The new Opel Corsa 2020 finalises its tuning to reach the market in autumn

The sixth generation of the Opel Corsa is preparing to debut after the summer at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and to reach dealerships before the end of the year.

Little by little, Opel has been revealing some details of the new Opel Corsa 2020. The sixth generation of the German city car is now in its final testing phase, always safe from indiscreet “eyes” thanks to its full camouflage.

Coinciding with the brand’s 120th anniversary, and with the end of the model’s life cycle, Opel has put on sale a special 120 Anniversary edition of the current Corsa, which remains a very interesting option for those looking for a complete city car.

But the next generation of the Corsa will represent a major technological leap. It has already been confirmed that equipment such as the IntelliLux LED matrix lighting technology will not be missing, a feature typical of higher segments, which the Corsa will debut in this category. This matrix headlight system, which Opel has already fitted to 90,000 vehicles (Astra and Insignia), makes the most of the headlights’ lighting capacity without dazzling other road users.

Up to 108 kg lighter than the current Opel Corsa

Recently, Opel also revealed an important figure: the work of the brand’s engineers has managed to reduce the weight of the new Opel Corsa to start from 980 kg. This amounts to a “weight-loss cure” of up to 108 kg compared with its predecessor. And that is a lot. We are therefore talking about a weight saving of 10%, which will positively contribute to the dynamic behaviour as well as to efficiency.

In the bodyshell alone, the use of high and ultra-high strength steels allows the weight of the body to be kept at 40 kg. Other measures, such as the aluminium bonnet, save almost 2.5 kg. Or the optimised seats, which cut up to 10 kg from the figure for the current Corsa. The platform of the new Opel Corsa is also prepared to accommodate an electric drive version, which will be available during 2020.

A complete testing phase

Now, probably as the last piece of information before we start to see photos of pre-series units without camouflage, Opel lets us see the new Corsa in action, subjected to all kinds of tests.

As is customary among manufacturers before launching a new car onto the market, the Opel Corsa is being subjected to all kinds of trials, both in real-world conditions and in the laboratory.

Swedish Lapland, south of the Arctic Circle, has been the setting for checking how the systems perform in extreme grip conditions and with temperatures down to 30 degrees Celsius below zero. The operation of the IntelliLux LED lighting system has also been checked here.

For the high-speed tests, the banked ring at Opel’s Dudenhofen test centre was used. Here, the new Opel Corsa also went through the “torture track” with undulating asphalt. And it was given a proper “bath” in the water-tightness pit, where the water reaches depths of 25 cm and the engine has to survive large artificial waves.

Finally, the electronics tests were carried out at the Rüsselsheim laboratories. These kinds of tests, which check electromagnetic compatibility, are increasingly important in modern cars, which carry so many electronic systems on board.

Now, it does seem that everything is ready for the new Opel Corsa to reach the market next autumn. Here is how they did it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nogHvnBGhQ