And no, despite what you may have heard or read, the Audi TT ain’t the most popular car among hairdressers – or at least not in Britain. According to a new study made available today by UK women's car insurance specialist Diamond, that title goes to…*drums please*…the one and only, MINI One hatchback. In fact, the BMW Group’s MINI brand had two vehicles in the top five positions.

The UK insurance firm came to this conclusion after looking at data from over 18,000 hairdressers in Britain. The company said the MINI One is three and a half times more likely to be driven by someone working as a hairdresser than everyone else.

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With the new sporty looking three-door Astra GTC on its way and the Astra Sedan outlined by its sister models from Buick’s US (2012 Verano) and China (Excelle) divisions, the only body style left to complete the range of Opel’s C-segment model series is the convertible version.

Recently, our spies in Germany caught a glimpse of an Astra-based model, which appears to be the cabriolet variant of the series. While we can’t be 100 percent sure, it is clear that this Astra has a boot while the close ups reveal a more raked rear windshield line than you’d normally expect to see on a four-door family sedan.

To get an idea of what the Astra Convertible might look like, here's our artist’s impression based on the upcoming GTC model. Even though our image of Opel’s VW Golf Cabriolet contender was styled with a soft-top, it has not yet been revealed if the German company will adopt this solution or if it will continue to use the current Astra TwinTop’s retractable metal roof.

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Meet the star of Opel's Paris Motor Show stand and probably one of the best looking concepts of this year's show, the GTC Paris Concept that will spawn next year's three-door Astra model.

Even though the mainstream variants of the production Astra GTC will lose the muscular bumpers, LEDs and tall 21-inch wheels of the design study, it's safe to say that what you see here is more or less what you'll get when the car arrives in Opel and Vauxhall showrooms across Europe in 2011.

For those wanting something closer in looks to the concept, there's good news as the flagship OPC model is expected to keep most of the styling features including the chunky bumpers.

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General Motors' Opel division will reveal a concept version of the upcoming Astra GTC three-door sport hatch at next month's Paris Motor Show. Appropriately named "GTC Paris", the study will give us a taste of the production model that's planned to arrive in European showrooms during the first half of 2011.

The teaser you see pictured above is from the concept model's seats which are laser-etched with the phrase "And the speed was pure beauty" from Richard Bach's novel, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

No other details were provided, but there's a good chance the study may preview the range-topping OPC version fitted with a 240HP+ turbo engine and designed to rival both the VW Golf GTI and Scirocco.

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These latest spy shots show a lightly camouflaged version of the forthcoming Opel Astra Sports Tourer. The station wagon variant will be the second addition to the new Astra family after the five-door hatchback. It will be followed by a three-door hatchback, a coupe convertible and a four-sedan model that will be sold in the States as a Buick - see the scoop here.

Stylistically inspired by the larger Insignia Sports Tourer, the Astra Estate is evidently longer than its hatchback brethren which should translate to a more cavernous and practical boot.

The estate will use the same engine line-up as the five-door hatch, which means a petrol range stretching from a 1.4-liter naturally aspirated four-pot up to a 180 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo, and a comprehensive diesel range that tops out with a 160HP 2.0-liter CDTi.

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If you find the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera and consequently the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids a little too plain and boring for your tastes, then you ought to a look at this handsome conceptual proposal from GM's European arm.

The 4.7-meter long Opel Flextreme GT/E concept with its coupe-like proportions and suicide-style rear doors illustrates how GM's extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into a larger size vehicle with a more emotional design DNA.

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The most enlightening spy photos of the production version of the 2011 Opel Ampera plopped in our inbox today. At first we thought it was just the concept model out testing, but a closer look at the completely undisguised Ampera with the German license plates revealed that this is the actual production model that's due to go on sale in Europe and the UK (as a Vauxhall) in late 2011.

A sister model to the North American Chevrolet Volt, the road-ready Ampera features a few minor styling tweaks and additions over last year's concept model (see pictures here).

At the front-end of the plug-in hybrid, we find a slightly revised front grille, relocated front turning signals, plain black decorative trim on the bumper and the addition of washers on the bonnet.

At the back, the boot lid spoiler has been extended and features a larger third-stop light, while the reflectors on the corners of the bumper have been pushed outwards and the diffuser on the bumper has been redesigned and incorporates center mounted lights.

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A conceptual study that demonstrates how General Motors' extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be utilized in larger and more stylish cars than the Chevy Volt and its European twin, the Opel Ampera, will be the star of the German brand's stand at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

"The Flextreme GT/E concept shows the shape of things to come from Opel," says Frank Weber, Vice President, Corporate and Product Planning. "Bold, expressive and highly efficient, it represents the product strategy we will apply to all our future vehicles, large and small, across all market segments."

Described by Opel as a 'five-door coupe', the 4.7-meter (185-in.) long Flextreme GT/E concept that adopts the new Meriva's rear-hinged rear doors also illustrates a further development of the firm's current design language as seen on the Insignia, Astra and Meriva.

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It's been a while since we last saw a concept model from GM's Opel / Vauxhall brands, but the company is planning a 'green' surprise for this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.

Opel said that the new concept car "couples expressive, beautiful design with German engineering to meet the environmental challenges of tomorrow" and that the study "is proof that size and comfort do not have to be sacrificed for a vehicle to be environmentally efficiency."

Other than that, all we have to go on for now is this teaser image that shows the concept's front grille and incorporates the 'Voltec' logo, meaning that the study makes use of the Volt's plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Earlier this week, Opel / Vauxhall boss Nick Reilly revealed that GM's European unit is planning to launch an extended-range electric vehicle in addition to the Ampera (a.k.a. the European Volt) in the very near future, so the new concept will most likely give us an idea of what the car will be.

The new concept model will be escorted in Geneva by the new Meriva small MPV, the Ampera and the updated Corsa supermini.

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We've seen a lot neat stuff over the years but this is a first. The folks over at Opel's sister company Vauxhall outdid themselves with the creation of a giant snow globe that was made especially for the Vauxhall Ice Skate event that will take place in London on Thursday, January 28.

The one-of-a-kind snow shaker measures five-meters in diameter (16.4 feet) and according to the organizers, it will be filled with some 50 bags of artificial snow for the ice skating disco event.

In addition to the Astra snow globe, Vauxhall plans to bring a Gingerbread car and the so-called, Car-aoke Corsa to the happening.

If you're interested to find out more about the event, head over to the dedicated minisite at www.vauxhalliceskate.co.uk.

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The most fuel-efficient version of the recently launch Astra, which bears the 'ecoFLEX' badge, will hit UK showrooms in April with a starting price of £17,920, the company announced today. Powered by a new 1.3-liter turbo diesel, the Astra ecoFlex returns a combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg UK, which is the equivalent of 4.2 lt/100km or 56.0mpg US, with CO2 emissions of just 109g/km.

To achieve these figures, Opel/Vauxhall's engineers swung an army of mechanical and aero improvements into action.

First of all, the newly developed 1.3 CDTi 95-horsepower diesel engine, which recently made its debut on the 2010 Corsa, features a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and re-programmed engine control settings, while the standard five-speed manual gearbox has received new ratios to optimise economy.

To better airflow around the vehicle, there's a new active aero shutter that opens to allow air past the engine at low vehicle speeds, and then automatically closes at higher speeds to smooth airflow at the front of the car.

Other improvements include re-tuned aerodynamics on the underside of the car, low resistance tires, and to help drivers take advantage of these changes, there's a gear change-up light on the instrument panel.

The new Astra ecoFLEX will be available in S, Exclusiv and SE grades, and for the first time, in a sportier SRi trim also.

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General Motors European subsidiary Opel and its sister brand, Vauxhall, today launched the second generation of the Movano light commercial van. Slightly larger than its predecessor, the new Movano will be available with no less than 29 different body styles to choose from once all variants have come to market.

The range includes panel vans, available in four vehicle lengths and three roof heights, platform, chassis, crew cabs and combi versions while the modular platform, jointly developed with Renault, comes with either front- or rear-wheel drive.

Opel said that the gross vehicle weight range has been increased to up to 4,5t with payloads up to 2.5t while the load length of the cargo area extends up to 4.4 meters (depending on the model) offering a load capacity of up to 17 cubic meters (L4H3 version).

The Movano will be offered with an all-new 2.3-liter four-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel engine available with outputs of 100 hp/285 Nm, 125 hp/310 Nm and 150 hp/350 Nm.

All engines are available to meet both Euro 4 and Euro 5 norms, the latter when specified with a diesel particulate filter, offering a combined fuel economy as low as 7.8 lt/100 km (30.2mpg US or 36.3mpg UK) with CO2 emissions from 203 g/km.

According to the automaker, the new Opel Movano launch begins with panel van versions from spring 2010, with other variants to be added throughout the year.

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A team of tuners, allegedly from Thailand, chose to sacrifice a 1990s Opel Calibra coupe to create this Aston Martin DB9 replica. We don't have any details on the project, but judging by the photos, we gather that it could fool an untrained eye.

While not a popular model for conversions, this isn't the first time we've seen an Opel Calibra being used as a donor car for the creation of a replica.

If you click here, you can check out a Calibra-based Porsche 911 Turbo replica that was up for grabs on eBay a couple of years ago.

Via: Topspeed & Motofilm

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Opel Calibra

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