In mainland Europe, the saloon versions were known as the "Corsa TR" until May 1985 and had subtly altered styling - the distinctive wheelarch blisters of the hatchbacks were deleted and the saloons used a traditional "eggcrate" grille instead of the hatchback's integrated bumper/four-bar grille. In certain markets, commercial "van" models were also sold, with or without rear windows depending on local requirements. The new car would therefore follow in the template already set by established superminis such as the Fiat 127, VW Polo and Ford Fiesta in using a transverse-engined, front wheel drive layout.īuilt in Zaragoza, Spain, the first Corsas were three-door hatchback and two-door saloon models, with four-door and five-door versions added in 1984. The Corsa was GM Europe's entry into the burgeoning supermini market - a market in which Opel/Vauxhall were not yet represented, as the Kadett C/Chevette was not a true supermini in the sense that it was rear wheel drive, while the succeeding Kadett D/Astra really competed in the larger C-segment - leaving a gap at the bottom of the range. The S-car moniker had originally been applied to an abandoned supermini proposal from the early 1970s which morphed into the hatchback version of the Opel Kadett C/ Vauxhall Chevette - the car that the Corsa ultimately replaced. General Motors' internal code for the Corsa/Nova was the S-car. Sales across the remainder of Europe were to have begun by March 1983. It went on sale first in France, Italy, and Spain - markets where small cars represented from 34 to 43 percent of overall automobile sales. The front-wheel drive Opel Corsa was first launched in September 1982.
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