VAUXHALL is reviving one of its most popular names for a new small car, the Viva, which is due to arrive in the middle of next year.
The new Vauxhall Viva will have a five-door body with either four or five seats and the company describes it as an “A-sector” car which means it’s about the same size as the existing Adam and Corsa models.
One point of interest – the equivalent Opel model which will be sold in most other European territories won’t be called Viva at all. Instead, it will be badged Karl, named after one of the sons of Adam Opel, founder of General Motors’ German off-shoot. This will be the first time equivalent Vauxhall and Opel models have carried different model names since the last Cavalier gave way to the Vectra almost twenty years ago.
One possible reason behind the change: unlike rival Ford, Vauxhall retains substantial manufacturing activities in UK – a car plant at Ellesmere Port and a van factory at Luton – and is increasingly keen to sell its British roots.
The new Vauxhall Viva will be doing very well if it turns out to be as successful as its predecessors. Over 1.5 million Vivas were produced in the UK between 1963 and 1979, before the arrival of the first Astras.
