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The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced by General Motors' European subsidiary Opel since 1983. It has also been sold under a variety of other brands (most notably Vauxhall, Chevrolet , and Holden) and names and spawned various derivatives in different markets, all of which are listed in appropriate sections below.
Despite its global presence, it has never been sold in the United States or Canada.
The Corsa was built at GM's plant in Zaragoza in Spain, and also in countries like Germany (Eisenach Plant), Argentina (Rosario), Brazil (São Caetano do Sul and São José dos Campos), Mexico (Ramos Arizpe), South Africa (Port Elizabeth), India (Halol), and China (Shanghai).
The front-wheel drive Corsa was first launched in 1983 to replace the Opel Kadett City . Built in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door sedan models, with four-door and five-door versions arriving two years later. The basic model was called just the Corsa, which was followed by the Corsa Luxus, Corsa Berlina and the sporty Corsa SR. Two years later, the Corsa received a facelift, which included a new front fascia and some other minor changes. The models were called Corsa LS, Corsa GL, Corsa GLS and Corsa GT. The Corsa was known in the UK market as the Vauxhall Nova. The car became best known in the UK as a popular choice of car driving schools. Although many young British 'boy-racers' and 'Chavs' customised or 'souped up' their models (and continue to do so to this day), the Nova was usually seen as dull. Power came from 1.0 L, 1.2 L, 1.3 L, and 1.4 L gasoline engines which were short on performance but strong on economy. There was also a 1.5 L diesel engine available, which was also used in the Isuzu Gemini at around the same time. All of these engines were based on GM's well proven Family II design with the exception of the 1.5 L diesel engine and 1.0 L engine, which were based on the OHV unit from the Kadett C. The engines and most of the mechanical components were derived from those used in the Astra/Kadett.
A 1.6 L multi-point fuel injected engine with 100 hp (74 kW) and capable of 186 km/h (115 mph) was later added to the Corsa/Nova, giving decent performance and being badged as a GSi or, in Britain, GTE (only pre-facelift models, later models were all called GSi). An model with an 82 hp 1.4 L multi-point fuel injected engine also became available as SRi, which was otherwise mechanically identical to the GSi. The car's handling was still criticised and the styling called dull. There were also numerous reports of single-vehicle rollover accidents that called the handling into question.
The design was freshened in 1990 with new bumpers, headlights and grille and with a new interior, but the car was showing its age against strong competition from cars like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 106.
In the UK, it has developed a cult following amongst enthusiasts because of the simplicity of modification. Popular modifications include C20 XE and C20 LET engine conversions, which create reasonably quick cars, quite cheaply, which are ideal for hill climbs and track days. There are several clubs which provide users with good sources of information on maintaining and modifying.
Famous former owners include Colin McRae and Sean Bean.
The Vauxhall Nova was produced by General Motors between 1983 and 1993. It replaced the Vauxhall Chevette and Opel Kadett City. All Nova and Vauxhall Corsa models were made in Spain.
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, which was the first Vauxhall to adopt the same model name as the Opel version. By 1996, the whole Vauxhall and Opel ranges were identically named.
A clever TV advert in 1986 featured the Los Lobos hit La Bamba playing in the background as trick computer technology allowed the Nova to drive over vehicles in a busy city.
Opel Corsa B
In 1993, a curvier, more attractive, Corsa was unveiled, and in the UK, Vauxhall dropped the Nova name, with the car now being known as the Corsa in the UK. The next 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 on the Australian market.
Power came from 1.2 L Family 0, 1.4 L and 1.6 L Family 1 gasoline engines, as well as an economical 1.5 L turbodiesel engine. Unlike the previous model, there was no sedan version, but one was designed in Brazil for the Latin American market, as sedans 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.
The sedan model is still built and sold in Brazil as the Chevrolet Classic, and Chevrolet Corsa Classic in Argentina and also in Chile up to the 2006 version. A budget version, the Chevrolet Celta, has bodywork resembling the late 1990s Vectra and Astra. Mexico has their version of the hatchback and sedan, known as the Chevy C2, which is also sold in Colombia.
The sedan and wagon versions were produced in China by GM Shanghai as Buick Sail and Buick Sail S-RV, respectively, until 2005. In 2005, 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 hp engine. The Corsa Plus includes dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, power windows and central locking doors as standard equipment.
In India, the hatchback, sedan, 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 is also still produced, and extensively marketed in South Africa as the Corsa Lite and Corsa Lite Plus under the Opel branding.
Opel Corsa C
The Corsa C was introduced in 2000, with distinctive styling for the three-door and five-door hatchbacks. 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 has a distinctive front end, more conservative than its European counterpart. Brazil also offers a pickup truck version of the Corsa named the Chevrolet Montana (sold in some markets as Tornado), which, as well as the sedan, is exported in completely knocked down (CKD) 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.
The 1.0 L, 1.2 L and 1.4 L gasoline engines are carryovers from the Corsa B, the 1.8 L engine is derived from the previous 1.6 L 8-valve engine, but the 1.7 L 16-valve Circle L turbodiesel is a new engine. In 2003, Opel introduced an updated version of the engines with TwinPort technology, and the 1.2 L engine gained another 5 hp, reaching 80hp (59KW). 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. A Vauxhall Corsa is also used in the "Lights Motors Action!" extreme stunt show at Disney MGM Studios.
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). In December 2005, The Corsa C was dropped from the Australian & New Zealand Holden ranges, as a cost-cutting measure by GM, and was replaced by the Chevrolet Kalos, which is now the new Holden Barina.
Opel Corsa D
A new version of the Gamma platform was codeveloped by Fiat and Opel and is used by the 2006 Fiat Grande Punto (in a slightly longer form), 2007 Opel Corsa and future versions of the Lancia Ypsilon and Fiat Idea. GM Daewoo will take responsibility for future development of the Gamma platform, so production of the new Corsa might be outsourced to South Korea as well.
The first official pictures of the 2007 Corsa were released by Opel in May 2006. The new Corsa is available in both three and five-door versions, the first of these called GTC, like the equivalent Astra model. The same engines sizes from the Corsa C are 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 190 PS VXR version will be on sale from early 2007, with a 1.6 turbocharged petrol engine powering the front wheels. The Corsa is once again sold as a Vauxhall in the UK. In Japan, the Corsa is sold as the Saturn Vita.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Corsa |
