SPY PICS: Opel prepares its hot hatch challenger

General Motors’ German division Opel is putting the finishing touches on its next hot hatch challenger – and it could be coming to Australia as a halo model for the brand, due to set up shop this time next year.

“If and when it becomes available, we would absolutely look at it for the Australian market,” said Opel Australia spokeswoman Emily Perry. “Aussies love performance cars and hot hatches and it’s something we think would fit well within our portfolio.”

Spy photos of camouflaged versions of the high performance Opel Astra GTC coupe have begun appearing on the web. Motoring.com.au even got up-close and personal with one in Frankfurt last week, although admittedly we were parked outside one of Opel’s test facilities at the time.

The new OPC (Opel Performance Center) version of the as yet unreleased GTC coupe is expected to be a hardcore, thoroughbred hot hatch.

It is said to have at least as much power and torque to match the Renault Megane RS250 – 180kW and 340Nm – which is currently the king of the hot hatch world and the fastest front-drive production car to lap the German Nurburgring.

According to senior sources at Opel, the GTC OPC will likely adopt a superior, mechanical limited-slip differential (as opposed to using electronics to control front-wheel spin).

The class benchmark, the Renault Megane RS250, also has a mechanical diff but the Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf GTI have open diffs and rely on electronics to tame their beasts.

The Opel Astra GTC OPC is also likely to stick with a conventional six-speed manual initially (as is the case with the Renault RS250 and Ford Focus ST).

An automated, twin-clutch gearbox (similar to what is available as an option on the Volkswagen Golf GTI) is not yet under development, says Opel.

The previous generation Astra OPC was sold in Australia in limited numbers for $44,990 between September 2006 and March 2009 wearing HSV VXR badges.

With 176kW and 320Nm from its 2.0 turbo engine, it was generally well received but criticised for not being able to get all its power to the ground effectively as it lacked a limited-slip differential.

The new model’s mechanical limited-slip differential and more modern chassis will likely address those concerns.

While we wait for Opel to decide if the GTC OPC is coming to Australia, here’s the trio of 2.0-litre turbo tearaways it will be up against:

Volkswagen Golf GTI: 155kW and 280Nm (on sale)
Ford Focus ST: 180kW and 360Nm (coming to Australia in 2012)
Renault Megane RS250: 184kW and 340Nm (on sale)