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Opel says its minicar will rival the Fiat 500

5K views 26 replies 22 participants last post by  Uligar 
#1 ·
Opel says its minicar will rival the Fiat 500
James Franey & Paul McVeigh
Automotive News Europe -- October 5, 2010 12:50 CET

PARIS -- Opel/Vauxhall's new minicar will be a competitor to Fiat's cult hit 500, the carmaker's sales and marketing head Alain Visser said.

The General Motors Co. unit plans to launch a new entry in Europe's fast-growing minicar segment to rival models such as the Ford Ka and Volkswagen's forthcoming Up.

But while most minicars apart are low cost, Opel has an upscale strategy for its model, which is code-named Junior.

Visser said the minicar will be an "iPod on wheels" with high-tech features that will appeal to young buyers.

"If you could compare it to one car, it would be the Fiat 500," Visser told Automotive News Europe in an interview at the Paris auto show.

Germany, the UK and Italy would be the three biggest markets for the minicar, Visser said.

He said there has been no decision on a production name.

Opel's Vice-President of Design Mark Adams said the production Junior will not be a bargain basement vehicle. "It will be more of a modern and contemporary urban car to make the brand feel more hip and more chic," Adams said. "We want Opel to appeal on a more emotional level."

Opel CEO Nick Reilly said the automaker has two strategies for the mini-vehicle segment.

The Agila small minivan will continue to be an inexpensive model for small families while the Junior will be targeted at young people who don't associate a car's size with status.

MORE AT: http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101005/ANE/101009944/1193

2004 Opel Trixx minicar concept
 
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#4 ·
Buick grille on this?
 
#24 ·
Maybe they're "trial balloons" so we can criticize the crap out of it before it comes out. Then again, people hate the name Verano and they say they'll still use that name. I wonder who had the final say in the Verano name and why it stuck.
 
#16 ·
It's never going to be as cool as the 500 because Opel can never tap into the history that makes the 500 cool. Opel just doesn't have an iconic vehicle in its past like the 500.

That's Opel's long term problem: Opels have never really been cool. They're nice competent cars, but they've never been terrifically memorable.
 
#17 ·
Opel says its minicar will rival the Fiat 500
Really? You mean a company said that their new product will rival that similar better-known product from another company? That's so surprising... yeah.

Now, if Opel would have said "our new mini-car will fail miserably against the Fiat 500... not even close, don't see why anyone would bother really" now THAT would be news and a quote worthy of being the title: "Opel says its minicar will SUCK, Fiat 500 has nothing to be afraid of".

Anyway, don't know how it will measure up, I just looked at the title and said to myself "got to make fun of it". Now, carry on please, nothing to see.
 
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