SCOOP: Opel's New Junior Mini Spotted Out in the Wild a Year Before Launch

It has been known for a while now that General Motor's European subsidiary Opel, is preparing to enter the increasingly popular mini car category with a new model currently codenamed Junior.

Taken during testing on public roads in Germany, these are some of the best spy shots we have of the upcoming Opel / Vauxhall Junior that will launch as a three-door hatchback.

The baby Opel model will slot beneath the Corsa supermini and is expected to measure around 3,700mm, meaning that it will be slightly longer than the Fiat 500 (3,546mm) which is believed to be one of its closest rivals.

General Motors Europe president Nick Reilly has said that the Junior will be an "upmarket" proposal in the small car segment.

"We're not interested in putting a small car out just to grow market share," Reilly recently said in an interview with Autonews. “The new car will have a premium price for its segment”.

Reilly has also revealed that the Junior will make its world premiere in 2012, either at the Geneva Motor Show in March, or more likely, the Paris Salon in September.

As a more premium product, the Junior will benefit from several technological features usually found in larger vehicles as well as a new generation of diesel and gasoline engines that will later on be offered in the Corsa.

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Auto Mobile Report: New Opel Astra GTC May Make it to the States as a Buick

The sporty-looking Opel Astra GTC was only just introduced in Frankfurt last week, but there are already reports suggesting that it could be one of the compact cars General Motors said it would build at an unspecified plant in the U.S. under the details released Tuesday of its tentative pact with the United Auto Workers (UAW).

According to Auto Observer, in a meeting with journalists and analysts at Opel’s Rüsselsheim headquarters in Germany, the firm's CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, said "I could easily see it as a Buick" referring to the Astra GTC.

It would make sense from a marketing standpoint since Buick would automatically gain a new contender in the small sports car segment against the likes of the Hyundai Veloster, while also widening the reach of the brand to a younger audience.

Furthermore, the fact that the soon-to-be launched in the States new Buick Verano is essentially the sedan version of the Opel Astra series, means that the production costs can be minimized as the two cars will share many common components.

In the European market, the three-door Astra GTC will launch with a choice of five engines delivering between 100HP and 180HP, including a 1.7-liter CDTI exoFLEX diesel available with 110HP and 130HP, both fitted with a fuel-saving Start/Stop system.

But the icing in the cake will be the Astra GTC OPC (VXR in the UK), which is rumored to carry a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine pushing close to 300-horsepower, and is expected to be introduced in the second half of 2012.

If GM makes the move to sell the Astra GTC as a Buick in North America, then it is almost certain that it will offer the OPC as its flagship GS model.

Story sources: Auto Observer

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IAA 2011: Opel Envisions an Affordable Urban Commuter with the RAK e Concept

Opel Rak e

Not to be outdone by its German counterparts, Opel displayed its vision for a low-cost urban commuter with the two-seater RAK e concept car. According to GM's German subsidiary, the study has "production potential".

The battery-operated vehicle with the exposed wheels is based on a steel space-frame structure beneath a skin of conventional synthetic material.

The reason why Opel avoided the use of exotic materials is to keep the RAK e as affordable as possible. Nevertheless, Opel managed to keep the weight down to just 380kg (837 lbs) or about 80kg (176 lbs) less than VW's NILS concept.

The RAK e measures around three meters long and 1,190mm high and can seat two people, including the driver, in a tandem layout.

Powering the concept is an electric motor that generates a peak output of 49HP (36.5kW) and a continuous 14HP (10.5kW), while energy is drawn from a 5kWh battery. According to the German automaker, after charging the battery for three hours at a cost of about one euro (equal to US$1.37), the experimental vehicle has a range of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles).

The company claims that over an annual 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), the RAK e’s energy consumption would be 525 kWh, which could be supplied by a five square-meter, 500-Watt solar panel mounted on the roof of the garage.

Opel added that the RAK e has a projected top speed of 120 km/h (75mph) and zero to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration in less than 13 seconds.

"We want to develop electric vehicles that everyone can afford," said Karl-Friedrich Stracke, Opel CEO, in Frankfurt.

"The range-extending concept of the Ampera demonstrates our leadership in electrification of the automobile, the RAK e experimental vehicle aims to deliver pricing that even younger customers can afford. The RAK e has cool looks and production-potential." Stracke added.

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