Chevrolet is discontinued in Europe and the Opel Adam is priced at the level of the Fiat 500. GM thus lost a lucrative part of the market with cheap models in the smallest segment. This is changing with the arrival of Karl – a car named after the son of the car company's founder will start below the 10,000 euro mark .
However, the low price does not mean that the 3.68 meter long five-door hatchback will be deprived of the latest technologies. ABS, ESP and a hill start assistant will appear in the base, for an extra charge there will be a warning when leaving the selected lane , cruise control with a speed limiter, parking assistant or fog lights with cornering lights. An element already known from other Opels is the power steering with City mode , facilitating movement around the city.
The design borrows elements from the previous Corsa , which is visible mainly on the front headlights and mask, as well as from the no-longer-sold Chevrolet Spark, which you can recognize from the higher body structure or the moldings on the side. The German automaker will offer several designs of wheels with a size of 14-16 inches, respectively 10 body paints . The interior is supposed to accommodate five passengers, and as is the tradition of recent days, the IntelliLink multimedia system with support for smartphones with the iOS and Android operating systems will be available as an additional option. Among the extras will be a heated steering wheel and a glass roof.
Under the hood we find a brand new three-cylinder Ecotec engine with an output of 75 hp, which was developed especially for the Opel Karl. It should work with a five-speed gearbox . The chassis and steering settings are tuned to a comfortable yet safe note, it should rank at the very top of the class. Arrival on the market, including the British one, where the Karl will be called the Vauxhall Viva , is planned for the summer of next year. For less than 10,000 euros (approx. 276,000 crowns) a pretty good deal…
Source: Opel
