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By Charl Bosch

Motoring Journalist


All-new Opel Corsa still coming this year followed by refreshed Crossland in 2021

Unveiling of the new Mokka still being planned as facelift Astra quietly slips-in through the back door.


Spied on local shores just over four months ago, the importer and distributor of Opel in South Africa, Unitrans Motors, has indicated that the new Corsa remains on its radar for unveiling this year as opposed to 2021.

Facelift Opel Crossland

Running a close second behind the Ford Fiesta with 35 735 units versus 39 436 units moved in the United Kingdom so far this year, the Corsa, which outsold the Blue Oval’s equivalent last month to become the UK’s best-selling new vehicle, was initially set to have debuted as early as the third quarter of this year, but, unsurprisingly, has faced several delays mostly attributed to the Coronavirus. It now appears set for unveiling either in November or December.

All-new Opel Mokka

While final specification has so far remained unknown, the automaker has hinted on its website that the Corsa will be motivated by the 55 kW normally aspirated 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and the turbocharged 96 kW PureTech seemingly only mated to a six-speed automatic as opposed to the eight-speed offered in Europe. Unsurprisingly, the all-electric Corsa-e is not earmarked for local introduction with the same applying to the 1.5-litre BlueCDTI turbodiesel. Expect more details to emerge within the coming weeks.

At the other end of the spectrum, the heavily updated Crossland, now without the X suffix, will only touchdown in the second of third quarter of next year while the all-new Mokka is still under investigation and tentatively only poised for introduction in 2022.

Facelift Opel Astra

Meanwhile, the facelift Astra has quietly slipped onto the market brandishing the Edition nomenclature and as previously indicated, powered by the General Motors-based instead of PSA 110kW/245Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine hooked to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system plus a six-speaker sound system, it also gets a tyre pressure monitor, auto on/off LED headlights, cloth Talino seats, rain sense wipers, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking and cruise control.

Positioned between the pre-facelift 1.0T Enjoy and the 1.4T Enjoy automatic, the Edition is priced at R423 000 and comes standard with a five year/150 000 km maintenance plan.

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