The more General Motors European division and PSA Peugeot-Citroën deepen their newly formed strategic partnership, the more rumors come out. Earlier today, Germany's Spiegel magazine and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung business daily reported that GM decided to move development of the next Opel Zafira minivan from Germany to France. Opel's response came in quickly via a statement attributed to Opel/Vauxhall CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke who denied the reports. "As part of the initial announcement earlier this year, GM/Opel and PSA stated their intent to cooperate in several areas including product development. Whatever the final split will be among the agreed common projects, no jobs will be lost in the engineering center in Ruesselsheim due to the alliance – in fact, the nature of the alliance is that it is a balanced one," Stracke said in the statement. "Opel is leaving no stone unturned to enhance the efficiency and future viability in order to achieve sustainable profitability as quickly as possible in a difficult market environment," he added. In a separate report from Reuters, GM and PSA Peugeot-Citroën are said to have sealed several deals over the past month, including expanding the number of cars they will build on shared platforms. "Work teams are in place, meeting regularly and hopefully soon we will be able to share the first update on alliance progress," GM stated. While GM may not be willing to release details, Peugeot Director General Frederic Saint-Geours was more than happy to show his cards during an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera. Saint Geours said that the two automotive groups will "launch a raft of new models on shared platforms from 2016". "We will launch a D-segment car, a crossover, a compact minivan, and two models in the B and C segments," he told the Italian daily. "After that, we will launch a shared-platform eco-friendly car." To explain, by D-segment car, the French executive means something in the likes of the Opel Insignia/Peugeot 508, by compact minivan a vehicle similar to the Citroen Picasso, while a B-segment car translates to an Opel Corsa/Peugeot 208 and C-segment to the Opel Astra/Citroen C4. PHOTO GALLERY
In its debut appearance at the Monte Carlo Rally, the Chevrolet Volt's European twin, the Opel Ampera, picked up its first win in the electric and alternative propulsion category. From the seven Ampera models that competed in the rally, four finished in the top 10. The French duo Bernard Darniche and Joseph Lambert finished first, while the Ampera teams with Charlotte Berton and Olivier Sussot ranked third, Jean-Claude Andruet and Patrick Lienne came in 7th and Hanns Werner Wirth and Daniel Riesen finished 8th. "The Ampera’s success in this versatility contest under very challenging conditions proves its impressive balance between durability and fuel efficiency," commented Opel’s Director E-mobility, Enno Fuchs. "This underscores our leadership role in the field of alternative propulsion." Some 130 competitors from about 30 manufacturers took part in the Monte Carlo Rally for electric and alternative propulsion vehicles including the Renault Fluence Z.E., a Tesla Roadster sports car, a Mitsubishi I-MiEV and a Peugeot Ion. The rally started in the three towns of Annecy-le-Vieux, Clermont Ferrand and Lugano, with the teams driving 550 kilometers (342 miles) to Monaco. The second day, they had to complete a distance of 272 kilometers (169 miles) from Monaco and the original route of the Monte Carlo Rally through the French Maritime Alps.PHOTO GALLERY
The Chevrolet Volt and its sister model, the Ampera, which is sold as under both the Opel and Vauxhall nameplates, have won the 2012 European Car of the Year (COTY) Award with 330 points. Coming into second place was the Volkswagen Up! city car with 281 points while the new generation of the Ford Focus finished third with 256 points. 
The other cars that made it to the final round of the competition were the Range Rover Evoque (186 points), Fiat Panda (156 points), Citroen DS5 (144 points) and the Toyota Yaris (122 points). The competition brought together votes from 59 automotive journalists in 23 European countries. Last year's winner was the new, all-electric Nissan Leaf that beat the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Opel Meriva.VIDEO
With the fourth generation of the Opel Corsa entering its sixth year in the market, the German automaker is trying to beef up interest in the supermini with the release of another special edition version. This one is called "Kaleidoscope" and it affords a more individualized look to the Corsa. The Kaleidoscope is available with a choice of two special metallic exterior colors called "pepperdust" and "technical grey", which are combined with glossy black roof, black mirror housings and for the first time, a black grille frame. It also rides on dark 17-inch wheels and gets chrome exhaust pipes. Inside, Opel's designers added more color to the cabin with the air vent rings and door inserts finished in either curry or matt chrome, while the door panels are trimmed in denim fabric. The leather steering wheel and the different seat fabrics with silver or aztek gold stitching complete the look. The Kaleidoscope is available in both three-door and five-door body styles and most engines in the Corsa range including the 1.2-liter ecoFLEX petrol with 70PS and 5.1lt/100km, a 1.6-liter Turbo petrol with 150PS, and the 1.3-liter CDTi diesel with 75PS and 4.0lt/100km. Depending on the engine, transmission options include five and six gear manual gearboxes, a five-gear easytronic as well as an automatic. In Germany, prices for the Corsa Kaleidoskope start at €15,425 (about US$20,100) including tax. PHOTO GALLERY
The sixth generation of the Volkswagen Golf is in its final year with a replacement due to be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show this fall, yet it still managed to sell more cars than any other model in Europe in 2011 for a third year in a row, according to data provided from JATO Dynamics. Volkswagen delivered 484,547 units of the Golf in 2011, down 1.6% over the previous year. The German company also took second spot with the Polo that sold 356,490 cars, up 0.5%, while the Ford Fiesta with 348,465 sales (-13.3%), the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa with 313,325 units (-1.7%) and the Renault Clio with 294,172 (-13.1%) complete the Top 5. 
We should note that all Top 10 best-sellers came from either German (7 models) or French (3 models) brands. JATO Dynamics says that outside the top ten, certain models performed much better than their predecessors did including Peugeot’s new 508, which saw its sales rise almost three times achieved by its predecessor, the 407, in 2010, the new Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max, Citroën C4, BMW X3 and Kia Sportage. Overall, the European market shrunk 1.2% over 2010 to 13,543,179 units in 2011. Greece and Portugal recorded the largest drops with 30.7% and 31.3% respectively, while on the other side of the spectrum, Latvia and Lithuania posted gains of 72.5% and 66.0% respectively. The top selling brand in Europe was of course Volkswagen with 1,678,279 units (+9.1%) followed by Ford with 1,087,912 (-2.8%) and Renault with 1,038,313 (-8.8%). Out of the top ten brands in 2011, only Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Mercedes ended 2011 with no reduction in sales. “Germany is clearly leading Europe in terms of a market for new cars as well as manufacturing models which appeal to consumers across the region. This is even more impressive considering the challenges we saw in the overall European market during 2011," commented Gareth Hession, Vice President, Research at JATO.
Continuing our spree of 2012 Geneva Motor Show-related news, shortly after the presentation of the new Buick Encore, General Motor's European subsidiaries Opel and Vauxhall introduced their version of the small crossover that will be marketed as the Mokka on the other side of the pond. And for those of you wondering, the European model's name was inspired by the small, round coffee beans of the Coffea Arabica variety. The Mokka and the Encore are virtually identical twins as the only styling differences between the two are their unique grilles along with the Buick's decorative hood ornaments and the Opel's headlamp trims. Like the Encore, the Mokka will be offered in both front- and all-wheel drive versions but whereas the Buick launches with a single engine option, the 140HP 1.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec unit, the Opel will be available with a greater variety of powertrains. In addition to the 140HP 1.4L Turbo, there's an entry level 1.6 liter naturally-aspirated gasoline engine with 115HP and a 1.7-liter turbo diesel that churns out 130HP and a healthy 300Nm (221 lb-ft) of peak torque. Furthermore, both the 1.4 Turbo and the 1.7 CDTI can be combined either with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes. All manual transmissions are equipped with a fuel saving Start/Stop system while other standard features include the Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the Traction Control (TC) as well as the Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Hill Descent Control (HDC) systems. The Juke-sized Opel crossover measure 4.28 meters long and provides up to 1,372 liter of loading space, as well as up to 19 storage locations. In addition, Mokka gets an available Flex-Fix bicycle carrier that functions like a drawer and can accommodate up to three bicycles at a time, and which is exclusive to the Opel model. The Mokka will be available at Opel and Vauxhall dealerships at end of 2012.PHOTO GALLERY
