General Motors Europe president Nick Reilly has confirmed several new models for the group’s joint Opel and Vauxhall division, including a new small city car. Reilly recently told Autonews that the so-called “Junior” Opel will be positioned as a premium model targeting “people who care about the status of their car, what it can do, what features and telematics it has”.

Reilly says his previous experience as the CEO of GM Daewoo in Korea has been helpful in developing the small Opel: “We learned quite a lot in Korea, where they actually make money in small cars”. His intention is to make the “Junior” a profitable project for Opel.

The new model will be more upmarket than Opel’s current offering in the city car segment, the Agila: “We’re not interested in putting a small car out just to grow market share” states Reilly. “The new car will have a premium price for its segment”.

The GM boss also revealed that the “Junior” will be unveiled in the fall of 2012, at the Paris Motor Show, or “maybe even earlier”. It will likely borrow elements from the 2004 Trixx concept, updated to incorporate the company’s new design identity.

But the “Junior” isn’t the only car currently under development at GM’s European division. Opel also plans to enter the very competitive, and continuously expanding, small SUV market in 2012 with a Nissan Juke-rivaling crossover.

It will be based on the Corsa platform offering buyers a choice of 2WD and 4WD versions and a variety of engines including Opel’s 1.4 and 1.6-liter turbocharged units.

Last, but not least, Opel’s plans include a coupe and cabriolet model. Based on a stretched version of the Astra’s platform, Reilly said that the two cars may revive the Calibra name and will feature Opel’s new turbocharged engines including the 250HP 2.0-liter unit powering the facelifted Insignia.

Reilly describes the new coupe as very good looking: “We’ve let our designers off the leash. It looks pretty good –it’s not a chopped-off sedan”. Furthermore, a Vauxhall insider told the new site that the new Calibra “looks a lot like a BMW 6-Series”.

Story sources: Automotive News

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