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Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. , the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Insignia large family car. Initially, the Astra was available in hatchback, saloon, and estate (station wagon; known as the Astra Caravan, later the Sports Tourer) forms. A panel van (sedan delivery; Astravan) and a convertible (Astra Cabrio) also appeared in the early 1990s. These body styles were later followed by a coupé (the Astra GTC) in 2004, and the sporty Astra OPC appeared in 2005. The Twin Top retractable hardtop convertible replaced the soft top convertible in 2006, while the Caravan was renamed to Astra Sports Tourer since 2009. The Astra is branded the Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom. It was rebadged and sold as the Saturn Astra in North Ameri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Retractable Hardtop
A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars. The benefits of improved climate control and security are traded off against increased mechanical complexity, cost, weight and often reduced luggage capacity. A 2006 ''New York Times'' article suggested the retractable hardtop may herald the demise of the textile-roofed convertible, and a 2007 ''Wall Street Journal'' article suggested "more and more convertibles are eschewing soft cloth tops in favor of sophisticated folding metal roofs, making them practical in all climates, year-round." History 1919 Ben P. Ellerbeck conceived a retractable hardtop – a manually operated system on a Hudson coupe that allowed unimpeded use of the rumble seat even with the top down – but never saw production. 1931 Georges Paulin made his idea public by applying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group, a predecessor of Stellantis, from 2017 until 2021. Opel vehicles are sold in the United Kingdom as Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall. Some Opel vehicles were badge engineering, badge-engineered in Australia under the Holden brand until 2020 and in North America and China under the Buick, Saturn Corporation, Saturn, and Cadillac brands. Opel traces its roots to a sewing machine manufacturer founded by Adam Opel in 1862 in Rüsselsheim am Main. The company began manufacturing bicycles in 1886 and produced its first automobile in 1899. With the Opel RAK program, the world's first rocket program, under the leadership of Fritz von Opel, the company played an important role in the history of aviation and spaceflight: Various land speed records were a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermini
The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of total car sales in 2020 according to JATO Dynamics. Definition The European segments are not based on size or weight criteria. In practice, B-segment cars have been described as having a length of approximately from up to , and may vary depending on the body styles, markets, and era. In some cases, the same car may be differently positioned depending on the market. The Euro NCAP vehicle class called "Supermini" also includes smaller A-segment cars alongside B-segment cars. In Britain, the term "supermini" is more widely used for B-segment hatchbacks. The term was developed in the 1970s as an informal categorisation, and by 1977 was used regularly by the British newspaper ''The Times''. By the mid-1980s, it had widespread use in Brita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holden Astra
The Holden Astra is a small car formerly marketed by Holden. The first couple of generations of Astra were made only for Australia, and was a derivative of the locally produced Nissan Pulsar. With the Button car plan coming into effect, it was replaced by the Holden Nova, a rebadged Toyota Corolla. In 1995, Holden commenced selling the TR Astra in New Zealand. The TR was a badge engineered version of the Opel Astra, which had been sold locally as an Opel since 1993. Holden discontinued the Nova line in Australia in favour of Opel's TR. Following its implementation as an Opel, it quickly became successful in its TS (1998) generation, where it came close to becoming Australia's best selling small car. The AH (2004) continued its success, before Holden discontinued Opel-sourced product range, replacing Astra with GM Daewoo's Cruze. On 1 May 2014, Holden announced plans to import the Opel Astra J GTC and Opel Astra J OPC with Holden badges to Australia and New Zealand, and the fol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buick Verano
The Buick Verano (Chinese: 威朗) is a compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM for the GM's Buick brand since 2010. It debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. It is the first compact marketed by Buick in the United States since the 1998 Buick Skylark. ''Verano'' is Spanish for summer. The Verano, the Buick Excelle GT, which was developed for the Chinese market, and the Opel Astra/Vauxhall Astra sedan share General Motors' Delta II platform with the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Orlando, and Opel/Vauxhall Zafira Tourer. In the US, it was manufactured by General Motors from 2012 to 2017. __TOC__ First generation (2011) Jim Federico, Executive Director and Vehicle Chief Engineer for Verano, led the vehicle development team and David Lyon, Buick design director, styled the exterior. The Verano is essentially a North American-market version of the Chinese-market compact Buick Excelle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buick Excelle XT
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. In the North American market, Buick is a premium automobile brand, selling luxury vehicles positioned above GM's mainstream brands, while priced below the flagship luxury Cadillac division. Buick's current target demographic according to ''The Detroit News'' is "a successful executive with family." After securing its market position in the late 1930s, when junior companion brand Marquette and Cadillac junior brand LaSalle were discontinued, Buick was positioned as an upscale luxury car below the Cadillac. During this same time period, many manufacturers were introducing V8 engines in their high ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past participle of ''couper'', "cut". __TOC__ Etymology and pronunciation () is based on the past participle of the French verb ("to cut") and thus indicates a car which has been "cut" or made shorter than standard. It was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. These or ("clipped carriages") were eventually clipped to .. There are two common pronunciations in English: * () – the anglicized version of the French pronunciation of ''coupé''. * () – as a spelling pronunciation when the word is written without an accent. This is the usual pronunciation and spelling in the United States, with the pronunciation entering American vernacular no later than 1936 and featuring in the Beach Boys' hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving experience, with the ability to provide a roof when required. A potential drawback of convertibles is their reduced structural rigidity (requiring significant engineering and modification to counteract the effects of removing a car's roof). The majority of convertible roofs are of a folding construction framework with the actual top made from cloth or other fabric. Other types of convertible roofs include retractable hardtops (often constructed from metal or plastic) and detachable hardtops (where a metal or plastic roof is manually removed and often stored in the trunk). Terminology Other terms for convertibles include cabriolet, cabrio, drop top, drophead coupé, open two-seater, open top, rag top, soft top, spider, and spyder. Consistenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedan Delivery
A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. Panel vans are smaller than panel trucks or cargo vans, both of which use body-on-frame truck chassis. As they are derived from passenger cars, the development of panel vans is typically closely linked with the passenger car models upon which they depend. North American panel vans were initially based upon the two-door station wagon models, while Europe's narrower roads dictated that panel vans utilize the smaller donor chassis of subcompact cars in that market. In Australia, panel vans were a development of the ute, a small pickup truck based on a passenger car chassis, e.g. Holden Ute, often using the longer wheelbase of a station wagon chassis. Origins Panel vans were a well-established body type by the end of the 1920s. Panel va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panel Van
A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. Panel vans are smaller than panel trucks or cargo vans, both of which use body-on-frame truck chassis. As they are derived from passenger cars, the development of panel vans is typically closely linked with the passenger car models upon which they depend. North American panel vans were initially based upon the two-door station wagon models, while Europe's narrower roads dictated that panel vans utilize the smaller donor chassis of subcompact cars in that market. In Australia, panel vans were a development of the ute, a small pickup truck based on a passenger car chassis, e.g. Holden Ute, often using the longer wheelbase of a station wagon chassis. Origins Panel vans were a well-established body type by the end of the 1920s. Panel v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Station Wagon
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door (the liftgate or tailgate), instead of a trunk/boot lid. The body style transforms a standard three-box design into a two-box design — to include an A, B, and C-pillar, as well as a D-pillar. Station wagons can flexibly reconfigure their interior volume via fold-down rear seats to prioritize either passenger or cargo volume. The ''American Heritage Dictionary'' defines a station wagon as "an automobile with one or more rows of folding or removable seats behind the driver and no luggage compartment but an area behind the seats into which suitcases, parcels, etc., can be loaded through a tailgate." When a model range includes multiple body styles, such as sedan, hatchback, and station wagon, the models typically share their platform, d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedan (automobile)
A sedan or saloon (British English) is a automobile, passenger car in a three-box styling, three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 1912. The name derives from the 17th-century Litter (vehicle), litter known as a sedan chair, a one-person enclosed box with windows and carried by porters. Variations of the sedan style include the close-coupled sedan, club sedan, convertible sedan, fastback sedan, hardtop sedan, notchback sedan, and sedanet/sedanette. Definition A sedan () is a car with a closed body (i.e. a fixed metal roof) with the engine, passengers, and cargo in separate compartments. This broad definition does not differentiate sedans from various other car body styles, but in practice, the typical characteristics of sedans are: * a Pillar (car), B-pillar (between the front and rear windows) that supports the roof * two rows of seats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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