GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Opel teases GT concept

GM’s European arm has released a video announcing that a new concept called the GT will be revealed at the Geneva motor show this March, confirming a German report from December.

So far, details are thin on the ground but according to  Opel boss Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann, who bizarrely stars in the video announcement, the new concept will help people ”see both Vauxhall and Opel with fresh eyes," hinting a radical departure from the rest of the range.

This remark has furthered speculation that the new GT concept will be a sleek coupe with two seats, picking up where the 2013 Frankfurt motor show Monza concept left off.

That means it could be an Astra-based coupe that could be a replacement for the old Calibra or original Monza.

Other reports have suggested that the GT will be a reclothed Buick Avista -- a stylish two-door rear-drive concept powered by a twin-turbo V6 and first seen at this week's Detroit show.

Adding validity to these claims is that a European version of the big rear-wheel drive coupe would help spread the huge cost of development of what would be a niche product -- and help justify the considerable costs of readying the Avista for production.

If so, the Opel or Vauxhall-badged clone might even go as far as sharing the concept’s 300kW V6, although, if approved for production the Euro coupe will almost certainly also come with a less powerful and more fuel efficient 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines.

Beneath the skin, the Buick Avista is based on the rear-drive Alpha architecture that underpins the latest Chevrolet Camaro.

At the Detroit motor show it was hoped the well-received concept would be green-lit by Buick for production and become the born-again Holden Monaro we’ve all been waiting for -- but those hopes have been downplayed by GM insiders and industry commentators.

In fact, US-based newswire Automotive News has already gone as far to claim the Buick Avista will never be built. If that’s the case, a powerful rear-drive Opel coupe will be more difficult to justify within GM.

Opel has confirmed more information and teases will be revealed on January 21, ahead of the Opel GT concept's public reveal at Geneva in March.