the hatchback and sedan, known as the Chevy C2, was released, which is also sold in Colombia. All Mexican previous versions were known as the Chevy, with the names Monza used on the sedan, and Swing (5-door) and Joy (3-door) for the hatchbacks. The latter 2004 and 2008 redesigns were simply named Chevy and Chevy Sedán. The Chevy remains a favorite among taxicab drivers and one of the best selling cars in the country

Names and markets

* Opel Corsa - Europe (except for UK)
* Vauxhall Corsa - United Kingdom
* Holden Barina - Australia, New Zealand (was replaced by the Daewoo Kalos from 2005)
* Chevrolet Corsa - Latin America
* Chevrolet Corsa Classic/Classic - sedan, South America (after the launch of new Corsa)
* Chevrolet Corsa Plus - Chinese-assembled Corsa sold in Chile
* Chevrolet Celta - South America
* Chevrolet Prizm - sedan, South America
* Suzuki Fun - Argentina
* Opel Corsa Lite - South Africa (after the launch of new Corsa)
* Opel Swing - South African station wagon
* Buick Sail - China, until 2005
* Chevrolet Sail - China, since 2005
* Opel Vita - Japan (Toyota already registered the Corsa name for one of their domestic models, the Toyota Tercel)
* Chevrolet Chevy/Chevy C2 - Mexico (C2 after 2004 facelift, dropped in 2008 as New Chevy)
* Chevrolet Monza - Mexico (4 door version until 2004)
* Opel Corsa "Classic" - South African sedan
* Opel Sail - India
* Chevrolet Small- taxi version
 

Opel Corsa C

The Corsa C was revealed in 1999 and introduced to the European market in 2000. General Motors dubbed the new chassis Gamma and intended to use it in a number of other models.

A sedan version is also offered in Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. The Brazilian version of the Corsa sold in those countries featured a more conservative front end than its European counterpart. Brazil also offers a pickup truck version of the Corsa named the Chevrolet Montana (sold in some markets as the Tornado), which, as well as the sedan, is exported in completely knocked down form to South Africa for local assembly. GM South Africa markets the hatchback simply as The New Corsa, and the pickup version as the Utility. Since 2007, the Corsa C saloon has been discontinued in South Africa.
[edit] Mexico

The Corsa C arrived in the 2002 model year as a five-door hatchback, and was imported from Europe; but for the 2003 model year, the Corsa sold in Mexico began coming from Brazil and a sedan version was added. In 2005, the sedan version introduced a semi-automatic transmission called easytronic because it was only offered in a five-speed manual transmission, however, the easytronic transmission was rapidly discontinued after the 2007 model year because of poor sales and technical flaws.[citation needed] For 2008, the Corsa was tweaked with a freshened grille, lights and a gold colored Chevrolet logo. The Chevrolet Corsa C was discontinued from the Mexican market in June 2008 leaving only the older and freshened Chevy (Corsa B); and was replaced by the Chevrolet Aveo.

In 2002, the Corsa chassis spawned a mini MPV called the Opel Meriva, development of which began under Opel in Rüsselsheim (but finished by Chevrolet in Brazil).

The Corsa C is still manufactured and sold in South America. The production plant that produces this car model is located in São Caetano do Sul, Brazil.

Since 2007, the Latin American Corsa C features the Opel-inspired Chevrolet logo with a golden bowtie instead of a chromed one - the new logo was first introduced in the South American market with the new Chevrolet Vectra.

In Australia, the car was launched to much fanfare from many motor journalists, and went on the win the Wheels 2001 "Car Of The Year" (COTY). Holden also imported the SRi version with the 1.8L Astra motor and uprated sports suspension including traction control, ABS brakes, a better tyre/wheel combination and Irmscher body kit to produce a "baby hot hatch" Barina. The face lifted 2004 model was also imported, however, in December 2005, the Corsa C was dropped from the Australian and New Zealand Holden ranges as a cost-cutting measure by GM, to be replaced by the Daewoo Kalos, which is now badged as a Holden Barina. Motoring journalists have been scathing in their criticism of the new model, particularly the bland handling, lackluster engine and below-par safety features.

United Kingdom

This Corsa was a huge success for Vauxhall in Britain, being the most popular supermini and second most popular car overall in 2002, 2003 and 2004. It was also Britain's best selling supermini in 2005, achieving third place overall, but in 2006 (the final year of production) it lost top place in the supermini sector after five years, and was overtaken by the Ford Fiesta. Overall, it was Britain's fourth most popular car in 2006.
 Engine specifications

The Corsa C was introduced with a 1.7 L DTI Ecotec turbodiesel engine supplied by Isuzu (Circle L) with 75 hp (55 kW). This was later joined by the 1.7 L DI Ecotec turbodiesel engine also supplied by Isuzu. The 1.7 L DI Ecotec did not include an intercooler and this reduced power to 65 PS (48 kW).[1] From 2003 a new 1.3 L CDTI Ecotec turbodiesel engine was supplied by Fiat (MultiJet) which produced 70 PS (51 kW) and a 1.7 L CDTI Ecotec turbodiesel was supplied by Isuzu which produced 100 PS (74 kW). This new 1.7 L CDTI Ecotec featured a variable geometry turbocharger.[2]

The 1.0 L and 1.2 L Ecotec Family 0 engines are carry-overs from the Corsa B; but the 1.4 L Family 1 engine was replaced with a new Family 0 model of the same displacement. The 1.8 L Family 1 engine is an upgrade for the previous 1.6 L 16-valve engine and produces 125 PS (92 kW) and 165 N·m (122 lb·ft) of torque. The edition with the 1.8 L engine was named Corsa GSi and was the predecessor of the new Corsa OPC. In 2003, Opel introduced updated versions of these engines with TwinPort technology, and the 1.2 L engine gained another 5 PS (3.7 kW), giving it 80 PS (59 kW) .

Petrol
Model Production Engine Displacement Power Torque Note
1.0 Ecotec 2000-2003 I3 973 cc 58 PS (43 kW; 57 hp) @5600 rpm 85 N·m (63 lb·ft) @3800 rpm
1.0 Ecotec 2003-2006 I3 998 cc 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) @5600 rpm 88 N·m (65 lb·ft) @3800 rpm Twinport
1.2 Ecotec 2000-2004 I4 1199 cc 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) @5600 rpm 110 N·m (81 lb·ft) @4000 rpm
1.2 Ecotec 2004-2006 I4 1229 cc 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) @5600 rpm 110 N·m (81 lb·ft) @4000 rpm Twinport
1.4 Ecotec 2000-2003 I4 1389 cc 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) @6000 rpm 125 N·m (92 lb·ft) @4000 rpm
1.4 Ecotec 2003-2006 I4 1364 cc 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) @5600 rpm 125 N·m (92 lb·ft) @4000 rpm Twinport
1.8 Ecotec 2000-2006 I4 1796 cc 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) @6000 rpm 165 N·m (122 lb·ft) @4600 rpm
 

Brazilian Engines
Model Production Engine Power Versions
1.0L 8V 2002-2005 I4 VHC 71 PS (70 hp) Classic/Joy
1.0L 8V 2006-2009 I4 VHC FlexPower 78/80 PS (77/79 hp) Joy/Maxx
1.0L 8V 2009-Today I4 VHCE FlexPower 78/79 PS (77/78 hp) Classic
1.4L 8V 2008-Today I4 Econo.Flex 100/106 PS (99/105 hp) Maxx/Premium
1.8L 16V 2002-2005 I4 MPFI 16V 110 PS (109 hp) Premium/SS
1.8L 8V 2006-2009 I4 FlexPower 113/115 PS (112/114 hp) SS
 

Diesel
Model Production Engine Displacement Power Torque Note
1.3 CDTI Ecotec 2003-2006 I4 1248 cc 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp) @4000 rpm 170 N·m (125 lb·ft) @1750-2500 rpm
1.7 DI 2000-2003 I4 1686 cc 65 PS (48 kW; 64 hp) @4400 rpm 130 N·m (96 lb·ft) @2000-3000 rpm No intercooler
1.7 DTI 2000-2003 I4 1686 cc 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) @4400 rpm 165 N·m (122 lb·ft) @1800-3000 rpm
1.7 CDTI Ecotec 2003-2005 I4 1686 cc 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) @4400 rpm 240 N·m (177 lb·ft) @ 2300 rpm VGT

Opel Corsa D

The Corsa D was created using a new version of the Gamma platform, which was co-developed by Fiat and Opel, and is also employed by the 2006 Fiat Grande Punto. The first official pictures of the Corsa D were released by Opel in May 2006.

The new Corsa is available in both three and five-door versions, and once again marketed as a Vauxhall in the UK. The same engines sizes from the Corsa C were available at launch, although the 1.3 L CDTI and 1.7 L CDTI engines were upgraded, with power ranging from 75 PS (55 kW) to 125 PS (92 kW). The 192 PS (141 kW) OPC/VXR version went on sale in early 2007, with a 1.6 L turbocharged petrol engine powering the front wheels. The 75 PS (55 kW) 1.3 CDTI engine was updated in mid-2007 to bring CO2 levels to just 119 g/km, meaning that 12 months' road tax in the UK costs £35 and is eligible for the Plan 2000E (a rebate of €2000 in the purchase of a new car) in Spain.[3]
 

Flexfix

Flexfix is an optional integrated bicycle rack. It is essentially a concealed drawer that can be pulled out from the car's rear bumper. On it are two wheel-mount bike racks, rear licence plate incorporated in the system,brake/tail lights, indicators and fog and reverse light alternates in left hand drive and right hand drive cars.
 

Engines

Petrol
Model Engine Displacement Power Torque Note CO2 emission (g/km)
1.0 Ecotec I3 998 cc 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) @5600 rpm 88 N·m (65 lb·ft) @3800 rpm 134
1.2 Ecotec I4 1229 cc 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) @5600 rpm 110 N·m (81 lb·ft) @4400 rpm 139
1.4 Ecotec I4 1364 cc 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) @5600 rpm 125 N·m (92 lb·ft) @4000 rpm 139
1.6 turbo Ecotec I4 1598 cc 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) @5000 rpm 210 N·m (155 lb·ft) @1850-5000 rpm GSi 189
1.6 turbo OPC I4 1598 cc 192 PS (141 kW; 189 hp) @5850 rpm 230 N·m (170 lb·ft) @1980-5800 rpm OPC 190
[edit] Diesel
Model Engine Displacement Power Torque Note CO2 emission (g/km)
1.3 CDTI Ecotec I4 1248 cc 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) @4000 rpm 170 N·m (125 lb·ft) @1750-2500 rpm 119
1.3 CDTI Ecotec I4 1248 cc 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) @4000 rpm 200 N·m (148 lb·ft) @1750-2500 rpm 127
1.7 CDTI Ecotec I4 1686 cc 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) @4000 rpm 280 N·m (207 lb·ft) @2300 rpm 130
[edit] Hybrid

At the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, Opel unveiled the Opel Corsa Hybrid Concept, a coupe that combines a belt-driven starter and alternator with a lithium-ion battery

Corsavan

The Vauxhall Corsavan B is a small van based on the Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, made from 1994 to 2000.

Engine options include:

* 1.7D Isuzu Engine 44KW
* 1.2 Petrol 55KW

All models feature a 5 Speed Gearbox, disk brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes at the rear. ABS was offered as an option.

Corsavan variants of later-generation Corsas have also been sold under the Vauxhall[5] and Opel[6] badges.