Next Opel Agila without Suzuki Contribution

Opel and Vauxhall will build the next Agila small minivan without Suzuki support, as the Japanese manufacturer will concentrate on its collaboration with Volkswagen. As a result, the two companies will part ways when it comes to the future Agila but will continue to work together on the current model.

“Suzuki has different plans now. We have an existing contract with Suzuki that will expire pretty soon and we will continue to work with Suzuki on the current Agila,” head of sales and marketing Alain Visser said in an interview at the Geneva auto show, according to Autonews.

“We do believe that on top of the three- and five-door Corsa, on top of the (planned) minicar, there is room for a future Agila. And we are now looking how that new Agila can be engineered and developed, giving the new assumptions from Suzuki," Visser said. “We have not dropped the Agila in our future product plan,” he added.

There are no details on the next-generation Agila, but the car is expected to arrive in 2011 or 2012. Currently manufactured at Suzuki's factory in Esztergom, Hungary, together with Suzuki Splash, the new model won't affect the rest of the Opel offering, company officials assured.

“You will have a modern, sporty three-door Corsa, you have a more family oriented five- door Corsa, you have a fashion mini(car), a practical low-priced city car Agila. That's the kind of portfolio we are looking at," Visser explained in the statement.