celebrity tattoo car

Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.

Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.

Read more »

Our spies have photographed and filmed the new Opel (Vauxhall in Britain) Astra Convertible on test in Germany. The vehicles caught testing here are early prototype models as the front doors appear to be carried over complete with their frames from the hatchback model.

Nevertheless, we are offered out first look at the open-top version of the new Astra series, which is planned to go on sale by early 2013. The most important change over the previous Astra TwinTop is the replacement of the more complicated, heavier and costly retractable metal roof with a traditional fabric hood.

They say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and true enough in the case of GM’s relationship with its European subsidiary Opel, there seems to be a lot of smoke piling up lately. Just yesterday, press reports from Auto Bild and Spiegel Online said that GM is looking for a buyer, but the news was quickly dismissed by spokespeople from both Opel and the government of Germany's state of Thuringia, home to one of the brand’s factories.

Today, Reuters came out with a new report saying the Detroit automaker is “frustrated” with its money-losing Opel brand and is “considering options for a turnaround”, noting, however, that a sale of the Opel brand is highly unlikely.

"Akerson is fed up with Opel, and the turnaround isn't gaining traction," a unnamed source who is close to the GM CEO told Reuters. "He is trying to think of all possibilities to improve performance. But a sale is wishful thinking,” the source added.

Read more »

They say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and true enough in the case of GM’s relationship with its European subsidiary Opel, there seems to be a lot of smoke piling up lately. Just yesterday, press reports from Auto Bild and Spiegel Online said that GM is looking for a buyer, but the news was quickly dismissed by spokespeople from both Opel and the government of Germany's state of Thuringia, home to one of the brand’s factories.

Today, Reuters came out with a new report saying the Detroit automaker is “frustrated” with its money-losing Opel brand and is “considering options for a turnaround”, noting, however, that a sale of the Opel brand is highly unlikely.

"Akerson is fed up with Opel, and the turnaround isn't gaining traction," a unnamed source who is close to the GM CEO told Reuters. "He is trying to think of all possibilities to improve performance. But a sale is wishful thinking,” the source added.

German car magazine Auto Bild and weekly Der Spiegel reported Thursday that General Motors is once again considering the sale of its Opel and Vauxhall units. The reports were dismissed as pure speculation by the Detroit automaker as well as a German state with an Opel factory, which called the news “nonsense”.

According to the news reports, GM allegedly was no longer in need of Opel’s know-how in manufacturing small cars as well as low emission and fuel efficient powerplants and that it could replace the German brand with its South Korean GM Chevrolet unit, formerly known as Daewoo.

Read more »

German car magazine Auto Bild and weekly Der Spiegel reported Thursday that General Motors is once again considering the sale of its Opel and Vauxhall units. The reports were dismissed as pure speculation by the Detroit automaker as well as a German state with an Opel factory, which called the news “nonsense”.

According to the news reports, GM allegedly was no longer in need of Opel’s know-how in manufacturing small cars as well as low emission and fuel efficient powerplants and that it could replace the German brand with its South Korean GM Chevrolet unit, formerly known as Daewoo.

This is General Motors’ brand new Opel Astra GTC revealed more than two months ahead of its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-September. The newest member of Opel’s ever-growing Astra family will go on sale across Europe including the United Kingdom where it will be available as a Vauxhall later this year. Recent reports also suggest it may come to the States under the Buick brand.

GM’s European subsidiary is confident about its new Astra GTC with Vauxhall going as far as to claim that it will “lay down the gauntlet to VW’s Scirocco and Renault’s Megane Coupe with a heady mix of dynamic excellence, dramatic design features and competitive pricing".

Read more »

This is General Motors’ brand new Opel Astra GTC revealed more than two months ahead of its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-September. The newest member of Opel’s ever-growing Astra family will go on sale across Europe including the United Kingdom where it will be available as a Vauxhall later this year. Recent reports also suggest it may come to the States under the Buick brand.

GM’s European subsidiary is confident about its new Astra GTC with Vauxhall going as far as to claim that it will “lay down the gauntlet to VW’s Scirocco and Renault’s Megane Coupe with a heady mix of dynamic excellence, dramatic design features and competitive pricing".

For many prospective buyers in today’s market, the question of which new cars are cheapest to insure is a critical one.



In the UK, finding the answer is made easier because all models are placed at launch into one of fifty advisory groups, with the idea being that cars in Group 1 should attract the lowest premiums, and those in Group 50 the highest.



Deciding which vehicles go into each group falls to the Association of British Insurers, working with the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre at Thatcham. The allocation process takes into account things like parts costs, repair times, performance and security.



Unfortunately, there aren’t too many new cars that fall into Group 1 or Group 2. In fact, the total number is ten, and here they are listed alphabetically by manufacturer:



Chevrolet Spark 1.0  (Group 1E)



At £7,215 on the road, the base Spark is one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK. That’s enough to buy eye-catching styling and a five-door body, with little else besides. Customers wanting electric windows, central locking, air conditioning or an audio system have to look higher up the Spark range, but more kit means a higher insurance group.

The Chevrolet’s four cylinder, one litre engine produces 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS) and 93 Nm (68 lb/ft) of torque, giving a top speed of 96 mph (154 km/h). Average fuel consumption is a reasonable 55.4 mpg (5.1 l/100km).



Image © GM Corp.



Citroën C1 1.0 VT  (Group 2E)



Unlike anything from the closely related Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo line-ups, a Citroën C1 makes it into Group 2. However, the downside is that it’s the basic VT spec, so owners miss out on niceties such as electric windows and air conditioning.





Max power from the three cylinder engine is 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS), which is enough to propel the C1 from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 13.3 seconds. Such brisk performance doesn’t come at the expense of efficiency though, as it’ll average 62.8 mpg (4.5 l/100km) with CO2 emissions of just 103 g/km. Prices are £8,695 for the three-door, or £9,045 for the five-door.



Fiat Qubo Active 1.4  (Group 2E)



Possibly the biggest (literally) surprise amongst all the models here is the Qubo, a van-derived mini MPV. The Fiat’s looks may divide opinion, but there’s no doubting that at £10,705 on the road it’s a lot of metal for the money. Equipment levels are fairly generous too, with the Blue&Me Bluetooth / USB connectivity system and four airbags coming as standard with the basic Active trim grade.





Although it has a 1.4 petrol engine, it’s by no means a performance car. 0-62 mph (100 km/h) takes a lethargic 16.2 seconds, while the claimed top speed is 97 mph (156 km/h). Combined cycle fuel consumption of 42.2 mpg (6.7 l/100km) is reasonably good, given the Qubo’s relative bulk.



Nissan Pixo Visia 1.0  (Group 2E)



Nissan recently reduced the price of the Pixo Visia from £7,350 to £6,995, thereby undercutting the Chevrolet Spark. Predictably for that amount of money the windows have to be wound up and down manually, the doors locked individually and there are only two airbags. At least the Visia gets a CD player, though.





The Pixo’s 996 cc three cylinder engine generates 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS), and it’ll achieve a very impressive 64.2 mpg (4.4 l/100km) while emitting 103 g/km of CO2.



Nissan Pixo Acenta 1.0  (Group 2E)



The £8,100 Acenta trim grade has only just been dropped from the Nissan price list, effectively replaced by the n-tec version which falls into a higher insurance group. However, there might be some Acenta models still at dealers awaiting buyers.



Toyota Yaris T2 1.0 VVT-i  (Group 2E)



Surprisingly, the entry-level Yaris falls into a lower insurance group than the smaller Aygo. Air conditioning and extra airbags are absent from the T2 version, but it does get electric windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors and a four-speaker stereo with steering wheel mounted controls.





Power comes from a three cylinder, one litre engine producing 68 bhp (51 kW / 69 PS), which is not a lot for a supermini. Consequently, it’s no great surprise that the 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes a sluggish 15.7 seconds, but the compensation is decent average fuel consumption of 55.4 mpg (5.1 l/100km). The Yaris T2 is priced at £10,730 in three-door form, with the five-door costing £500 more.



Vauxhall Corsa Expression 1.0 ecoFlex  (Group 2E)



Costing £9,995 and only available as a three-door, as expected the standard equipment list for the Corsa Expression is sparse.



In common with many of the cars listed here, under the bonnet lurks a one litre, three cylinder engine. With an output of 64 bhp (48 kW / 65 PS), it’ll do 56.5 mpg (5.0 l/100km) with CO2 emissions of 117 g/km.



Vauxhall Corsa S 1.0 ecoFlex  (Group 2E)



Mechanically the same as the Expression, the slightly posher ‘S’ gets electric front windows and remote central locking, but there’s still no air conditioning.





It costs £11,625 on the road for the three-door, although the ‘Vauxhall Internet Price’ is currently £9,895, which actually makes the lead-in Expression superfluous. For more practicality, the five-door retails at £12,050 (with a ‘Vauxhall Internet Price’ of £10,730).



Image © GM Corp.



Volkswagen Fox 1.2  (Group 1E)



The trump card for Volkswagen’s Brazilian-built entry level model is plenty of cabin space, thanks to a body that’s taller than a Polo’s and almost as wide. Interior trim quality and equipment levels might not be up to Phaeton standards, but then the Fox does currently cost just £7,295 on the road.





A recently reworked 1.2 litre engine provides 59 bhp (44 kW / 60 PS) and a useful 108 Nm (80 lb/ft) of torque, but the Fox tops out at 95 mph (152 km/h). Fuel consumption of 48.7 mpg (5.8 l/100km) isn’t outstanding against the competition, and CO2 emissions of 136g/km are disappointing.



Volkswagen Urban Fox 1.2  (Group 1E)



Sharing its engine with the basic Fox, the Urban version is differentiated by having some extra goodies. These include electric windows, remote central locking, a split folding rear seat and body coloured bumpers. The retail price for the Urban Fox is £8,030.





Related post:

Top 10: Cheapest new cars

For many prospective buyers in today’s market, the question of which new cars are cheapest to insure is a critical one.



In the UK, finding the answer is made easier because all models are placed at launch into one of fifty advisory groups, with the idea being that cars in Group 1 should attract the lowest premiums, and those in Group 50 the highest.



Deciding which vehicles go into each group falls to the Association of British Insurers, working with the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre at Thatcham. The allocation process takes into account things like parts costs, repair times, performance and security.



Unfortunately, there aren’t too many new cars that fall into Group 1 or Group 2. In fact, the total number is ten, and here they are listed alphabetically by manufacturer:



Chevrolet Spark 1.0  (Group 1E)



At £7,215 on the road, the base Spark is one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK. That’s enough to buy eye-catching styling and a five-door body, with little else besides. Customers wanting electric windows, central locking, air conditioning or an audio system have to look higher up the Spark range, but more kit means a higher insurance group.

The Chevrolet’s four cylinder, one litre engine produces 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS) and 93 Nm (68 lb/ft) of torque, giving a top speed of 96 mph (154 km/h). Average fuel consumption is a reasonable 55.4 mpg (5.1 l/100km).



Image © GM Corp.



Citroën C1 1.0 VT  (Group 2E)



Unlike anything from the closely related Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo line-ups, a Citroën C1 makes it into Group 2. However, the downside is that it’s the basic VT spec, so owners miss out on niceties such as electric windows and air conditioning.





Max power from the three cylinder engine is 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS), which is enough to propel the C1 from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 13.3 seconds. Such brisk performance doesn’t come at the expense of efficiency though, as it’ll average 62.8 mpg (4.5 l/100km) with CO2 emissions of just 103 g/km. Prices are £8,695 for the three-door, or £9,045 for the five-door.



Fiat Qubo Active 1.4  (Group 2E)



Possibly the biggest (literally) surprise amongst all the models here is the Qubo, a van-derived mini MPV. The Fiat’s looks may divide opinion, but there’s no doubting that at £10,705 on the road it’s a lot of metal for the money. Equipment levels are fairly generous too, with the Blue&Me Bluetooth / USB connectivity system and four airbags coming as standard with the basic Active trim grade.





Although it has a 1.4 petrol engine, it’s by no means a performance car. 0-62 mph (100 km/h) takes a lethargic 16.2 seconds, while the claimed top speed is 97 mph (156 km/h). Combined cycle fuel consumption of 42.2 mpg (6.7 l/100km) is reasonably good, given the Qubo’s relative bulk.



Nissan Pixo Visia 1.0  (Group 2E)



Nissan recently reduced the price of the Pixo Visia from £7,350 to £6,995, thereby undercutting the Chevrolet Spark. Predictably for that amount of money the windows have to be wound up and down manually, the doors locked individually and there are only two airbags. At least the Visia gets a CD player, though.





The Pixo’s 996 cc three cylinder engine generates 67 bhp (50 kW / 68 PS), and it’ll achieve a very impressive 64.2 mpg (4.4 l/100km) while emitting 103 g/km of CO2.



Nissan Pixo Acenta 1.0  (Group 2E)



The £8,100 Acenta trim grade has only just been dropped from the Nissan price list, effectively replaced by the n-tec version which falls into a higher insurance group. However, there might be some Acenta models still at dealers awaiting buyers.



Toyota Yaris T2 1.0 VVT-i  (Group 2E)



Surprisingly, the entry-level Yaris falls into a lower insurance group than the smaller Aygo. Air conditioning and extra airbags are absent from the T2 version, but it does get electric windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors and a four-speaker stereo with steering wheel mounted controls.





Power comes from a three cylinder, one litre engine producing 68 bhp (51 kW / 69 PS), which is not a lot for a supermini. Consequently, it’s no great surprise that the 0-62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes a sluggish 15.7 seconds, but the compensation is decent average fuel consumption of 55.4 mpg (5.1 l/100km). The Yaris T2 is priced at £10,730 in three-door form, with the five-door costing £500 more.



Vauxhall Corsa Expression 1.0 ecoFlex  (Group 2E)



Costing £9,995 and only available as a three-door, as expected the standard equipment list for the Corsa Expression is sparse.



In common with many of the cars listed here, under the bonnet lurks a one litre, three cylinder engine. With an output of 64 bhp (48 kW / 65 PS), it’ll do 56.5 mpg (5.0 l/100km) with CO2 emissions of 117 g/km.



Vauxhall Corsa S 1.0 ecoFlex  (Group 2E)



Mechanically the same as the Expression, the slightly posher ‘S’ gets electric front windows and remote central locking, but there’s still no air conditioning.





It costs £11,625 on the road for the three-door, although the ‘Vauxhall Internet Price’ is currently £9,895, which actually makes the lead-in Expression superfluous. For more practicality, the five-door retails at £12,050 (with a ‘Vauxhall Internet Price’ of £10,730).



Image © GM Corp.



Volkswagen Fox 1.2  (Group 1E)



The trump card for Volkswagen’s Brazilian-built entry level model is plenty of cabin space, thanks to a body that’s taller than a Polo’s and almost as wide. Interior trim quality and equipment levels might not be up to Phaeton standards, but then the Fox does currently cost just £7,295 on the road.





A recently reworked 1.2 litre engine provides 59 bhp (44 kW / 60 PS) and a useful 108 Nm (80 lb/ft) of torque, but the Fox tops out at 95 mph (152 km/h). Fuel consumption of 48.7 mpg (5.8 l/100km) isn’t outstanding against the competition, and CO2 emissions of 136g/km are disappointing.



Volkswagen Urban Fox 1.2  (Group 1E)



Sharing its engine with the basic Fox, the Urban version is differentiated by having some extra goodies. These include electric windows, remote central locking, a split folding rear seat and body coloured bumpers. The retail price for the Urban Fox is £8,030.





Related post:

Top 10: Cheapest new cars

If a car becomes popular with a particular profession, it’s usually not too much of a problem. But ‘hairdresser’s car’ has become a pejorative term suggesting small, cutesy and not for anyone with a deluded sense of machismo.



So what do hairdressers actually drive? In response to that important question, UK insurance company Diamond has reviewed its database of 18,000 stylists, and the answer seems to be… anything small and cutesy.



Favourite is the Mini One, followed by the Vauxhall Tigra and Volkswagen Beetle. Completing the top five are the Ford Ka and Mini Cooper.

Hairdressers' favourite: The Mini One Hatch.

Doubtless certain owners of the Audi TT and Fiat 500 will be relieved that their cars didn’t make the list.



Related posts:

New Mini is a… bicycle

Mini gets mini revamp

If a car becomes popular with a particular profession, it’s usually not too much of a problem. But ‘hairdresser’s car’ has become a pejorative term suggesting small, cutesy and not for anyone with a deluded sense of machismo.



So what do hairdressers actually drive? In response to that important question, UK insurance company Diamond has reviewed its database of 18,000 stylists, and the answer seems to be… anything small and cutesy.



Favourite is the Mini One, followed by the Vauxhall Tigra and Volkswagen Beetle. Completing the top five are the Ford Ka and Mini Cooper.

Hairdressers' favourite: The Mini One Hatch.

Doubtless certain owners of the Audi TT and Fiat 500 will be relieved that their cars didn’t make the list.



Related posts:

New Mini is a… bicycle

Mini gets mini revamp

It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine. Read more »

It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.

And no, despite what you may have heard or read, the Audi TT ain’t the most popular car among hairdressers – or at least not in Britain. According to a new study made available today by UK women's car insurance specialist Diamond, that title goes to…*drums please*…the one and only, MINI One hatchback. In fact, the BMW Group’s MINI brand had two vehicles in the top five positions.

The UK insurance firm came to this conclusion after looking at data from over 18,000 hairdressers in Britain. The company said the MINI One is three and a half times more likely to be driven by someone working as a hairdresser than everyone else.

Read more »

And no, despite what you may have heard or read, the Audi TT ain’t the most popular car among hairdressers – or at least not in Britain. According to a new study made available today by UK women's car insurance specialist Diamond, that title goes to…*drums please*…the one and only, MINI One hatchback. In fact, the BMW Group’s MINI brand had two vehicles in the top five positions.

The UK insurance firm came to this conclusion after looking at data from over 18,000 hairdressers in Britain. The company said the MINI One is three and a half times more likely to be driven by someone working as a hairdresser than everyone else.

With the new sporty looking three-door Astra GTC on its way and the Astra Sedan outlined by its sister models from Buick’s US (2012 Verano) and China (Excelle) divisions, the only body style left to complete the range of Opel’s C-segment model series is the convertible version.

Recently, our spies in Germany caught a glimpse of an Astra-based model, which appears to be the cabriolet variant of the series. While we can’t be 100 percent sure, it is clear that this Astra has a boot while the close ups reveal a more raked rear windshield line than you’d normally expect to see on a four-door family sedan.

To get an idea of what the Astra Convertible might look like, here's our artist’s impression based on the upcoming GTC model. Even though our image of Opel’s VW Golf Cabriolet contender was styled with a soft-top, it has not yet been revealed if the German company will adopt this solution or if it will continue to use the current Astra TwinTop’s retractable metal roof.

Read more »

With the new sporty looking three-door Astra GTC on its way and the Astra Sedan outlined by its sister models from Buick’s US (2012 Verano) and China (Excelle) divisions, the only body style left to complete the range of Opel’s C-segment model series is the convertible version.

Recently, our spies in Germany caught a glimpse of an Astra-based model, which appears to be the cabriolet variant of the series. While we can’t be 100 percent sure, it is clear that this Astra has a boot while the close ups reveal a more raked rear windshield line than you’d normally expect to see on a four-door family sedan.

To get an idea of what the Astra Convertible might look like, here's our artist’s impression based on the upcoming GTC model. Even though our image of Opel’s VW Golf Cabriolet contender was styled with a soft-top, it has not yet been revealed if the German company will adopt this solution or if it will continue to use the current Astra TwinTop’s retractable metal roof.

Across the pond, General Motors is upping the ante in the popular compact MPV sector with the introduction of Opel’s third generation Zafira model that will go on sale in most European countries this autumn. The production version of Opel’s Geneva show concept will also wear Vauxhall’s badges with the first cars to reach UK showrooms by early 2012.

We have already brought you the news and the first batch of photos in our previous post (see here), but now we have also obtained the launch film showing Opel’s people carrier on the move.

Read more »

Across the pond, General Motors is upping the ante in the popular compact MPV sector with the introduction of Opel’s third generation Zafira model that will go on sale in most European countries this autumn. The production version of Opel’s Geneva show concept will also wear Vauxhall’s badges with the first cars to reach UK showrooms by early 2012.

We have already brought you the news and the first batch of photos in our previous post (see here), but now we have also obtained the launch film showing Opel’s people carrier on the move.