PARIS SHOW: Opel GTC Paris concept

Paris Motor Show News Special

Opel took the wraps off this spectacular "GTC Paris" concept in France - but behind the concept's veneer what most onlookers saw was the next generation Astra OPC (aka Vauxhall VXR) hyper hatch.

And the impending production version of this sleek concept car has a chance of finding it's way to Australia, where it would compete with the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS.

Opel's Executive Director of International Operations, Michael Klaus, told the Carsales Network in Paris the car maker was serious about expanding the company's global reach: "The intention is to really bring the Opel branded vehicles and the full range of vehicles into the different markets around the world. Therefore we are also looking at Australia at the moment."

The three-door, five-passenger hatch features a 213kW 2.0-litre direct injection turbo engine driving through a six-speed manual transmission and contains its manic energy via an updated version of the "adaptive mechatronic" FlexRide suspension and a limited-slip front differential.

The gorgeous little Opel uses a compound crank rear axle with a Watts link to better support "lateral forces on the suspension while cornering."

As a sign of the times, the GTC Paris is fitted with Start/Stop technology to balance searing performance with a degree of CO2 minimisation and fuel efficiency.

The GTC's lines speak for themselves, but there can be no denying the effect of its extra-wide stance, the 21-inch wheels, the gobble-em-up front air intake and the rows of LED daytime running lights.

The GTC Paris concept is a three-door version of the new Opel/Vauxhall Astra that first saw the light of day at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

Now that Opel's Executive Director of International Operations has said that Australia is on Opel's "project list" as a competitor for Volkswagen, who knows what the future might bring...

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