Vauxhall scores a 1-2 finish with Corsa and Mokka as UK's two best-sellers in February

• Vauxhall Corsa is once again the UK’s best-selling car so far this year
• Vauxhall has two best-selling cars in February with Corsa and Mokka, making them best-sellers in their segment respectively
• February saw 2,818 Corsas and 1,805 Mokkas registered

Vauxhall Corsa continued success comes on back of being UK’s best-selling supermini in 2022 and best-selling car overall in 2021

Vauxhall has the two best-selling cars in the UK in February, with the award-winning Vauxhall Corsa reclaiming its place as the UK’s best-selling car, and the Vauxhall Mokka as the second-most registered car in the month, according to the latest vehicle registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

With 2,818 new Corsas registered in February, it has reclaimed its crown as not just UK’s best-selling supermini, but the best-selling new car in the country, with a total of 5,243 units registered so far in 2023.   

Car’s continued strong popularity with both private and fleet buyers comes on the back of three consecutive years of strong showings for the Corsa. With 35,910 units sold in 2022, it finished last year as the UK’s favourite supermini, while it was the country’s best-selling car overall in 2021.

With 1,805 sold in February, Vauxhall Mokka joins Corsa at the top of the sales charts, being the second-best selling car in the country for February and the best-selling compact crossover (B-SUV). Both the Mokka and Corsa are available to buyers as fully electric variants – Corsa Electric and Mokka Electric.

James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: “I’m delighted to see Mokka join Corsa at the top of the sales charts in February – a true indication of how latest Vauxhall range is meeting the needs of today’s drivers. We’re looking forward to the arrival of All-New Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric later this year, adding further electric options for our customers as part of our commitment to be an all-electric brand from 2028.”

Vauxhall’s electrification strategy includes a commitment to be a fully-electric brand by 2028. It is also one of the few manufacturers in the country able to offer fleets and private buyers an electric van across its entire model range.

Both the Vauxhall Corsa and Mokka are available with efficient petrol engines as well as with a fully electric powertrain. Using the multi-powertrain CMP platform, the electric variants of these cars are powered by a 50 kWh battery and a 136 PS (100 kW) electric motor. Capable of supporting up to 100 kW rapid charging, an 80% charge for both takes just 30 minutes to complete. Corsa Electric has a range of 222 miles (WLTP) while Mokka Electric can reach up to 209 miles (WTLP) on a full charge.

Entire Vauxhall passenger car range can be ordered entirely online via the Vauxhall Online  Store. The Vauxhall Online Store brings the brand’s showroom experience straight into the comfort of buyers’ homes. Customers can arrange a live video viewing of their vehicle via the Vauxhall Virtual  Showroom and proceed to the Online Store to configure their vehicle, personalise finance payments, and place an order, all from the comfort of their home.

STADT:up Project: Opel Advances Automated Driving in Urban Areas

• Pioneering project STADT:up develops concepts and pilot applications for automated driving in complex city traffic
• Stellantis representative Opel participates in joint project as AI development partner
• Demonstration of complex environment recognition in the city by Opel vehicle prototype by end of 2025

Project STADT:up (Solutions and Technologies for Automated Driving in Town: an urban-mobility project) aims to take a big step closer to the goal of enabling automated driving in urban areas by the end of 2025. As the German brand in Stellantis, Opel is involved in the project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The experts at the Rüsselsheim Engineering Center play an important role in the further development of vehicle environment recognition based on artificial intelligence (AI) and the translation into the situation-specific reaction in automated driving. Now the kick-off event of the consortium project with 22 project and development partners took place on the campus of Robert Bosch GmbH in Renningen, Germany. In addition, Opel aims to demonstrate an innovative prototype featuring complex environment recognition in urban areas by the end of 2025.

“By participating in the STADT:up project, Opel, as our German brand, is further advancing automated driving in urban traffic, on behalf of Stellantis. The engineers at the Rüsselsheim Engineering Center draw on many years of experience in this field. At the same time, we are strengthening our good cooperation with research institutions outside the company and continuing our commitment to supporting young scientists,” said Frank Jordan, Stellantis, Head of Innovation Germany.

Project goal: Demonstration of autonomous urban mobility with test vehicles

STADT:up is aimed at end-to-end, scalable solutions for future urban mobility. The vehicles must also be able to handle complex inner-city traffic scenarios safely and respond adequately to all situations within milliseconds. The various tasks for autonomous driving range from the comprehensive perception of the environment and the localisation of road users through the prediction, interaction and cooperation with other vehicles, to the behaviour and manoeuvre planning of the user’s own vehicle. The question of how mixed traffic consisting of pedestrians, cyclists, differently used vehicles and local public transport will develop is also of central importance. Correspondingly, suitable future concepts and the requirements derived from the needs of the users will also be developed in the project.

Key factors are the preparation and programming of the vehicle systems such as camera, LiDAR and radar to all possible scenarios until they are implemented in the computer system. This is where the AI experts at the Rüsselsheim site come into play. In addition to improving AI algorithms for perception and fusion, the team led by Dr. Nikolas Wagner and project manager Frank Bonarens places a special focus on the analysis and management of particularly challenging traffic situations. In addition to improving robustness, the aim of the research activities is to improve the traceability of the decisions of deep neural networks and to use them to check the plausibility of an automated driving system. This is intended to provide important building blocks for environment recognition in highly automated driving and to contribute to the efficient testing and validation of safety-relevant AI functions.

With the participation of the Rüsselsheim AI experts from the Stellantis research network, a long-standing Opel tradition of pre-competitive cooperation is continued. As with other research projects, the central pillars are the cooperation with renowned scientific partners from leading universities and research institutions as well as the doctoral program at the Rüsselsheim site.

In addition to automotive companies, leading suppliers as well as technology partners, universities and research institutions are represented in the consortium project led by Bosch. The highlight will be the final event planned for the end of 2025 with the joint presentation of the demonstrators developed in STADT:up. Opel's goal is to demonstrate the performance of the environment recognition system with its own test vehicle.

Opel Celebrates 20 Years of seats with AGR Seal of Approval

• Pioneer: Opel democratises back-friendly seating in variety of market segments
• AGR premiere: 2003 Signum was first Opel with ergonomically certified seats
• More than just seats: Total vehicle concept of Opel Meriva awarded AGR seal
• Wide choice: AGR-certified seats for today’s Opel Astra, Crossland and Grandland
• For that sporty feeling: Exclusive AGR performance seats for Opel GSe models

Opel Signum

Opel this year marks 20th anniversary of the introduction of healthy seats certified by AGR (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. – an independent German association promoting research related to back-pain prevention).

Latest generation of AGR seats is available in new Opel Grandland GSe, the Astra GSe and the Astra Sports Tourer GSe. But the start was made exactly two decades ago by the Opel Signum, which was the first car to offer AGR seats in the mid-size segment.

Seats form the link between people and the vehicle. They are crucial for a comfortable, relaxed journey. That is why Opel places great importance on ensuring that they offer optimum comfort and support for the spine, especially on longer journeys. “Drivers and passengers come into contact with no other component in the car as intensively as with the seat. Our goal as a carmaker is that our customers do not have to think about the seat even on longer trips, because it offers comfort and also prevents the risk of back pain in the long term,” said Stefan Koob, who is responsible for the development of seat structures.

In-car ergonomics is more than just a feel-good factor. Ergonomics also includes safety. A relaxed, back-friendly seat prevents fatigue during the journey; and in the event of a accident, the seat occupant has a chance of a positive outcome above all if the seat manages to hold him or her in position. Only then can seat belts and airbags fully provide their protection.

Opel Signum 2003: First Opel with AGR ergonomic seats

“At Opel, we have always taken the democratisation of seating comfort to heart. That means everyone is entitled to a good seat in the car,” Koob explained. Back in 2003 the ergonomic seats of Opel Signum set a new standard in the automotive industry. Thereafter the healthy seats were rolled out across much of the Opel model range. Long-distance and company car drivers were especially grateful; thanks to numerous adjustment functions, the ergonomic seats with AGR certification could be optimally adjusted for every driver, so that he or she got out rested and without discomfort even after hours of driving.

Opel Signum: AGR ergonomic seat

A few years later, another premiere followed. In 2010, the flexible Opel Meriva van was the first vehicle to receive an AGR seal of approval. Meriva’s integral ergonomics system comprised the ergonomic seats, the FlexDoors doors that opened in opposite directions, variable FlexSpace rear seating concept and the FlexFix bicycle rack.

For all shapes and sizes: Wide choice of various AGR-certified seats

Opel today offers a variety of AGR seats with a choice of comfort or more sports-oriented contours in the Astra, Crossland and Grandland. To enable the driver and the front passenger to adopt a comfortable and back-friendly seating position for any journey, AGR seats offer 10 adjustments for the driver and six for the co-driver. Regardless of the seat contour, the multitude of adjustable parameters – many electrically operated on the driver’s seat – include sliding range, height, tilt, backrest tilt, thigh support, lumbar support and seat cushion tilt, as well as heating for the cold season.

Top of the line: Performance seats in Opel Grandland GSe and Opel Astra GSe

New GSe performance seats represent the youngest developments in healthy seating technology from Opel. Trimmed in black Alcantara, stylish front seats in Opel Grandland GSe, Astra GSe and Astra Sports Tourer GSe feature especially high upper wings. Unique construction of the seats in Astra GSe models features fully integrated head restraints. Another eye-catching detail is the distinctive grey stripe electro-welded onto the backrest. Also unique to GSe is the stitched pattern at base of the backrest and on the seat cushion, while the unmistakable yellow-on-black GSe logo adorns the seatback.

Opel Grandland GSe: Performance seats

Opel Astra GSe: Performance seats

Comfort of AGR driver’s seats can be further enhanced – depending on the model variant – with ventilation. In addition, the memory function particularly comes in handy when sharing driving duties over long distances.