New /// Vauxhall VXR8 2011

La marque Vauxhall agrémente sa berline sportive VXR8. Ce modèle à V8 Chevrolet bénéficie dorénavant d'un amortissement dynamique.

Vauxhall, la division généraliste de General Motors au Royaume-Uni, a revu la VXR8, son seul modèle qu'il ne partage pas avec Opel, sa marque soeur présente dans le reste de l'Europe. Mais cette berline ultrasportive n'est pas non plus une vraie Vauxhall. Elle est en fait empruntée à Holden, la division généraliste australienne de Général Motors. Voilà un "bel" exemple d'économies d'échelles signées GM...

Pour l'année-modèle 2011, la VXR8 s'améliore donc encore un peu plus. A l'extérieur d'abord, elle a droit avec ce face-lift à une nouvelle calandre, à des feux LED avant et arrière mais aussi à un spoiler arrière. A bord, la berline reçoit l'"Enhanced Driver Interface" qui reprend de nombreux renseignements sur l'auto comme les forces G encaissées, le couple et la puissance, mais aussi sur l'angle auquel la voiture drift!

Coté mécanique, Vauxhall a toujours recours au V8 LS3 d'origine Chevrolet de quatrième génération. Il s'agit d'un 6,2 litres développant 431 chevaux et 550 Nm associé à une boîte manuelle ou automatique à six rapports. Cette forte puissance permet à l'anglaise de passer le 0 à 96 km/h en 4,9 s et d'atteindre une vitesse maxi de 250 km/h (limitée électroniquement).

Enfin, coté technique, la VXR8 dispose désormais du Magnetic Ride Control, un amortissement dynamique repris de la Corvette ZR1.

Source & photo:

Album Photo /// Vauxhall VXR8 2011

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Magna Says GM Agreement Forbids Sale of Opel Cars in the U.S. and China

Even though General Motors has kept a significant 35-percent stake in its European division, the agreement with Opel's new owner, a Magna-led consortium, does not allow the latter to sell Opel cars in the United States and for the time being, in China also. "The agreement with GM does prevent us from selling Opel in the United States," said the chairman of the Canadian auto parts company Frank Stronach at a news conference in Ottawa.

When asked by reporters if the agreement with GM also applies in China, one of the world's largest car markets, Stronach said: "Yes, for the moment, but keep in mind that General Motors - we've been working together for 50 years, we've been great partners, and they still own 35 percent of Opel."

Magna's boss added that GM may change its mind in concern of the Chinese market in the future. "If it makes economic sense you might persuade people to change something," he said.

During the news conference, Stronach also told reporters that he anticipates that Opel will break even in a period of three years and start making a profit in four. As for the rumors concerning Magna's interest in Saturn and Saab which are also up for sale by GM, the Canadian auto-part's chairman said that his company is focusing on Opel for the time being. "We have to digest Opel now, and we have got a mouthful, so we'll see how quickly that will take place."

BREAKING: Report Claims that GM and Magna Reach Preliminary Deal on Opel - Vauxhall

Citing an unnamed source close to the negotiations, Reuters reported on Friday that General Motors has reached a preliminary deal with Canadian auto parts supplier Magna International on the sale of Opel and Vauxhall. "We have an agreement in principle between GM and Magna," the source was quoted as saying. The two sides are said to have reached a tentative agreement and are now scrambling to work out the details before meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Friday to sign a memorandum of understanding. Earlier today, Italian carmaker Fiat S.p.A pulled out of the talks with the German Government in Berlin over a financing dispute.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Fiat to Supply Opel with Commercial Vehicles Made in Turkey

In this day and age, automakers are either buying each other up forming new groups or constantly deepening their cooperation with their counterparts. The Fiat Group, which recently acquired a 20% stake in Chrysler, is now expanding its commercial vehicle joint ventures to include GM's European Opel and Vauxhall units.

The Italian company, which has a joint venture for larger LCVs with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group, has signed a contract agreement with GM to supply vehicles comprising of several variants to Opel starting from December 2011. The new model will replace the German firm's Combo light commercial vehicle, keeping the same name. The range will include a number of derivatives, such as cargo vans, passenger vehicles and chassis cabs.

The new Opel Combo will be based on the same platform as the current Fiat Doblo models, with production to take place at Fiat's Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey where the Doblo is manufactured. According to the announcement, the project calls for an initial supply of up to 6,000 vehicles in 2011, and gradually increase to at 250,000 units per year.

The new Combo will be sold by Vauxhall and Opel dealers in Europe and other markets outside of North America starting in January 2012.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2011 Vauxhall Antara Facelift Prices Start Under £20k in the UK

Following the reveal of its Opel counterpart in mainland Europe, Vauxhall has released pricing and specifications on the UK market Antara facelift, which boasts a barely noticeable makeover and a refreshed engine lineup. Prices for the updated SUV now start from £19,995 for the 2.2 CDTi (163PS) Exclusiv front-wheel drive model, which according to Vauxhall, represents a saving of £2,835 over the outgoing base version.

On the outside, styling changes for the 2011 Antara include the updated front grille with the new Griffin logo, enhanced by fog lights finished with chrome bezels on SE models, new 19-inch alloy wheels and modified rear lights.

Inside, the new Antara's cabin features a revised centre console with extra storage and higher-quality materials, in addition to improved instrument graphics and better interior lighting.

The 2011 model's revised Euro-5 compliant engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI turbodiesel in two states of tune with 163HP or 184HP. The 163HP version is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual transmission only or all-wheel drive hooked up to either a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. The more potent 184HP variant also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. All transmissions have been revised to improve efficiency.

The Vauxhall Antara will not be offered in the UK with the revised 170HP 2.4-liter gasoline engine of its Opel sibling.

GM Europe's engineers have also re-worked the SUV's chassis with revised spring and damper settings.

Finally, Vauxhall has improved safety and comfort features with the addition of an electric parking brake, a Hill Assist System as well as a "shift-up" fuel economy indicator on all models.

"At less than £20k, the new Antara is set to be highly competitive in today's SUV market," said Peter Hope, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "Its lower emissions, higher output diesel engines and refreshed design will offer renewed appeal to both retail and fleet customers."

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

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Opel Insignia OPC Completes 10,000km Testing Around the 'Ring

It's no secret that most automakers hone and further develop their sportiest models on Nurburgring's Nordschleife, which is considered the toughest and most demanding race track in the world. Of course, General Motors' European unit, Opel, is no exception. The German automaker said that all vehicles in its OPC lineup (VXR in the UK) complete a painstaking 10,000km (6,219 mile) testing around the 20.8km (12.9 miles) Nordschleife of the Nurburgring before they go on sale. While 'ze' Germans did not disclose any lap times, the company said that a few days ago, the Insignia OPC sedan completed its final 10,000km 'Ring challenge with no problems.

"The Insignia OPC sedan raced 487 laps for 12 days at some top speeds flawlessly. This kind of performance and quality is what we expect from all our Opel cars," said Hans Demant, Managing Director of Opel.

Over the next few days, the Insignia Sports Tourer OPC will also complete its final 10,000km testing around the Nordschleife. Both versions of the Insignia OPC boast a 325HP, 2.8-liter V6 Turbo engine as well as Opel's Adaptive 4x4 transmission with an electronic rear limited slip differential (eLSD) and purpose-built Brembo brakes. The OPC models are due to go on sale in Europe later this year.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2011 Opel Corsa Facelift Pictures Found and Confirmed on Official Site

A couple of weeks, we told you about a series of photos showing the 2011/2012 Opel Corsa facelift. To recap, according to numerous tipsters including Carscoop reader Javier, the pictures were found momentarily on Opel's German site, but were removed shortly after some users started uploading the images on the firm's Facebook page. Unfortunately, we weren't able to verify the claim then.

But Javier kept on looking and this time, he was able to tip us off in a timely manner about the Corsa facelift making its appearance on Opel's Belgian website. And yes, we can confirm their authenticity. The pictures of the standard 3-door and 5-door Corsa as well as of the OPC hot hatch that you see in our gallery after the jump were downloaded by us.

The only visible change over the current Corsa concerns the refreshed fascia that receives a crispier front grille similar to the one found on the updated 2011 Antara we told about yesterday, reshaped headlamps and a new design for the bumper with a wider lower grille and taller housings for the fog lamps (expect the OPC).

That's all we have for now, but we'll update this story as soon as something pops up on our radar.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

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VIDEO: Opel Shows Off New Insignia Sports Tourer OPC in Promo Film

For those of you who want to see more of the new Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC, General Motors' soon-to-be-sold European unit has released the first video footage of its Audi S4 Avant rivaling estate. Like the Insignia OPC sedan, the Sports Tourer combines a 325HP and 435 Nm 2.8-liter V6 Turbo engine to Opel's all-wheel drive system and an electronically controlled rear limited slip differential. Click here to check out our detailed post on the Sports Tourer OPC or hit the jump to watch the film.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2011 Opel Antara Receives Minor Facelift with Renewed Engine Lineup

Following in the footsteps of its sister Chevrolet Captiva model, the Opel / Vauxhall Antara has received a mid-life refresh. It hasn't been around for long so there are no big styling changes for this facelift, just minor tweaks here and there to keep the crossover model looking up to date in a line-up of newer Opel products such as the Meriva, Astra and Insignia.

For the 2011MY, the Antara gets a new front grille with a less prominent logo and redesigned front bumper with new fog lights and lower grille styling, plus modified rear light clusters and optional 19-inch light-metal wheels. Interior changes come in the form of a new center console with extra storage solutions, new materials and added color options.

The most important changes for the Antara are hidden under the hood as Opel has fully re-worked the engine line-up, which is Euro-5 compliant. The latest entry to the range is a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI Turbo diesel, which comes with two outputs: a 163hp version that offers 36 hp more than its predecessor model, and a 184 hp variant offering 34 hp more power.

The 163 hp variant is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive as well as with manual or automatic six-gear transmissions, while the 184 hp also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard.

As for the gasoline line-up, the 2.4 liter four-cylinder unit now produces 170hp, or, 30 hp more power and like the diesel variants, it is is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive and comes as manual or automatic six-gear transmission.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

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