Despite its age, the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa was ranked #10 in Europe's best-selling cars top last year. An all-new model is right around the corner and it should help the supermini put up a good fight against other subcompact hatchbacks like the next-gen Renault Clio and Peugeot 208. Today, Opel is releasing some technical details about its revamped five-door-only city car, emphasizing on the diet it'll be going through for its sixth iteration.
Compared to the outgoing model, the new Corsa F is going to lose up to 10 percent of weight, translating into a curb weight of just 980 kilograms (2,160 pounds) for the five-door model in its lightest form. That's up to 108 kg (239 lbs) less than the car it replaces, even though it will have roughly just about the same size. Speaking of which, Opel says the new Corsa will be 4.06 meters (159.8 inches) long.
It will all be possible by switching to a brand new platform belonging to parent company PSA, a "multi-energy platform" as billed by Opel which has already served as foundation for the aforementioned Peugeot 208. Much like the French supermini has spawned an electric version, the new Corsa will also be offered in a zero-emissions guise dubbed "eCorsa."
But how was Opel/PSA able to shave off so much fat from the hatchback? For starters, all engines will be made from aluminum (-15 kg / 33 lbs), much like the hood (-2.4 kg / 5.3 lbs). The optimized seats (-5.5 kg / 12.1 lbs front and -4.5 kg / 10 lbs rear) contribute to this significant weight loss, while the insulating material used throughout the cabin is also a new weight-saving development. The most important diet is found in the body-in-white, which is a term referring to the body panels being joined together before adding the engine, sub-assemblies, and trim. The new BIW is an impressive 40 kg (88 lbs) lighter than the old one.
Expect the new Corsa to break cover at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, unless Opel plans to show its B-segment hatch on the Internet a few weeks sooner before its IAA debut.
