13 November 2002: Opel will be joining the coupe-cabriolet class in 2004 with a new roadster based in part on the Corsa (Vauxhall version shown above).

The new car will have an electro-hydraulically operated retractable steel roof, a la the Peugeot 206 CC and the Lexus SC 430.

It will be built by French coachbuilder, Groupe Henri Heuliez SA.

The name and full details will be announced later, but the car is a further indication of GM Europe’s strategy to make its niche car business up to 20 per cent of total production.