Vauxhall could once again enter the supermini hot
hatch arena with the Corsa VXR, aka the OPC under the Opel brand. The sporty
model is supposedly in the cards, although an official decision is still
pending. Quoting sources close to the British brand, which is operating under
the PSA’s roof, Autocar said that execs are weighing in the development of the
hot Corsa.
Nothing is certain about it yet, as it might go down
the electric lane, if the new Corsa-e turns out to be popular with consumers.
Another alternative is good old ICE, like its predecessors, albeit being less
thirsty and friendlier to the environment thanks to advancements in the
development of internal combustion engines.
The decision will have to be taken together with
Vauxhall’s new owner, the PSA Group, as a possible Corsa VXR will share the
oily bits with the new Peugeot 208 GTi. In mainland Europe, Opel will be tasked
with reviving the OPC moniker, if everything works out, and offer a rival to
the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Opel and Vauxhall have enough time to make up their
mind about the Corsa OPC/VXR, as such a model is thought to be at least a
couple of years away, so, even if it gets the green light, it won’t debut before
2021 at the earliest.
