Holden Barina Spark replacement teased

Vauxhall has revealed the first teaser image of an all-new five-door city-car that's likely to replace Holden's cheapest model, the Barina Spark.

The new entry-level hatchback will be called the Viva in the UK, where it launches in mid-2015, while Opel will reveal the name for its mainland Europe version tomorrow.

It's unknown whether Holden will retain the Barina Spark name, or adopt Vauxhall's Viva badge or Opel's yet-to-be-announced nameplate.

The Viva name was previously applied to the Daewoo Lacetti-based small hatch, sedan and wagon that replaced Holden's TS Astra in Australia in 2005, before it was superseded by the current Cruze.

The Italian, Spanish and Portuguese word for 'live' was also used by Vauxhall's original Viva, more than 1.5 million of which were built at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire between 1963 and 1979.

In Europe, the new Viva will replace the Opel/Vauxhall Agila, and will join the three-door Opel/Vauxhall Adam micro-car and the larger new Corsa light-car (both also pictured here), which was revealed in July ahead of its launch at the Paris motor show next month.

The replacement for Australia's Barina Spark is likely to be imported from Korea by Holden, which has announced it will release Lion-badged versions of the Astra VXR hot-hatch, Astra GTC coupe and Insignia VXR, and the new Cascada convertible next year.

While the Spark/Viva is expected to remain Holden's entry-level micro (currently priced from $12,890), the European-sourced Corsa could replace the Barina as its light-segment rival for top-sellers like the Hyundai i20, Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris.

Further up the GM tree, Holden's Australian-made Cruze is expected to be discontinued before Commodore production ceases in 2017 and replaced by either the next-generation Astra, which is due to appear in Europe next year, or the second-generation Cruze, which has already been revealed in China.

Holden could even import both models – the Astra hatch from Europe and the Cruze sedan from Korea.

GM has released no technical details for the Viva, which was spotted undergoing cold-weather testing in Scandivania in January.

However, it says the pint-size five-door will come with either four or five seats, a high level of standard specification and a range of trim and equipment levels.

GM is reportedly targeting a sub-100g/km CO2 emissions figures for all Viva variants, which means it's likely to be powered by a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine.

Holden's current Barina Spark is offered here with a choice of two drivetrains – a 59kW/107Nm 1.2-litre engine mated to a five-speed manual or a 63kW/113Nm 1.25-litre mill with a four-speed auto.

First launched here in October 2010, the Spark has found less than 1000 Australian homes to August this year (down 25 per cent), making it far less popular than key rivals like the Mitsubishi Mirage, Fiat 500, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Alto.

"This bold, radical name will attract attention and engender curiosity in the car,” said Vauxhall Marketing Director, Peter Hope.

Despite being teased two weeks before the Paris show, the production Viva is unlikely to make its public debut until the Geneva show next March.