new cars

Opel Targets The Ladies With Shoes And Oh Yeah, An Agila To Match

No, that's not an April Fools' Day p-shop. That's what you think it is — a shoe that looks like an Opel. Designed by Simon Deering, The shoes are part of Opel's effort to market their Agila as a hip fashion accessory for their distaff customers. But the marketing doesn't stop there, Opel's even created a special model of the Agila, the "Agila.Com," which can only be ordered online. Pshaw, don't they know there are no women online?

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tokyo auto show

Down on the Street...in Tokyo: The Chevy MW Is The Opel Agila

As we continue to clean out our CompactFlash cards, we've found another piece of metal from the Tokyo streets. Here's the perfect example of a city car produced by the General that they just don't build or sell over in this here part of the globe. This five-door 'merican Revolution is the Chevy MW, and it's a re-badged Vauxhall Agila which is a re-badged Opel Agila which in turn is a re-badged Suzuki Wagon R. As a Suzuki, the MW was first built in Japan, but now in all forms is built at GM's Gliwice, Poland plant. Speaking of the Opelized version, did we mention the second-generation 2008 Opel Agila was unveiled in Frankfurt earlier this year? Oh wait, we've found some shots of the reveal of that one on our many CF cards as well. The newest model of the Agila will be powered by either one of two gas engines — a three cylinder 1.0-liter 65 HP model and a four cylinder 1.2-liter engine rated at 86 HP — and a diesel 1.3-liter four cylinder engine rated at 75 HP. Will the new 2008 Agila have as many re-branded options as the earlier models? You betcha. The General's already planning for the new Agila to be sold by Suzuki as the Splash. Ah, the sweet smell of platform prostitution and brand whoring. Don't you just love the global automotive industry?

spy photos

Spy Photos: Opel's Vannish Boy, the Agila

You asked for an Opel model that won't likely find its way into a Saturn dealership, and we've got one. It's the Opel Agila, a distinctly European competitor to the Fiat Panda in the arena of high-roof, utility-oriented microcars. A heavily disguised test model of the new generation Agila, which is being co-developed with GM's friends at Suzuki, was recently spotted during high-load testing — a rigorious process during which the 70-hp car must pull a golf-cart trailer loaded with empty toilet-paper rolls up a slight incline. Many prototypes have attempted this test, with mixed results. Once, an unnamed automaker's top secret, 40-hp microcar, the Pimento — reportedly built for the Lithuanian market — imploded, leaving engineers slightly perturbed and a week younger. Nonetheless, the Fans of World Cars have a few more proto-Opels to show off, if only you'd click through. More »