FRANKFURT: 2008 Opel/Vauxhall Agila

[Flybrian]

GM @ Frankfurt
2008 Opel/Vauxhall Agila
Press Release & Image Gallery

2008 Suzuki Splash

Flex in the City: The New Opel Agila Generation
Urban mini-monocab balances versatility with stylish design

Rüsselsheim. When it comes to the lifestyle of active women today, the watchword is balance. Job, fitness, shopping, meeting friends and getting around – a car makes everything easier to manage, and preferably one that is as versatile as its owner. This is precisely what designers and engineers had in mind when developing the latest generation Opel Agila. The result is a stylish urban car which is compact and maneuverable for tight parking spaces, yet boasts an interior that is spacious enough even for bulky sport and hobby gear. It also has enough seats to ensure comfort for family and friends.

Even with its compact length of 3.74 meters, the new Agila offers room for five occupants and provides them with easy entry through the four doors. The quality of the materials, a fresh interior and exterior color collection, versatile storage compartments and ample headroom project a feel-good ambience right from the word go. The enjoyable driving experience is enhanced by details such as the separate rev counter on the instrument panel, high placed gear stick and remote controls on the steering wheel for the radio. The high seating position makes getting into and out of the Agila easier and ensures good visibility even in heavy urban traffic. The rear seat backs can be folded down at a flick of the wrist to create a completely flat load floor, with a compartment beneath providing additional storage space. In total, the Agila has a luggage capacity of more than 1100 liters accessible through its large trunk lid – the top figure in this segment. The new Agila also comes with a safety package comprising four airbags, as well as optional Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and head curtain airbags.

New engines with up to 86 hp (two lively gasoline engines and a top-of-the-line common-rail diesel for high pulling power) combine performance with low emissions. As an alternative to the standard manual transmission, an automatic gearbox is also available – a distinctive feature in this class. The second-generation Opel Agila makes its world premiere at the IAA in Frankfurt (September 13 – 23, 2007) and will be available at dealerships as of next spring.

Opinions on new Agila

Hans Demant, Opel Managing Director: "The new Agila cuts a fine figure in all situations. Its agile chassis and lively engines make it fun to drive - with low consumption and CO2 levels."

Belinda Müller, Designer: "The boring days are over. Who says a nimble urban car can't also look cool? A wide selection of fresh colors and bold styles create an ambience that's enhanced even more by the spacious headroom."

Sara Nicholson, Opel European Marketing Manager: "The Agila, the new Baby-Opel, is a clever package of fun and versatility for the girl about town."

Characteristics of new Agila:

Design: Modern five-door urban mini-monocab with flowing lines, dynamic roofline, typical friendly Opel face and design, balanced proportions (length/width/height: 3.74/1.68/1.59 m) despite compact dimensions

Interior: Versatile five-seater, high seating position provides good visibility, high placed gear stick in center console, large distinctive round instrument, rev counter in separate housing, fresh colors including orange and blue for fabrics, center console and instrument panel edging, height-adjustable steering wheel with remote controls, height-adjustable front seats, numerous compartments, 60:40 split fold-down rear bench seat, flat load floor with additional storage compartment beneath

Chassis: Newly developed chassis for agile handling, front axle mounted to subframe, semi-independent rear suspension, large wheels up to 15-inch

Engines: Two new lively gasoline units (1.0 l/65 hp with five-speed manual transmission, 1.2 l/86 hp also available with automatic gearbox), one economical and powerful common-rail direct-injection diesel unit (1.3 l/75 hp, 190 Nm), available with diesel particulate filter

Safety: Front and side airbags, driver safety belt warning signal and front passenger airbag can be deactivated as standard, also available: head curtain airbags and ESP

Image Gallery

[deftonesfan867]

Interesting.....looks similar to the Beat

[ocnblu]

That's a sweet little imp. I like it. It'd be cool as a 3-door. Edited May 15, 2007 by ocnblu

[Farkas]

Love it :]

Now, GM just needs to bring it to the US with a diesel option and blow the Prius "mileage champ" out of the water.

[dimitri0917]

MINI and SMART are fostering that "speedo and tach everywhere" look that is so popular on subcompacts. Toyota put them on the Yaris and now GM's doing it. That would make for a quirky lil saturn, tho. Also, is anybody else getting tired of looking @ that same old steering wheel? It's really ugly!

[thegriffon]

Interesting.....looks similar to the Beat

Much bigger though. It is within 10–15 mm of the Yaris hatch in length and width (understanding that the US model has exaggerated bumpers which make it seem bigger than it really is), but a couple of inches taller. Edited May 15, 2007 by thegriffon

[Cory Wolfe]

It's sort of cute, but like other recent Opel products... Looks Korean.

[91z4me]

I like it. It looks tiny, but based on griff's comments it is Yaris sized, so this would work as an Aveo 5 door replacement. It looks sculpted and raw if not a little ungangly. But it seems well sized and will do well for what it is. So is this a Corsa twin or a bigger/smaller relative?

[Robert Hall]

I could see this coming as an entry level Chevy, below the Aveo (it looks much smaller). Or maybe as a replacement for the Pontiac G2 in Mexico.

[thegriffon]

I could see this coming as an entry level Chevy, below the Aveo (it looks much smaller). Or maybe as a replacement for the Pontiac G2 in Mexico.

It is quite a bit smaller than the Aveo, but then so is the 5-door Yaris (Toyota is still competing with Nissan and unlike the Koreans and the other Japanese companies still hasn't quite got the hang of the European B-segment's size standards). The new Corsa is bigger again. Like most modern B-segment cars it is right on the edge of the C-segment, bigger than most compact hatches just two generations ago. While the Corsa is based on the same shortened Stilo platform as the Fiat GRande Punto, the new Agila and the sibling Suzuki Splash are based on the new A-platform of the Suzuki Swift and SX-4.

[thegriffon]

For a comparison of length:

The old, taller Agila is to the left, the new, longer Agila further across.

The 5-seat MPVs are:

Agila, Cube, bB, A-Class, Ractis, Meriva, Sienta, xB, FCX, B-Class, and PT Cruiser

[thegriffon]

If you're thinking "the Yaris and Fit are bigger than that!", the US versions have a lot of padding on the exterior, as does the Versa (US name of the Tiida).

[BuddyP]

For what it is, it looks good!

[silverss/sc]

I hate these types of cars , and hate the profile and odd proportions of this car . But , I love GM europes styling . Despite its wierd proportions ( common to all these mini cars ) the styling details are GREAT and the interior is perfection .

[PurdueGuy]

It looks decent for being so small, but I'd take a Corsa over this any day.

[aaaantoine]

The overall look is attractive and exciting. This is unlike the Aveo5, which is not so attractive and uses the same late-90s style door sweep as its predecessor.

[Peugeot_206]

I love it.

America needs more feature-packed, stylish, efficent small cars.