Vauxhall gets into the Christmas Shopping Spirit, Announces 20% Discounts on Most New Models

'Tis the season for shopping at Vauxhall as GM's British subsidiary has announced a significant 20 per cent discount on most of its new models, just days before the VAT increases in the country by a hefty 2.5 per cent in early January. The automaker's offer is called "Vauxhall Countdown" and it is available on new cars purchased between December 27, 2010

While Vauxhall did not release a full price list, the automaker did provide some examples. With the 20 per cent discount, the on-the-road price of an Astra 1.4 (100PS) Exclusive tumbles by more than £3,190, while savings on the Agila range start from £1890.

According to the automaker, Corsa buyers can save up to £3400 off the on the road price, depending on model, while the Astra Sports Tourer will attract discounts of between £3,300 and £4,685. Those in need of more power can opt for the range-topping Insignia VXR (OPC for the rest of Europe) and see the road price drop by £6,165 to £26,150.

"We’re committed to reducing the pain of the latest VAT rise as much as possible,” said Peter Hope, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director. “Vauxhall Countdown is a no-nonsense 20 per cent discount that applies across almost all models in our range. It has instant appeal for all our customers and makes ownership of some of our latest, award-winning cars even more attractive than before."

Official: 2011 Opel Corsa gets New Face and 3.5lt/100km - 67.2mpg EcoFlex Diesel

Enough with the rumors and the teasing from Opel's European site configurators; the 2011/2012 Corsa facelift has finally been officially revealed. The subtle restyling comes four years after the presentation of the fourth generation model less than 12 months after Opel tweaked the supermini's engine range and chassis.

The updated Corsa dons a sharper face with chiseled headlamps, a new upper grille and a restyled front bumper featuring a wider and taller lower grille, plus different foglamp housings. The new look is complemented with six new alloy wheel designs and a larger, redesigned Opel Blitz on the tailgate.

These changes bring the car more in line with Opel's latest offerings such as the Meriva and Astra, though some may also find a few similarities with the Mazda2 [up front]. And as you can see in the picture right above, Opel seems to poke some fun at its newly found smiley face syndrome...

Inside, the dashboard molding sports a more textured skin while all trim levels have been updated with new fabrics and/or decors. There's also an available new Touch & Connect navigation system featuring a commuter function that uses TMC information to propose alternative routes in case of traffic problems, even when navigation is not active.

For the new model year, Opel has also added a new trim level called the Color Line Series, which will be available across Europe. The Color Line Series models can be equipped with an optional "Linea" pack, featuring two large stripes stretching across the length of the body with matching colored 17-inch wheels and exterior mirror caps.

A new Corsa EcoFlex 1.3 CDTI [diesel] with 95HP and standard Start/Stop technology also enters the range. Thanks to the start/stop system, the three-door version's fuel consumption in the combined cycle is reduced from 3.7 to 3.5 liters/100 km [67.2 mpg US] and the emissions from 98 to only 94 g/km CO2. The five-door variant achieves 3.6 l/100 km and emits just 95 g/km CO2.

According to Opel, in city driving the updated EcoFlex models returns a fuel consumption of 4.2 liter per 100 kilometers instead of 4.6 l/100 km previously.

The modestly refreshed Opel will go on sale across Europe in January 2011.

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2011 Opel Corsa Facelift Pictures Found and Confirmed on Official Site

A couple of weeks, we told you about a series of photos showing the 2011/2012 Opel Corsa facelift. To recap, according to numerous tipsters including Carscoop reader Javier, the pictures were found momentarily on Opel's German site, but were removed shortly after some users started uploading the images on the firm's Facebook page. Unfortunately, we weren't able to verify the claim then.

But Javier kept on looking and this time, he was able to tip us off in a timely manner about the Corsa facelift making its appearance on Opel's Belgian website. And yes, we can confirm their authenticity. The pictures of the standard 3-door and 5-door Corsa as well as of the OPC hot hatch that you see in our gallery after the jump were downloaded by us.

The only visible change over the current Corsa concerns the refreshed fascia that receives a crispier front grille similar to the one found on the updated 2011 Antara we told about yesterday, reshaped headlamps and a new design for the bumper with a wider lower grille and taller housings for the fog lamps (expect the OPC).

That's all we have for now, but we'll update this story as soon as something pops up on our radar.

Kudos to Javier for the tip!

Link: Opel Belgium

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Is this the 2012 Opel / Vauxhall Corsa Facelift?

We were tipped off this morning by an attentive reader from Chile about images of the facelifted Opel Corsa (Vauxhall in the UK) that were posted by a user on Opel's dedicated Facebook page. The back story is that the refreshed Corsa was found momentarily on the official configurator on Opel's German site, but was abruptly removed shortly after the posting. We checked on the webpage but didn't find anything.

Now, unless we have a photoshop-wiz in our hands, we'd say the images look pretty real. The cosmetic changes over the current model (at least the ones we can see from these angles) are concentrated on the front end that takes styling cues from both the new Meriva and latest Astra, including a crispier front grille, reshaped headlamps and a new design for the bumper with a wider lower grille and taller housings for the fog lamps on either side.

We'll keep an eye on Opel's site to see if these pictures turn out to be real or fake and post an update on any new developments.

Muchas gracias Javier for the tip!

Via: Opel Facebook

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Black & White Limited Edition Part II: Vauxhall Corsa

Coincidently, Peugeot isn't the only carmaker launching a 'Black & White' edition of one of its models, so is Vauxhall that just announced a new special version of its Corsa supermini.

In Vauxhall's case, the new Corsa Black & White Limited Edition model combines a glacier white bodywork with black 17-inch twin spoke alloy wheels and detailing, topped off with a black sapphire roof.

Completing the look is a VXR styling kit comprising front and rear lower spoilers, side skirts and new roof spoiler while the car also sits on a lowered suspension.

The black and white theme is continued inside with the piano black centre console contrasted by the white air vents. The alloy sports pedals and Limited Edition badging round off the interior upgrades.

Standard specification on the limited edition Corsa includes air condition, fog lights, cruise control and CD changer with MP3 format including auxiliary connectivity.

UK buyers can choose from two engines, an 85PS 1.2-liter petrol, or the 75PS 1.3-liter CDTi ecoFLEX turbo diesel, with combined fuel consumption cycles of 53.3 and 65.7mpg UK respectively.

Prices for the Corsa Black & White range from £13,995 for the 3-door 1.2, to £15,400 for the 5-door ecoFLEX diesel.