The head of Opel says that the next-generation Corsa hatchback, which is scheduled to launch in 2019, will not be “compromised” by its speedily tweaked PSA Group underpinnings.
Speaking to Autocar, Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller admitted the new vehicle’s development time was “pretty fast”.
As the British publication points out, the sixth-generation Corsa was expected to run on a version of the General Motors platform underpinning the latest Astra. However, when the PSA Group took control of Opel, it opted instead to quickly re-engineer the new Corsa on its own EMP1 architecture, used by the likes of the Peugeot 208 and Citroën C3, in order to save on would-be licensing costs to GM.
“It is a pretty fast development time, but it is not compromised in any way,” Lohscheller told Autocar.
“We have a clear understanding of what we want from the car, what is possible from the platform and how to get there.
“It’s true that we had a version ready to go, and you can’t just stretch a design to fit a new platform. But the teams have done a fantastic job in record time to ensure that the car is on schedule.
“We started work on the project even as the deal to buy Opel was being agreed and we are all very excited about the car,” Lohscheller added.
Back in February 2018, Opel announced that its next-generation Corsa would be produced exclusively at the Zaragoza plant in Spain, furthermore confirming that an electric variant of the hatchback would be built on the same production line starting in 2020.
