General Motors’ UK unit Vauxhall is reviving a famous nameplate – Viva – from next spring, using it on a Korean-built entry level hatchback.
British consumer magazine Auto Express said the new city car would rival the Ford Ka and Hyundai i10, plus the Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii triplets..
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Vauxhall built the Viva in three series – HA, HB and HC – from 1964 to 1979 and it was also assembled overseas, proving popular in markets like New Zealand. It also formed the basis of the Holden Torana line in Australia. In Europe, it was eventually replaced by Opel’s Astra once GM Germany and UK product lines were fully aligned.
The Viva name has since been used for a Chevrolet version of an Astra saloon sold by Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ from 2004-2008 and also in Australia by Holden which rebadged the Daewoo Lacetti for a time in the mid-2000s.
Auto Express said the new Viva would be “a sharply styled small hatchback that replaces the unloved Suzuki Splash- based Agila. The Viva will be based on the next generation Chevrolet Spark.”
Chevrolet, which would most likely would have launched the car, is pulling out of Europe and top GM executive said recently that would “clear the runway” for Opel Vauxhall to launch new models.
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By GlobalDataVauxhall, and sister company Opel, will be able to market the new model as GM’s budget car offering – Vauxhall is aiming for a starting price of around GBP6,995, Auto Express said.
The magazine noted this would also be the first time in more than 20 years that Vauxhall and Opel have used different names for a car in the UK and mainland Europe – Opel will not be using the Viva name. Its equivalent to the Viva in the 1960s and 1970s was the Kadett.
