Opel introduced the second generation of the Corsa in 1993, and General Motors developed the project as a world car.
The first generation of the Corsa was a hit for the European carmaker Opel, who sold it as Vauxhall Nova in the U.K. For the second generation, the carmaker dropped the Nova nameplate for the British market and used the Corsa. GM thought that this might be a suitable vehicle in more countries and exported the project to Australia, China, South America, and India. It became a global success.
Hideo Kodama designed the car in Russelsheim, Germany, became one of the best examples of bio-design cars in its segment. At the front, there was a mild blend of straight lines and curved corners. Its wrapped-around plastic bumper was black for the lower trim levels and body-colored for the upper ones. The rounded headlights with corner-mounted turn signals were narrower on their inner side. A narrow grille with a horizontal slat sported the Opel badge in the middle. From its sides, the five-door Corsa featured black and flush door handles and door mirrors while a black rubber strip crossed the doors. Despite its small size, the Corsa sported a third window area behind the rear bench.
Inside, the carmaker made room for two adults at the front and three in the back. Although, only for very short distances since there was very limited knee room. On the dashboard, depending on the engine and trim level, the carmaker installed an instrument cluster with four dials for the upper trim levels or just three for the lower ones. Since it was built to fight for the top position in the European sales charts, the Corsa received an air-conditioning unit as an option.
Under the hood, Opel installed a choice of eight engines, both gasoline, and diesel.