Autoblog

Opel/Vauxhall coming to Frankfurt with secret concept plus two production debuts

Noah Joseph — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Europe, Opel, Vauxhall, UK

General Motors' European divisions are keeping mum on the details, but Opel and Vauxhall are preparing to unveil some sort of new concept car next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

All GM is saying at this point is that the experimental prototype will be driver-focused. Which sounds good, but we'll reserve any sort of judgement until we know a little more. Or really, until we know anything.

The secretive show car will join the Astra GTC three-door hatch and Zafira Tourer minivan, which also make their production debuts, on the twin companies' show stand. Joining them as well will be the Ampera - the European cousin of the Chevy Volt - that is nearing its market debut, and seven vehicles equipped with the EcoFLEX family of frugal engines.

Follow the jump for the full press release, and watch this space for more info on what form that concept car might take as the show approaches.

Continue reading Opel/Vauxhall coming to Frankfurt with secret concept plus two production debuts

Opel/Vauxhall coming to Frankfurt with secret concept plus two production debuts originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Opel Zafira looks ready to move the people

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivan/Van, Opel

Spy Shots: Opel Zafira - Click above for high-res image gallery

This time, you are not looking at a hologram. Our spy photographers have caught this camo-clad Opel Zafira out moving people. Vauxhall has already hinted at its version of the Zafira via the Tourer Concept, and a production version is expected to hit dealer showrooms in the first half of 2012.

The seven-passenger people mover is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Inside, the Zafira will feature reconfigurable seating so that four can ride in spacious comfort, five can go on a journey together, or seven can be shuttled around.

Though the camouflage is covering them up, we can see the bottom-half of the aggressively stylish boomerang headlights peeking out. The overall package of this European staple appears to have stayed true to the concept shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Given how production-ready the car appears, we expect it to break cover very soon.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Opel Zafira

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Opel Zafira looks ready to move the people originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM reportedly pondering new small truck, return to minivans

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Truck, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Opel

Chevrolet mid-size pickup patent drawing - Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors CEO Ed Whitacre was apparently quite chatty during his visit to the Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City, MI this week. In addition to his comments about possibly selling all of GM's stock during the upcoming IPO, he also revealed that the product planning staff under Stephen Carlisle is looking at getting back into market segments the company has or will soon abandon.

After 20 years of unsuccessfully trying to get traction in the minivan market, BusinessWeek reports that GM is considering trying again with stretched version of the European Opel Zafira. Oddly, this comes not long after the automaker decided not to offer the forthcoming similarly sized Chevrolet Orlando in the U.S. market. GM is also apparently revisiting the mid-sized pickup truck. A replacement for the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon twins is under development for overseas markets, but it's not currently planned for sale here.

Freed of much of its debt, GM appears to now be at liberty to look at the entire vehicle market for new opportunities - particularly at the low end for Chevrolet, where it has always had a hard time making profitable products.

Gallery: Chevrolet mid-size pickup patent drawings

[Source: Bloomberg]

GM reportedly pondering new small truck, return to minivans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could Detroit be exporting cars to Europe soon?

Chris Shunk — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, GM, Opel

With a weakening US dollar and more competitive union contracts, exporting vehicles to Europe from the US is looking more and more plausible with each passing day. General Motors may soon be utilizing its under-worked US plants to pull off just such a thing, and the Opel Zafira could well be the first model built in the States for Euro consumption. Automobilwoche in Europe is reporting that Opel worker's council head Klaus Franz called a US-built Zafira a "distinct possibility", and that Chevrolet is planning on building a similar model for the U.S. market in mid-2009.

If GM can pull off building a vehicle in the States destined for Europe, it would strengthen its plant utilization in North America while also increasing European capacity. While there is only a slight chance this will happen, we think it would be a huge stride towards profitability in the General's largest market.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Could Detroit be exporting cars to Europe soon? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opels brought to life by Pixar

Alex Nunez — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 07:05:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Marketing/Advertising

Think you've seen a lot of tie-ins involving Disney/Pixar's Cars this summer? Well, here's one more, in which the stars of the Opel lineup get a Pixar-style rfacelift.

Click here and you'll be brought to an Opel/Cars minisite that shows the characters from Pixar's latest tour de force interacting with the Opel Astra (above), Opel Meriva, and Opel Zafira. In addition to the intro movie that plays automatically when you enter the site, you can click on a link to watch a Euro-market TV commercial that shows the three GM cars auditioning for the part of Mater.

The spot is well done, and it's pretty neat seeing how the Pixar folks gave life to the Opels. Each car has it's own personality: Astra is very sporty and aggressive, Zafira is slick and stylish, and Meriva ... well Meriva's a little more shy. If you saw Cars and liked it, you'll get a kick out of it.

Desktop wallpapers, a screensaver, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and a PDF coloring book are also available for download.

Addendum: Thanks to reader/commenter Scott K for finding the direct link to the minisite!

(Additional images after the jump)

[Source: Opel]

Continue reading Opels brought to life by Pixar

Opels brought to life by Pixar originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jul 2006 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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