NEW MODELS | Latest Opel Corsa is all grown up and intelligent

With the overarching electric theme continuing at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, combustion engines were still to be found in some of the halls, starting with Opel’s newest Corsa which was revealed in petrol, diesel and electric guises.

The company which now falls under the PSA umbrella with Peugeot and Citroen says all combustion engines variants are cleaner than the most efficient versions of the outgoing Corsa range. Lightweight construction aids in this pursuit.

An entry-level 55kW 1.2l three-cylinder petrol kicks off the range and is equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox, and that car weighs a paltry 980kg.

A 74kW turbocharged version of the same engine can be paired with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. Then there is a 1.5l diesel unit producing 74kW and 249Nm.

Opel hasn’t divulged much on consumption expectations but the cars are production ready. Equipment levels in the entry-level list a seven-inch touch-screen infotainment system and LED headlamps while top-line models get a 10-inch touch-screen infotainment system with connected navigation services.

As with the Astra, segment pioneering full LED matrix headlights are found in range topping Corsa derivatives.

In line with European commitment to accelerate electric drive, the Corsa-e uses a 50kWh battery to power an electric motor. The system output is 99kW and 259Nm.

New technology includes regenerative braking, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, and intelligent speed control.

Claiming 340 pure electric kilometres, Opel says the Corsa-e has Normal, Sport and Eco driving modes, with the latter setting said to increase the range by 40%.

The Unitrans Opel Distributor says the new Corsa is expected to arrive in SA late in 2020. Which derivatives we’re getting is still being decided but it’s likely that they will be the pair of turbo and naturally-aspirated 1.2l petrol engines.