Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Opel Agila City Heels

April foolery a few days late? Unfortunately, no... the shoes you see above and in the gallery below are real. Opel has gone and commissioned a one-off pair of Opel Agila City Heels by Luca Stappers. Unveiled on April 2 at trendy shoe boutique Shoebaloo in Amsterdam, the shoes were delivered by a certain Prince Charming who rode, not in an Opel Agila, but on a white horse. We swear, we're not making this stuff up, though we honestly wish they were left in the back of someone's mind before ever hitting the drawing board. Whatever the case, the shoes do exist, so perhaps the lucky owner could cut her losses by lopping off the horrible fake-grille and headlights for some nice open-toed action. Or they could just throw 'em out. Heck, they aren't even white!


[Source: Opel via CarScoop]

Click image for photo gallery

GM unveiled the new Opel Agila to the media in Venice on Wednesday. The choice of venue was no accident, as the previous Suzuki Wagon R+-based Agila sold more copies in Italy than anywhere else. The new Agila is once again a badge-engineered Suzuki twin. The Splash is mechanically identical and simply wears a different set of duds fore and aft.

GM will look to young women as the key demographic they seek to capture with the little urban hatch, focusing on its style and utility (five-door config, numerous storage compartments, etc.). As previously reported, it's going to launch with a trio of small engines: 1.0L and 1.2L gasoline, and a 1.3L diesel. In addition to a verbose new press release (pasted after the jump for those interested), Opel also released several new photos of the car, inside and out. The Agila's a good-looking little hatch, but those stylized, floating "A G I L A" letters on the seats really need to go. We'll get a firsthand look at the Agila and its twin, the Splash, in Frankfurt.

[Sources: Opel, Automotive News]

Click image for photo gallery

Suzuki has released some new info and pictures of the forthcoming Splash compact headed for Europe. The Splash is the Suzuki version of the vehicle that will also be sold as the new Opel/Vauxhall Agila by General Motors. Built on a shortened Suzuki Swift platform and sporting different front and rear-end treatments than the Agila, the Splash design team focused specifically on the European market's tastes as it worked toward the final product shown here. It will be formally introduced to its target audience in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

European sales begin next Spring, and three engines will be available to customers: a 1.0-liter 64-horsepower 3-cylinder, a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder with 84 horses, and a 73-horsepower 1.3L 4-cylinder diesel. The compact 5-seater will be produced in Hungary alongside its GM-badged mechanical twins. From what Suzuki's shown so far, it's a nice-looking little car, with a simple, straightforward interior design. We're looking forward to seeing it (and its Agila sibling) in person come September.

Press release follows after the jump.

[Source: Suzuki]

Because GM has said that Opel and Saturn will be virtually indistinguishable by 2014, every new Opel piques our curiosity. And guess what? Thanks to Hans Lehmann Photo, we have a spy pic of a new Opel. The vehicle is a heavily disguised prototype of the new Opel Agila. As with the current Agila, the model is being co-developed with Suzuki. WorldCarFans is predicting that this microvan will again use a choice of transversely mounted engines ranging from 60 to 80 hp. A 70 hp 1.3 litre turbodiesel might be another option. The finished vehicle or a concept version should be making its debut in Frankfurt this fall.

The current Agila is a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R built in Poland. One of the few 5-doors in the small city car class, it has been successful because of its unique combination of a small but relatively powerful and refined Opel engine, good standard equipment levels, low MSRP, and equally low operating costs. It has the typical small footprint of European city cars, but is as tall as some MPVs, allowing a lot of interior room. Where the current Wagon R and Agila have a slab-sided micro commercial van look, this new version appears to have a bit more style a lá the Suzuki SX4.

[Source: World Car Fans]