Opel Car

The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced by General Motors' European subsidiary 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.

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

The Corsa is built at Zaragoza in Spain, and also in countries like Germany (Eisenach), Argentina (Rosario), Brazil (São Caetano do Sul and São José dos Campos), Colombia (Bogotá), Mexico (Ramos Arizpe), South Africa (Port Elizabeth), India (Halol), and China (Shanghai).

The front-wheel drive Corsa was first launched in April 1983 to replace the Opel Kadett City. 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. 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.

Power came from 1.0 L, 1.2 L, 1.3 L and 1.4 L petroleum 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 (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) were based on well proven GM Family II designs. 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 PS (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-facelifted models, later models were all called GSi). A model with an 82 hp 1.4 L multi-point fuel injected engine also became available as the SRi, which was otherwise mechanically identical to the GSi. The car's handling and styling were still criticised as being 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, grille and interior, but the car was showing its age against strong competition such as the Renault Clio and Peugeot 106.

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. 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 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 Argentina and Brazil as Chevrolet Corsa Classic and also sold in Chile. A budget version, the Chevrolet Celta, has bodywork resembling the late 1990s Vectra and Astra. The Celta is sold in Argentina as the Suzuki Fun. Mexico has their version of the hatchback and sedan, known as the Chevy C2, which is also sold in Colombia. All Mexican versions were known as the Chevy, with the names Monza used on the sedan, and Swing and Joy on the hatchbacks.

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 is also still produced, and extensively marketed in South Africa as the Corsa Lite under the Opel branding.

The Corsa D was created using a new version of the Gamma platform, 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.

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 are available at launch, although the 1.3 L CDTI and 1.7 L CDTI engines were upgraded, with power ranging from 75 hp (55 kW) to 125 hp (92 kW). The 192 hp (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 hp 1.3 CDTI engine was updated in mid-2007 to bring CO2 levels to just 119 g/km, meaning that a full 12 months road fund licence is £35.

It has sold well in Britain, though in 2007 it was unable to regain top spot in the supermini sector from the Ford Fiesta. However, it was Britain's fourth most popular new car for 2007.