Opel Launches Ultra Fuel Efficient Diesel Corsa Eco

FOR RELEASE: April 16, 2002

Corsa Eco - The Most Economical Gasoline-Engined Car in its Class

• Affordable and environmentally compatible with unrestricted day-to-day use
• Opel's environmental strategy: natural gas as an alternative fuel, development of the fuel cell as the drive train technology of the future

Russelsheim - With the launch of the new Corsa Eco, Opel has again emphasized the leading role it plays in lessening the burden on the environment in a sustainable way and in the economical use of natural resources. Following the Astra Eco 4, the first car in the compact class to cover 100 kilometers on only four liters of diesel, Opel engineers have developed another fuel-saving model and in so doing demonstrated that low consumption and CO2 emissions are not only attainable by diesel-engine cars. This front-wheel-drive model has a 1.0-liter ECOTEC engine and the "Easytronic" automated manual transmission and it consumes only 4.9 liters per 100 kilometers, making it the most economical gasoline engine car in its class. The new car is also further evidence of Opel's policy of introducing environmentally acceptable technologies in every automobile category as soon as feasible and at the lowest price possible. Thus the Corsa Eco is available at the same purchase price as the Corsa 1.0 with Easytronic. The same pricing strategy had also been implemented with Astra Eco 4 and the Astra 1.7 DTI. As further confirmation of this approach, more Eco models are scheduled to appear in due course.

Opel's environmentally oriented research and product development in the drive train sector pursues three main paths: the first focuses on the introduction of engines with optimized consumption and emission levels, the second is to produce cars designed to run on natural gas as an alternative fuel and the third is to advance the intensive development of the fuel cell as a power source for motor vehicles. This three-pronged approach is based on the knowledge that internal combustion engines will predominate even in the next model generations. Thanks to technologies like "Twinport" (variable intake control) on the four-valve gasoline engines up to 1.6 liter displacement they will continue to offer considerable potential for improvement. In the medium term Opel expects fuel cell technology, in conjunction with the electric traction motor, to gain in importance as a propulsion system. Experts compare its significance with that of the micro-chip and the introduction of the computer. As part of its innovation campaign, Opel intends to make a major contribution to this generational change.

Corsa Eco uses Technical Principles First Seen on Opel Concept Cars

In order to achieve its low fuel consumption, the Corsa Eco has adopted many innovative techniques and taken advantage of the know-how gathered from a long series of consumption-optimized Opel concept studies which have set new standards with their innovative technological solutions. Notable examples are the Corsa Eco 3 shown to the public in 1995 - the first car suitable for day-to-day use requiring only three liters of fuel per 100 kilometers - and the G 90 study from 1999, with CO2 emissions of only 90 grams per kilometer, a rate well below the 140 gram per kilometer target agreed for 2008 by the European Automobile Industry Federation (the ACEA).

In the words of Opel's Technical Director Hans H. Demant: "Opel will continue its long tradition of playing a pioneering role in reducing the burden on the environment." This tradition not only includes electrically powered versions of the Astra and the Zafira-based fuel cell studies "HydroGen1" and "HydroGen3", but many other notable environmental protection measures as well. For example, Opel introduced water-soluble paints as long ago as 1981, made its complete model program available with a three-way catalytic converter in 1989, and in 1995 it drew up environmental guidelines with which every employee must comply.

There are numerous other examples of how the company's commitment to develop and manufacture only products with minimum impact on the environment is being put into practice. Almost all the gasoline engines used in Opel's passenger cars, for instance, comply with the strict Euro 4 exhaust emission limits and all diesel engines are of course certified according to current Euro 3 standards. The ECOTEC family of four-valve engines came onto the scene in 1993, combining high power output with excellent fuel economy. It has grown in the meantime to 11 units with displacements ranging from 1.0 to 3.2 liters and with power outputs ranging from 43 kW (58 hp) all the way to 160 kW (218 hp).

Opel's engineers have proven themselves to be experts when it comes to the optimization of existing automobile technologies; the Corsa Eco and Astra Eco 4 being good examples of this. For some time now they have also been demonstrating their ability to develop innovative propulsion concepts. The best example of this is the adoption of alternative fuels such as natural gas, or fuel cell technology, as seen in the Zafira 1.6 CNG production car (Compressed Natural Gas) and the "Concept M" study - powered by a 150 hp turbocharged natural has engine - both displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The successes notched up last year by the HydroGen1 experimental vehicle, which runs on pure hydrogen, are equally impressive: it set 15 speed and distance records for fuel cell vehicles and in the "Michelin Challenge Bibendum", an international competition for environmentally acceptable vehicles, it was the only passenger car with fuel-cell propulsion to complete the entire distance of 350 kilometers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and cross the finishing line under its own power and with no outside assistance.

Minimal environmental impact remains an issue throughout the entire product life cycle - from vehicle development to the disposal of used cars. Opel therefore systematically implements environmental protection concepts in the area of production. Environmental management systems provide for continuous improvement and almost all European locations where Opel produces vehicles or components already have a functioning environmental management system in place by virtue of the use of independent appraisers. The International Technical Development Center also operates according to the internationally recognized ISO environmental management standard 14001. The professional disposal of old Opel vehicles has also been handled for a number of years through a network of certified disposal services in Germany. Consideration has also been given to materials cycles. This is demonstrated by the use of the more than 75 recycled materials which can be found in more than 50 Corsa Eco component applications.