Vauxhall teaser

Teaser shows a svelte two-door four-seater

It's called Cascada, see what they did?

The previous model (ish)

Vauxhall has released teaser pictures of a four-seater convertible. They say it’s mid-sized, but longer than an A5 – that sounds quite big to me. It’s called Cascada, Spanish for waterfall. (Why? Does it leak?)
   Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director, Duncan Aldred, said: “Cascada, along with ADAM and Mokka (other models with strange names), will bring a fresh and exciting dimension to our product line-up for customers.”
   Poor old Vauxhall, it needs something fresh, exciting – and stylish. The brand exudes reps, yawns or oiks in souped-up hot hatches. I wonder how many more Vauxhall VX220s, would have sold if they had been badged as Opel Speedsters.
    In the press release they’ve tried to stop us remembering the previous nasty Cavalier convertible – developed by IAD, stressing that this is the first all inhouse ‘mid-size’ convertible since before World War II. They talk instead about one of the last large, convertible-bodied cars built by Vauxhall, the OE-type 30-98 (another snappy name), which could be specified with the company’s own Velox body (see pic left). The 30-98 was the UK’s first catalogued 100mph car, and a serious competitor for Bentley’s 3-litre models in its day. I’m sure it could give Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a run for its money, too.
   All this strangeness aside, Vauxhall’s Astra droptops have been very successful and this one looks rather swish. I’ll look forward to seeing it – and wish it every success when it goes on sale next year.