Opel Karl

The Opel Karl is a city car with a hatchback manufactured by GM Korea and marketed by Opel as a rebadged and restyled variant of the fourth-generation Chevrolet Spark (M400), replacing the Suzuki-sourced Agila in Opel's range. Named after Adam Opel's eldest son Carl,[4][5] the city car was discontinued following the sale of Opel to PSA Group in 2019. General Motors marketed a rebadged variant in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Viva, resurrecting an old nameplate from the 1960s and 1970s.

For the Vauxhall Viva model of the 1960s, see Vauxhall Viva.

Opel Karl
Small five-door car with alloy wheels, fog lamps, door mirrors, flush headlights, and a fuel-filler cap located on the right-hand side
2016 Vauxhall Viva SE
Overview
ManufacturerOpel (General Motors)
Also calledVauxhall Viva (UK)
Production2015–2019
AssemblySouth Korea: Changwon (GM Korea)
DesignerMark Adams
Quentin Huber (Karl Rocks)[1]
Body and chassis
ClassCity car (A)
Body style5-door hatchback
LayoutFront-engine, front-wheel-drive
PlatformGamma II
RelatedChevrolet Spark (M400)[2][3]
VinFast Fadil (Vietnam)
Powertrain
Engine1.0 L GM B10XE I3 (petrol)
Transmission5-speed manual
5-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,385 mm (93.9 in)
Length3,675 mm (144.7 in)
Width1,698 mm (66.9 in)
Height1,476 mm (58.1 in)
Kerb weight939 kg (2,070 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorOpel Agila
SuccessorOpel Corsa F

Overview

The Karl is a rebadged and restyled variant of the fourth-generation Chevrolet Spark, manufactured in South Korea. With fuel consumption reaching 4.3 L/100 km (66 mpg‑imp), the Karl's 1.0 L (999 cc) three-cylinder direct injection engine making 55 kW (75 PS) is from the GM engine family.[6][7] Dimensionally very similar to its predecessor, it is 115 mm (4.5 in) lower, making it almost the same size as the more expensive three-door Opel Adam.

Equipment includes six airbags, ESC with hill start assist, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), electric power steering, cruise control, rear parking sensors, lane departure warning, automatic climate control, start-stop system, a seven-inch display with IntelliLink and OnStar systems, and optional - heated front seats, heated steering wheel, electric sunroof and 16-inch alloy wheels.[8][9]

The Opel Karl was not sold in all European markets. It was not regularly available in Norway,[10] Sweden,[11] CIS countries,[12][13] Malta,[14] Eastern Balkans (including Bulgaria[15] and Romania[16]), Greece,[17] Turkey,[18] nor Cyprus.[19]

The Karl had its second world premiere held in Rijeka, Croatia in 2015.[20] In October 2018, it was announced that the production of the Karl and Viva would be discontinued by the end of 2019.[21][22]

  • Small five-door car with alloy wheels and fog lamps
    Opel Karl in Germany (front-right view)
  • Rear windscreen has a single wiper; number plate is mounted below rear hatch
    Opel Karl in Germany (rear-left view)
  • Dashboard of left-hand-drive car with rotary climate controls, a manual gearbox, and a handbrake
    Interior

Vauxhall Viva

The Viva range includes the base SE model, the SE A/C (which has air conditioning as standard, hence the name) and the top SL.[23]

The range has a high level standard specification compared to similar vehicles from other manufacturers, including a lane departure warning system, cruise control, speed limiter, trip computer (instant MPG, average MPG, average speed, stopwatch and trip computer), tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability program and traction control, front fog lamps and cornering lamps.

The SL offers digital climate control, partial leather trim and alloy wheels. Options include an electronically operated glass sunroof, a touch screen entertainment system (replacing the 300/300BT stereo unit) and a "Winter Pack" comprising heated seats, steering wheel, and door mirrors.

  • Front-left view
    2016 Vauxhall Viva SE (UK)
  • Rear-left view
    2016 Vauxhall Viva SE (UK)
  • Front-right view of variant with black-plastic cladding on wheelarches and roofrack-mounting bars
    2018 Vauxhall Viva Rocks (UK)
  • Rear-left view of aforementioned variant, showing black-plastic rear bumper with red reflectors or lights mounted in said bumper, while the number plate is mounted to the rear hatch
    2018 Vauxhall Viva Rocks (UK)
  • Dashboard of right-hand drive car with manual gearbox and rotary climate controls
    Interior

Sales
Year Europe[24] Vietnam[25]
Karl/Viva VinFast Fadil
2014 11
2015 28,638
2016 57,458
2017 49,516
2018 48,292
2019 47,504
2020 18,316[26]
2021 24,128[27]

References
  1. "Mondial de Paris 2016 : Rencontre avec l'Opel Karl Rocks et son designer Quentin Huber - Le Nouvel Automobiliste". lenouvelautomobiliste.fr/. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. "Vauxhall To Introduce New Brand Image, Small Cars – GM Authority". GM Authority. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. "The Vauxhall Viva is coming back". Top Gear. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  4. "Opel Karl – Neuer Kleinwagen als Einstiegsmodell" [Opel Karl: New entry model mini car]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 11 September 2014.
  5. "Opel History 1862 - 1899". Pressroom. Opel Automobile GmbH. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019.
  6. Voswinkel, Stefan (3 December 2014). "Neuer Opel Karl (2015): Erste Fotos vom Kleinwagen" [New Opel Karl (2015): First photos of this small car]. Auto Bild (in German). Axel Springer Auto Verlag GmbH.
  7. "New Opel KARL: World Premiere at the Geneva Motor Show" (Press release). General Motors. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Opel Karl Gains IntelliLink And OnStar Tech". Carscoops. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  10. "Opel in Norway". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  11. "Opel in Sweden". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  12. "Opel in Estonia". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  13. "Opel in Moldova". Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  14. "Opel in Malta". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  15. "Opel in Bulgaria". Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  16. "Opel in Romania". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  17. "Opel in Greece". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  18. "Opel in Turkey". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  19. "Opel in Cyprus". Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  20. "Svjetska vice premijera Opela Karl u Rijeci". fiuman.hr. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  21. "Opel stellt Modelle Adam, Karl und Cascada ein". Reuters (in German). Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  22. "Vauxhall confirms it will axe Adam and Viva city cars". autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  23. "Vauxhall VIVA | Equipment". Vauxhall Motors UK. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  24. "Opel Karl / Vauxhall Viva European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  25. "Vinfast Vietnam Sales". xeoto.com.vn. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  26. "Vinfast Fadil Vietnam Sales 2020". xeoto.com.vn. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  27. Khánh, Duy (12 January 2022). "VinFast Fadil bán hơn gấp đôi Hyundai i10, lật đổ ngôi vua doanh số của Toyota Vios sau 7 năm thống trị". AutoPro (in Vietnamese).
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