Photo: Opel
Opel has officially announced that the brand-new Corsa supermini will make its official debut during the course of 2014, at the same time revealing a few more technical details. While the exact time and place of its arrival are still unknown, the German automaker says development is in the final stages. Making a motor show debut in Paris little more than three months from now looks very likely.
One of the major highlights of this new Corsa model is its engine. Opel has focused hard on development of a 1-liter with three cylinders, direct injection and a small turbocharger. Its output of 115 PS is one of the highest in its class, only trumped by the 125 PS version of the 1.0 EcoBoost in the Fiesta.
A statement released yesterday by the Russelsheim automaker says four prototypes have been testing this new this new mill in the Palatinate region south-west of Frankfurt am Main. For benchmarking, engineers used previous generations of the car with a 100 PS 1.4 and a 120 PS 1.4 Turbo.
Engineers faced a number of difficulties in developing a small inline-3 engine. To offset the harsh vibration usually associated with this architecture, they installed a small balance-shaft mounted longitudinally low down in the oil sump. This is driven by a chain with inverted teeth and spins in the opposite direction to the crankshaft.
To ensure next-to-no turbo lag, the 1.0 SIDI Turbo's charger is very small, just 35mm in diameter, a low inertia setup that generates 1.5 bar of pressure using only one scroll to spool up from low revs.
One previously unknown fact disclosed today is that the Corsa will have "both Sport and Comfort chassis". Given the Corsa E is claimed to have a more engaging steering system, a new gearbox and a better chassis, it's pretty clear the Ford Fiesta is being eyed as a potential rival.
Sales of the outdated Corsa D,launched in 2006, have not been great. In 2012, they were down 10%, followed by another 7.7% decline in 2013. Ford, on the other hand, has been going from strength to strength with its Fiesta. Most models sold in Europe are ordered with the 1-liter EcoBoost engine, twice named the engine of the year in its class. In Britain, the Vauxhall Corsa has been playing second fiddle to the Fiesta, the best selling car in the country since 2009.
A statement released yesterday by the Russelsheim automaker says four prototypes have been testing this new this new mill in the Palatinate region south-west of Frankfurt am Main. For benchmarking, engineers used previous generations of the car with a 100 PS 1.4 and a 120 PS 1.4 Turbo.
Engineers faced a number of difficulties in developing a small inline-3 engine. To offset the harsh vibration usually associated with this architecture, they installed a small balance-shaft mounted longitudinally low down in the oil sump. This is driven by a chain with inverted teeth and spins in the opposite direction to the crankshaft.
To ensure next-to-no turbo lag, the 1.0 SIDI Turbo's charger is very small, just 35mm in diameter, a low inertia setup that generates 1.5 bar of pressure using only one scroll to spool up from low revs.
One previously unknown fact disclosed today is that the Corsa will have "both Sport and Comfort chassis". Given the Corsa E is claimed to have a more engaging steering system, a new gearbox and a better chassis, it's pretty clear the Ford Fiesta is being eyed as a potential rival.
Sales of the outdated Corsa D,launched in 2006, have not been great. In 2012, they were down 10%, followed by another 7.7% decline in 2013. Ford, on the other hand, has been going from strength to strength with its Fiesta. Most models sold in Europe are ordered with the 1-liter EcoBoost engine, twice named the engine of the year in its class. In Britain, the Vauxhall Corsa has been playing second fiddle to the Fiesta, the best selling car in the country since 2009.
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