A Vauxhall spokesman has told just-auto that the next Corsa will not, as had been thought, use GM’s Gamma 2 architecture. Instead, an update of the existing model’s Fiat-Opel SCCS platform will be employed.
“The basic architecture (basically the passenger space) is that of the current car… but everything forward of the windscreen is new, including powertrain and suspension hardware; the interior is fundamentally different and all new as are rear suspension and all dynamic settings, plus every body panel”, Vauxhall’s man said. When asked if the platform had a new name, he said it did not.
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The powertrain mentioned is almost certainly the 1.0-litre SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) three-cylinder turbocharged engine which will soon be fitted to the Adam, as well as that car’s new six-speed manual gearbox, while there will also be Euro 6-compliant diesel engines. The 1.0 SIDI Turbo is made at GM’s Szentgotthard plant in Hungary, where gasoline and diesel engines are produced on a shared assembly line.
The first car to use SCCS, which dates from the time when Fiat and Opel were collaborative partners, was the Opel-Vauxhall Tigra TwinTop. But the main high-volume model has been the Corsa, introduced at the 2006 London motor show. The current Punto also uses SCCS and Fiat continues to develop the architecture too, with the Avventura, a crossover derived from the Punto, due to be built in India from later in 2014.
SCCS vehicles:
- Opel & Vauxhall Tigra TwinTop: 2004-2009
- Opel & Vauxhall Corsa: 2006-present
- Opel Combo: 2011-2018
- Opel & Vauxhall Adam: 2012-2018
- Opel & Vauxhall Adam Rocks: 2014-2018
- Opel & Vauxhall Corsa: 2014-2019
- Opel & Vauxhall Corsa EV: 2015-2019
- Holden Tigra Cabrio: 2005-2008
- Abarth Punto: 2009-2016
- Alfa Romeo MiTo: 2008-2015
- Fiat Punto: 2005-2016
- Fiat Qubo & Trekking: 2008-2018
- Fiat Doblò & Panorama: 2008-2018
- Fiat Grand Siena: 2012-2016
- Fiat Avventura: 2014-2016
- Citroën Nemo, Combi & XTR: 2007-2018
- Peugeot Bipper & Tepee: 2008-2018
The next generation Opel and Vauxhall Corsa will have its world premiere on Thursday 2 October at the first media preview day of the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile. It will go on sale across Europe from November/December. Cars for the UK and Ireland are due to follow in either December or January. As is the case with the existing model, Corsa five-door build will be in Spain at the Figueruelas (Zaragoza) plant, while three-door cars are made at Eisenach in Germany.
The fifth generation Corsa is likely to have a relatively short production life. GM is believed to be planning to launch the sixth generation model in 2019 on its forthcoming G2XX platform.
