GM and PSA Axe Plans for Mid-Size Models, Narrow Their Partnership

Even though it hasn't been that long since General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen announced big plans for an elaborate partnership, the two companies have failed to come to an agreement on a number of projects.

After dropping plans to jointly develop a small car for Latin America and a dual-clutch gearbox earlier this year, we now learn that GM and PSA have also scrapped plans for a joint mid-size car program that would have seen models like the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5 sharing parts.

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Chris Harris Puts Ford’s Focus ST Against Opel Astra OPC and Renault Megane RS

Hot hatches are the Swiss Army knives of the automotive world in that they can do almost everything. Their humble underpinnings mean that they are as practical as any hatchback in everyday use, their tuned chassis and powerful engines can scare a sports car or two on twisty roads and they are, comparatively affordable.

There was a time, not so long ago, that putting anything more than 200-horses on the road through the front wheels was considered a recipe for terminal power understeer. Things have certainly changed and, as Chris Harris points out in the video that follows, front-wheel drive hot hatches have really become very competent.

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Opel Returns to Motorsports with New Adam and Astra OPC Cup Racing Models [w/Video]

In a surprise move, GM's troubled European unit Opel announced today its return to grassroots motor racing for the 2013 season with two new models, the Adam Cup for international rallies and the Astra GTC Cup for a circuit program focused on Germany.

"These new motorsports activities play an important role in the strategic re-alignment of the company; they are a fundamental element of our brand profile," stated Thomas Sedran, Opel’s Deputy CEO.

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Opel Cancels Development of Electric Powered Adam City Car

There won't be a battery-powered version of GM Europe's Adam premium mini after all, as Opel and its British counterpart Vauxhall have scrapped the program citing high costs, despite the fact that development had moved on to a working prototype.

The Adam EV would have shared its electric-powertrain with the upcoming Chevrolet Spark EV due to enter production next year, according to a report from Autonews Europe.

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Vauxhall Unleashes 170MPH Insignia VXR SuperSport, Slashes Price to Under £30K

More than a year after Opel presented the Insignia OPC Unlimited with an unrestricted top speed of 270km/h (168mph) to the rest of Europe, Vauxhall is now following in the footsteps of its sister company releasing a similar version of the UK market Insignia VXR.

Vauxhall's version is named the Insignia VXR SuperSport and it replaces the current Insignia VXR. Just the like Opel model, the VXR SuperSport does away with the speed limiter allowing the car to hit 170mph (274km/h), or 15mph (24km/h) more than its predecessor. Acceleration from 0-60mph (96km/h) remains the same at 5.6 seconds.

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New Opel / Vauxhall Cascada is a Stylish Mid-Size Four-Seater Convertible

Here comes the latest model from Opel and its British counterpart Vauxhall, the all-new Cascada, a mid-size convertible with ample seating for four that was officially revealed today ahead of a European market launch in March of 2013.

The Cascada is the brand's fourth new model this year following the Ampera, Mokka small crossover and Adam premium city car, and its first convertible after the demise of the smaller Astra Twin Top.

With the Cascada, Opel and Vauxhall are moving away from the compact segment and entering the mid-size sector. At 4,697mm long and 1,840mm wide, the Cascada is not only significantly bigger than the Astra Twin Top, but it's actually 71mm longer than the Audi A5 Cabrio and 85mm longer than the BMW 3-Series Convertible.

The car uses a platform derived from Astra and Insignia underpinnings sporting a 71mm longer wheelbase and front and rear tracks that are 56mm and 70mm wider respectively than the Astra Twin Top.

The company says that despite being significantly larger, the Cascada’s body is 43 per cent stiffer torsionally and 10 per cent more resistant to bending forces than its last open-topped car.

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