Fifth-Gen Corsa Keeps Opel in European B-Segment Game

MADRID – Adam Opel decided in 1982 to re-enter Europe’s B-segment car market with the Corsa A after the German brand’s Kadett range over time grew in size and price, becoming more at home in the C-segment.

Since then, the General Motors subsidiary has sold more than 12.3 million Corsas, including 1.2 million in Spain.

Some 9.6 million Corsas have been assembled in Opel’s Figueruelas, Spain plant, which is launching production of the fifth-generation Corsa, to be sold as the Corsa E when it reaches showrooms in January.

Zaragoza will assemble 3- and 5-door versions of the Corsa E, while 3-door models also will be produced at Opel’s Eisenbach, Germany, plant.

Together with the Astra, the Corsa is the most popular Opel model and ranks fourth in Western Europe B-segment sales.

According to Enrico de Lorenzi, general manager-GM Spain, the Zaragoza plant, will build 285,000 units in 2014, but the launch of the fifth-gen Corsa and the Mokka CUV will raise the number of assemblies in 2015 to 400,000, approaching maximum capacity of 450,000.

Initial Corsa E production is pegged at 300 units daily, increasing to 1,500 before the end of this month.

De Lorenzi forecasts 23,000 sales of both Corsa E versions in 2015, a target that does not look very ambitious, as 20,886 Corsa D models have been sold through 10 months of 2014.

Other than being restyled, it is something of an exaggeration to call the Corsa E new-generation, as its platform is unchanged and there are no important structural changes. It is 0.8 ins. (21 mm) longer than the Corsa D, but that is due to the reshaped bumpers, not to increased wheelbase or interior space.

The Corsa E’s most important innovation is a 3-cyl. 1.0L ECOTEC gasoline direct-injection turbo engine made completely of aluminum. It will be offered in 90- and 115-hp versions in some countries, but only the latter will be marketed in Spain.

A 1.4L gasoline engine in 75- and 90-hp versions and a 1.4L turbo making 100 hp also will be available.

A 1.3L turbodiesel Euro 6-compliant engine will be marketed in 75- and 95-hp versions. Both initially will be connected to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The most frugal diesel Corsa E, the 95-hp engine with 5-speed manual gearbox, makes just  85 g/km of carbon-dioxide emissions and fuel efficiency of 73.5 mpg (3.2 L/100 km) in combined cycle.

The new Corsa E features several safety upgrades including bi-xenon headlamps with cornering illumination, LED daytime running lights and Opel-Eye, a camera at the front of the vehicle that can “read” traffic signals, detect lane departure, indicate distance to the preceding vehicle and issue frontal-collision alerts, among other functions.

Hill-start assistance, blindspot alert, parking assistance, rear camera and a “city” mode that allows easier management of the steering wheel in urban parking maneuvers, also are available.

The Intellilink connectivity system for Apple IOS and Android is offered for €200 ($250) in the new Corsa E, which will be marketed in Spain at a starting price of €13,450 ($16,720).

The original Corsa A was designed by Erhard Schnell to appeal to “the man of the house,” while the Corsa B, designed by Hideo Kodama, was re-imagined as a “feminine” car. The Corsa D offered a sporty 3-door coupe again targeted at male buyers, while the 5-door version was marketed as a small family car.