Opel Corsa

The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced and engineered by the German automaker Opel since 1982 and has also been sold under a variety of other brands (most notably Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and Holden), and also spawned various derivatives in different markets, all of which are listed in appropriate sections below. The names Vauxhall Nova, Holden Barina and Chevrolet Chevy have been used for the Corsa in certain markets.

Despite its global presence, it has never been sold in the United States or Canada.

The Corsa is built at Figueruelas in Spain, and in other countries, such as Argentina (Rosario), Brazil (São Caetano do Sul and São José dos Campos), and Germany (Eisenach).

Corsa A (1982–1993)

The front-wheel drive Opel Corsa was first launched in September 1982 to replace the Opel Kadett C City, and to fill the gap vacated as the Kadett grew in size and price. 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. In mainland Europe, the saloon versions were known as the "Corsa TR" until May 1985. 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, where it was launched in April 1983 following a seven-month long union dispute due to British workers being angry about the car not being built there. It effectively replaced the ageing Chevette, which was discontinued in January 1984.^[1]

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 equipped with carburators, fuel injection came later, but never for the 1.0). The engines were based on the well proven GM Family II design, except for the 1.0 L and early 1.2 L engines which were based on the OHV unit from the Kadett C. There was also an Isuzu built, 50 PS (37 kW) 1.5 L diesel engine available, which was also used in the Isuzu Gemini at around the same time. The diesel joined the lineup in May 1987 at the Frankfurt Show, along with the sporty GSi.^[2] The engines and most of the mechanical componentry were derived from those used in the Astra/Kadett.

A rare "Sport" model was produced from 1983 in order to homologate for the sub 1,300 cc class of Group A for the British Rally Championship. 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 101 PS (74 kW) at 5,600 rpm (98 PS/72 kW in the catalyzed version) and capable of 186 km/h (116 mph) was added to the Corsa/Nova at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, giving decent performance and being badged as a GSi (GTE in pre-facelift models in the UK, later models were all called GSi).^[3] The GSi's engine mapping had been carried out by Opel tuning specialists Irmscher. 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. In January 1988, a turbocharged version of the Isuzu diesel engine was introduced, with power increased to 67 PS (49 kW).^[2]

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 Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 106.

Vauxhall Nova

The Corsa A was rebadged as the Vauxhall Nova between 1983 and 1993, for the British market. It replaced the Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett City. All Nova and Opel 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,. Its successor was the Corsa (B); the second Vauxhall to adopt the same model name as the Opel version, the first being the Senator

Corsa B (1993–2000)

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.

Four-cylinder 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 1997, and a Lotus-tuned suspension was added as well as an exterior refresh. A list of models and performance statistics can be found here.^[10]

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 was sold in Argentina as the Suzuki Fun for a certain period. In 2011, GM stopped representing Suzuki in Argentina, so the Celta started selling with its original name under the Chevrolet brand.

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 it was discontinued.

Safety

The Corsa was updated in 1997 resulting in different styling options and better safety features:

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 was a favorite among taxicab drivers and one of the best selling cars in the country. The Chevy ended production in late august 2011 at the Ramos Arizpe assembly plant. This move is because the Chevy´s sales have been dropping constantly since early 2010 and also because it doesn't meet with the new safety requirement rule in Mexico that forces to have standard front airbags. The Chevy 5 hatchback was dropped after the 2010 model year leaving only the four door sedan and the 3 door hatchback this last one being the most popular model.The Chevy is now discontinued with only a short run of 2012 models after almost 18 years on the market. The Chevrolet Sonic will be built in Ramos Arizpe starting 2012 instead. The Chevrolet Spark replaced the Chevy 5 door hatchback for 2011 and the last generation refreshed Aveo replaces the Chevy 4 door sedan. The Chevy 3 door hatchback will not have a replacement.

Names and markets

• Opel Corsa – Europe (except UK)
• Vauxhall Corsa – United Kingdom
• Buick Sail – China, until February 2005
• Chevrolet Corsa – Latin America
• Chevrolet Corsa Classic – South America, after the release of the Corsa C
• Chevrolet Classic – Brazil, since 2005. Argentina, since 2010.
• Holden Barina – Australia and New Zealand (was replaced by the Daewoo Kalos from 2005)
• Opel Corsa Lite and Opel Corsa Classic – South Africa, for the hatchback and the station wagon version respectively
• Opel Corsa Sail and Opel Corsa Swing – India, for the hatchback and the station wagon version respectively
• Opel Vita – Japan (Toyota already registered the Corsa name for one of their domestic models, the Toyota Tercel)

Derived versions

• Chevrolet Sail – China, since 2005^[13]
• Chevrolet Corsa Plus – Chile, for the Chinese built Chevrolet Sail
• Chevrolet Celta and Chevrolet Prisma – South America, for the hatchback and sedan version respectively
• Chevrolet Chevy – Mexico, for the 2004 Corsa-derived Chevy C2, facelifted in 2008. Will be discontinued in spring 2012.
• Suzuki Fun – Argentina, for the Corsa-derived Chevrolet Celta. Discontinued in 2011. Name switched to Chevrolet Celta.

Corsa C (2000–2006)

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 was 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, was 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. This car was 2001 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland.

Safety

Euro NCAP test results for a LHD, 3-door hatchback variant on a 2002 registration:

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. 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.

The Corsa C was manufactured and sold in South America. The production plant that produced this car model is located in Rosario, Argentina.

The Latin American Corsa C featured 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).^[16] 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.^[17]

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

Brazilian engines

Diesel

Corsa D (2006–present)

The Corsa D was created using a new version of the Gamma, 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. In the UK, What Car? awarded it 2007, "Car of the Year".

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 £30 and is eligible for the Plan 2000E (a rebate of €2000 in the purchase of a new car) in Spain.^[18]

Safety

Euro NCAP test results for a LHD, 3-door hatchback variant on a 2006 registration:

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. It is no longer available as an option for current models of the Corsa.

Engines

Gasoline engines are Family 0 (1.0-1.4) and Family 1 (1.6), and diesel engines are MultiJet (1.3) and Circle L (1.7).

2010 facelift

The Opel Corsa boasted a new petrol and diesel engine line-up that fully complies with Euro 5 standards. The ride and handling were also improved.^[20] Engines were further improved from 2011 as Start/Stop was added to engines, with all engines expecting to get the technology in the future. [Engines with (S/S) are in bold in CO2 column] All (Non-OPC) engines are 'ecotec'

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.^[21]

2011 Facelift

In November 2010, a facelift was announced, with a revised front end, consisting of a new grille, a restyled front bumper consisting new 'Eagle Eye headlamps' (introduced on the Meriva B), and daytime running lamps are introduced as standard across the Corsa. (Vauxhall versions gain the new Vauxhall badge to front grille but not to the steering wheel, introduced in 2008). A new 'Touch and Connect' multimedia system will be available as an option on certain Corsas, replacing the CD60 unit. Alloy wheels are upgraded on SXI, SE and OPC versions.

Variants

Corsavan

The Vauxhall Corsavan B is a small van based on the Opel Corsavan B, 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^[22] and Opel^[23] badges.

Popularity

From the first Corsa being sold in Britain on 2 April 1993, sales had reached 1,371,573 within 16 years of its launch, by which time the Corsa was in its third generation.^[24]

References

External links

• Official international Opel Corsa website
• Vauxhall Corsa