Press Release
Page 1: Short Version (I)
Page 2: Short Version(II)
Page 3: Market/Model
Page 4: Design
Page 5: Comfort
Page 6: Powertrain
Page 7: Chassis
Page 8: Safety
Page 9: Quality/Running Costs
Page10: Specifications
Page 11: Glossary of Technology
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Forecast: Segment marked by strong growth in coming years
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Profile: Three and five-door models for different target groups
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Range: Four equipment lines and a wide selection of packages
Over 9.4 million Corsas have been sold so far in Europe. That makes it one of the top contenders in a market segment traditionally referred to as the small-car class, although many such vehicles have long since grown up. This is especially true of the fourth-generation of the Corsa, scheduled for market launch in early October and available for order since July 18.
The Europe-wide success story began in 1982, with Opel’s debut in a class that the Corsa played a significant role in shaping the following years. In Germany, for example, it was the uncontested No. 1 in its class for seven consecutive years between 1995 and 2001. The Corsa was also best-in-class in the UK in 2004 and 2005, with a segment share of nearly 16 percent.
The new Corsa is aiming for the top not only in the United Kingdom, but throughout Europe. It enters the race in Europe’s second-largest segment, which accounts for 24.3 percent of all passenger car sales. Opel has a solid foundation to build on: more than 321,000 Corsa models were sold last year, giving the popular car a segment share of 7.6 percent in 2005. Following the UK with over 89,000 registrations, the Corsa was most popular in Germany where sales reached around 53,000 units for 10.8 percent share of the segment.
Chances are good that the new Corsa generation can surpass these figures in the coming years, thanks to the many strengths of both brand-new three and five-door models as well as the forecasts for the small-car category in general. According to Opel marketing experts, all signs point to growth in the category.
Instead of the 3.92 million small cars sold in 2005, they expect 4.25 million to be sold throughout Europe in five years time.
Range: A car tailor-made for different lifestyles
The stylish and sporty three-door Corsa particularly appeals to customers that marketing experts call “progressive modern mainstream.� The group in profile: young adults up to their mid 30s, with no children yet but with ambitious career plans - well educated, they want to move up the career ladder while living life to the fullest with plenty of sporty adventures. They have medium to high incomes and consider Internet and mobile telephones just as indispensable to their lifestyles as a car. Accordingly, a pronounced “feel-good� factor in their car’s interior is very important to them. These consumers see exterior vehicle design as a reflection of their personalities, and place great value on sporty driving characteristics coupled with high active safety.
While the five-door model shares its dynamic twin’s sporty genes, its longer roof line and larger side windows show how the Corsa has matured in its fourth generation. This mirrors its two main target groups: one group is often family-focused and frequently has children on board. For the other group, children are no longer relevant as passengers, as they have already left home. At 30 to 50 years, the age span between the two groups may be wide, yet their idea of a desirable lifestyle and vehicle are very close together: a life characterized by a healthy balance between work, family and self-realization; a car that offers outstanding safety, value for money and versatility.
Variety: For every taste and budget
European Corsa-buyers can have their cars built according to their wishes. This is possible thanks to such innovative solutions as the flexible integrated carrier system “Flex-Fix,� the double trunk floor and comfort details like the heated steering wheel. The car’s personalization features also enable up to five different drivers to save their individual settings for the infotainment system, electronic climate control and on-board electronics and activate them with the car key.
The Corsa’s four equipment lines with different upholstery and materials in the interior as well as seven customer-oriented equipment packages in categories such as electronics, winter, comfort and technology offer customers even more opportunities to individualize their car.
This spectrum of choices ensures the Corsa range has the perfect combination for every taste and virtually every budget. Even the standard equipment in the Corsa includes features like heat-absorbing glazing, power side mirrors, central locking, height and reach-adjustable steering wheel, height-adjustable driver’s seat, Easy Entry with memory function for quick access to the rear seats (three-door model), over speed warning, speed-dependent power steering as well as front and side airbags ex works.
Exclusive interior finish with luxurious piano-lacquer surfaces
The Corsa Edition’s standard equipment enhances the base package with useful features such as air conditioning, power windows in front, remote control central locking and asymmetrically split, fold-down rear seat backs, as well as head curtain airbags and active head restraints. The colors of the seat upholstery and door panels harmonize perfectly with the instrument panel’s colored surface in classic grey, exciting red or elegant blue. The only vehicle in this class with refined piano-lacquer interior surfaces, the Corsa Cosmo places further emphasis on comfort (Edition also with red interior finish). It comes with the stereo CD-radio CD 30 MP3 with steering wheel remote control, a leather steering wheel, sport seats in front, heatable side mirrors, fog lamps and lighting package that includes reading lights, as well as footwell lighting and additional translucent control buttons.
The Corsa Sport, which holds an especially dynamic position in the model lineup, features the same high-quality equipment apart from a matte chrome console and perforated leather-trimmed steering wheel. For an exceptionally high level of agility, it is equipped with exclusive power steering with variable-progressive feedback for the first time. The sport chassis is lowered by 18 mm at the front and 15 mm at the rear, while the close-ratio gearbox adds an extra burst of speed. In addition, the Corsa Sport features high-quality interior details like a matte-chrome console and a perforated leather-trimmed steering wheel. The exterior of the Sport also reflects its dynamic qualities, with dark-tinted headlamps, 16-inch alloy wheels with 195/55 R 16 tires, and a chrome sports exhaust pipe.
Marketing experts predict that up to ten percent of all buyers in Europe will choose the sportiest Corsa version. Somewhat higher sales figures are forecast for the Cosmo. The Edition model is again expected to take a clear lead as the best-selling Corsa. In the TWINPORT gasoline models, the 1.2-liter (80 hp) engine is cast in the leading role with a 33 percent share, ahead of the 1.0-liter (60 hp) unit with 16 percent. As expected, the 75 hp version of the 1.3 CDTI engine dominates in the diesel models with a 26 percent share, while a 13 percent share is predicted for the 90 hp unit. As for the choice between the three and five-door models, market research indicates a ratio of around 55:45 percent.
Opel this year expects around 75,000 registrations of the new Corsa, which now appeals to a wider range of customers, thanks to two distinctive body styles and the high-tech options new to this class. In 2007, the first full year of sales, the figure is expected to be around 375,000 units – about 25 percent more than in 2006.
How the Small Corsa Became a Big Success Around the Globe
When the first Corsa rolled off the production line on May 14, 1982 at the brand new GM plant in Zaragoza, Spain, the assembled General Motors and Opel managers were confident it would be a great success. Looking back, this was a memorable day in the company’s history, for nobody in their wildest dreams could have predicted just how popular the newcomer would become. The Corsa made a big impact, going on to become one of the most successful small cars in the world. Produced by General Motors on four continents, around 14.2 million vehicles based on three Corsa generations had been sold by mid-2006.
Frequent "additions to the family" reflect the popularity of Opel's small Corsa. The first new relative was the compact Combo van in 1993, followed by the Tigra coupé one year later. The Corsa shared many of its genes with the versatile Meriva in 2003 and with the open-air Tigra TwinTop the following year. Outside Europe, station wagon, four-door and pick-up versions also enjoy great popularity.
The foundation for this success story was laid by the bestseller’s first generation model, the Corsa A. By the end of 1992, 3.1 million units had been built in Spain. After that, Opel’s star rose even faster. From 1993, the second model family’s letter “B� stood for one best rating after another. From 1994 onwards, eight additional Corsa plants opened one after the other at a rate of one a year in South and Central America, Asia (India, China) as well as South Africa. This led to annual Corsa production exceeding one million units for the first time in 1998. One year later at the end of the European model cycle, this figure had reached around six million units, which were sold in more than 75 countries with a market share sometimes greater than 30 percent in the class, for example in South America. The Corsa had clearly become a true global player.
By this stage, the Corsa was established throughout Europe as a new star on the automobile horizon. From students to bank managers, everybody fell in love with it. In the meantime, the small car had also become a big player in Opel sales with the second highest figures, accounting for about 21 percent of all registrations. In the new millennium, the third Corsa generation has continued to play this leading role, as demonstrated by sales figures for the C model range: more than 2.7 million units have been sold so far in Europe alone.
However, the popular Corsa's sales records are not the only milestones in its career to date: fields such as aesthetics, technology and sportiness feature just as prominently. Examples include more than 20 international design prizes for the Corsa B, the first three-way catalytic converter as standard in a vehicle of its class (1985), the world's first driveable three-liter car - the Corsa Eco 3 - which was presented in 1995 at the IAA in Frankfurt, and in 2001, the 215 hp Corsa Super 1600 for the Junior World Rally Championship. Opel also realized its "extraterrestrial ambitions" with the Moon Corsa, which was presented in 1997 in the moon-like landscape of the volcanic island Tenerife. Created in cooperation with General Motors, this unique designer vehicle was based on the first car on the moon ("Rover I", Apollo 15). With its help, Opel set the tongue-in-cheek goal to develop additional "sales opportunities beyond established markets".
