Revealed: Holden's next city-car

General Motors Europe has revealed the city-car that's almost certain to replace the Barina Spark as Holden's cheapest model in Australia, where it may revive the Viva name as early as mid-2015.

GM says the all-new five-door micro will be priced from under £7500 ($A14,000) in the UK, where it will be sold as the Vauxhall Viva, and from under €10,000 ($A14,650) in Germany.

Sourced from Korea, Holden's existing Barina Spark is currently priced from $12,890 but is a minor player in Australia's fledgling micro-car segment, in which it ranks fifth for sales behind the Mitsubishi Mirage, Fiat 500, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Alto.

Launched here in October 2010, the four-year-old Barina Spark has found just 1174 sales so far this year (down 34 per cent) and its replacement was spied undergoing cold-weather testing in Scandinavia earlier this year.

Holden has previously confirmed that a third of its future model range will be sourced from Opel in Germany, but the next Spark/Viva/Karl will be produced exclusively in South Korea for global consumption.

Mark Flintoft, GM Holden Product Communications Manager, wouldn't comment on the chances of the vehicle being imported from Korea next year – as either the new Holden Viva or Barina Spark – saying only: "Unfortunately we can't comment on future product. All we can say is that Holden is committed to leveraging the global GM product portfolio to provide the best products for our customers and that we are confident that our future products will enable Holden to be very competitive across the key segments."

Due on sale in the UK in the second quarter of next year, the all-new micro will revive the Viva nameplate offered by Vauxhall there in the 1960s and '70s. The Viva name was also used by Holden on a rebadged Daweoo Lacetti small hatch, sedan and wagon that replaced Holden's TS Astra in Australia in 2005, before it was superseded by the Cruze in 2010.

In mainland Europe, the Viva will be sold as the Opel Karl (after Carl Opel, one of Opel founder Adam Opel's three sons), and it should continue to be called the Chevrolet Spark in North America, where the current model was only released in 2012.

It will be GM's cheapest model in most markets, including Germany, where it will replace the Suzuki Splash-based Agila, positioned beneath the highly customisable three-door Opel Adam hatch, which is priced from €10,785 ($15,825), and Opel's fifth-generation Corsa, which has just been launched in Germany and could also be sold here.

Measuring 3680mm long, the new five-seat hatchback is just 40mm longer than the Barina Spark, and will be initially sold in Europe only with a 55kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoTec engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

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.

Viva/Karl safety features extend to electronic stability/traction control, anti-skid brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, hill start assist and lane departure warning, while available features will include GM's IntelliLink touch-screen infotainment system, a heated steering wheel and front seats, climate-control, a sunroof, fog lights, parking sensors and wheel sizes between 14- and 16-inch.

While the Barina Spark successor is odds-on to continue to be imported here from Korea next year, one model that almost certainly will come to Australia from Opel in Germany (apart from the next Insignia as Holden's new Commodore), is an all-new 'flagship' SUV.

Last week GM CEO Mary Barra announced production of a new SUV at Opel's 'mother plant' in Rüsselsheim by the end of the decade.

"This SUV will be the brand's second flagship alongside the Insignia," Barra said.  "Opel is of high strategic importance for GM. The product offensive with 27 new models and 17 new engines has enjoyed a very successful start. These additional investments will help the brand shine again and further strengthen our position in Europe. They are a clear sign of GM's commitment to Opel, to Germany and to Europe."