Holden goes Opel mining for 2018 sports coupe

Holden will soon have access to a new European sports coupe set to be revealed as the Opel GT Concept early next year.

The compact two-door will complement the V8-engined coupe Holden promises will take the baton from Commodore when local production winds down in late 2017 – at this stage a toss-up between Corvette and Camaro.

The GT Concept will revive a nameplate of a petite late-1960s Opel coupe as the struggling German brand attempts, in its CEO’s own words, to reinvent itself. The concept will be a more production-ready version of the gullwing-doored Monza shown two years ago, which Opel then said previewed the styling direction of future sporty models.

It will be based on the new-generation Astra that will arrive in Holden dealerships next year, but it won’t look anything like the hatchback. It will, however, likely score a new-gen 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder making beyond the 206kW and 400Nm of the outgoing Astra VXR.

Teamed with a lighter Astra platform that will help shed many kilograms from the tubby 1543kg VXR, the production GT could be a circa-5.0sec 0-100km/h Volkswagen Scirocco-rival.

In a video-cast released before Christmas, Opel CEO Karl Neumann announced that in 2016 there will be, “a lot more exciting news on Opel.”

“Opel reinvents itself [and] I can confirm that we will present a real highlight at the Geneva motor show, a concept car that you probably would not have expected from us,” he added.

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German media outlet Autobild reports that car will indeed be the Opel GT that has long been rumoured for revival.

Holden has confirmed that one-third of the 24 new models launching by 2020 will be poached from the Opel brand. It looks increasingly likely that a compact coupe will form part of that plan as Opel transitions to newer, lighter and more stylish models.