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Spyshots: Vauxhall Could Revive Viva Name for Agila Replacement

The European car market is jam-packed with small cars developed specifically for use in the city. There's the new Hyundai i10, the triplets just launched by Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota in Geneva and a very long list of equally competent and cute models from major automakers. None sell in very high volumes, but because most buyers are first timers to the brand, ofering good minis is like putting your best foot forward.
2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila 7 photos
Photo: Automedia
2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila2015 Vauxhall / Opel Agila
Sadly, GM's offering is by no means their best. Both Opel and Vauxhall still have the dated Agila at the beginning of their model lists, a 5-door hatch that's mechanically identical to the Suzuki Splash. Its tall, boxy shape and styling only a mother would love means the Agila is doing more harm than good.

It's so bad, in fact, that Vauxhall could be looking to use a completely different name for the new mini which is coming to replace the Agila in 2015. According to the British publication Autoexpress, the famous Vauxhall Viva badge will be once more. In case your memories need a little jog, the Viva was their small family car between 1963 and 1979, until the Astra replaced it. It's technically not in the same class as the Agila, but could be just the ticket to make us forget all about the Japanese econobox.

Opel's Young Recruit

The big question is: where does this leave Opel? Will they drop the Agila name as well or keep it? The Opel Kadett and Vauxhall Viva were developed under the vail of secrecy in the 60s and came out looking very similar. Does that mean the Kadett is coming back as well?

Leaving the connection to the classic we know and love, "Kadett" sounds like an excellent name for a small car with plucky attitude. We can almost see the military-inspired color themes and marketing materials.

Bye Bye Suzuki!

Instead of relying on their old Japanese partners, Opel and Vauxhall are working with Chevrolet on this project. The Agila replacement will be based on the same platform as a new Spark, also coming out in 2015. Doing things in-hose ensures engineers can more easily install new engines and features to update the cars. Both models will be built exclusively as 5-door cars measuring about 3.7 meters. Like most cars in this segment, the Viva is likely to feature a simple three-cylinder engine, most likely a 1-liter unit to rival VW's Up! with about 70 hp and 100 Nm of torque.

Pricing is expected to start at just €7,000, which should make this a cheaper car than even the Skoda Citigo. In fact, with iconic nameplates like 'Viva' or 'Kadett', Dacia's Sandero could find itself in a lot of trouble with these plucky Germans.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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