Opel saves the endangered Tigra

Opel has confirmed that its two-seater Astra-derived coupé cabriolet will take the Tigra name when it arrives here in the autumn.

Opel Tigras were last sold in Ireland in 2000. The new car, which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, features an electro-hydraulic, retractable steel roof which opens and closes automatically and will will be produced in France by the coachbuilder Groupe Henri Heuliez. The new Tigra will be come with a choice of two petrol engines; a 90 bhp 1.4-litre or 1.8-litre 125 bhp.

From the front, it carries the characteristics of the new Astra coupé range and with the roof down begins to resemble the popular Peugeot 206CC, which greatly developed the market in hard-topped coupés.

This solid-roofed convertible niche is proving particularly successful on the continent. According to John Maher, managing director of Opel Ireland, the new Tigra "shows the new direction we've taken with our product portfolio - 20 per cent of it will soon consist of niche models."

It's the latest derivative of the Astra, which has yet to launch and its arrival cannot come soon enough for the German marque, which announced an operating loss of €384 million for 2003. It placed some of the blame on currency effects and discounts. It has implemented a turnaround plan over the past three years aimed at returning to profit.

The aim is a small operating profit in 2004 as cost cuts take effect and the new Astra arrives, going head-to-head with Volkswagen's Golf.

Opel, which has suffered from a staid product range in a declining market in recent years, is pinning a good deal of its recovery hopes on the Astra range.

It has said it plans to roll out about 300,000 units this year. Opel is not the only car-maker in Europe struggling to improve earnings. VW expects operating profit to have more than halved in 2003 and Ford Europe was hit by deep losses.