Opel Loading 1.0 Three-Cylinder Engine Into Adam City Car

Opel may not have had the means to compete in Australia's ultra-competitive market, but the GM brand isn't slowing down in its home market. 

This week, the German carmaker has confirmed the addition of a new 85kW 1.0 litre three-cylinder turbo engine to its perky little Adam hatch.

Debuting as one of three small SIDI engines - joining new 1.4 and 1.6 turbo engines - the 1.0 litre engine promises gains in both power and fuel efficiency. 

Opel says the smallest SIDI engine delivers the same output as its 1.6 litre engine, but its max torque of 166Nm at 1800rpm is nearly 30 percent higher. 

Matched to Opel's light new six-speed manual transmission, the new engine also promises a 20 percent improvement in fuel consumption when compared to the naturally-aspirated 1.6 litre engine. 

“In developing this small engine, we not only set out to minimize fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, we also wanted to demonstrate that three cylinders can be just as refined as four or more,” Opel engineering boss Matthias Alt said.

The debut of the 1.0 litre engine follows the news in May this year of a 1.6 petrol turbo engine for the larger Astra hatch. 

The upgraded Astra 1.6 turbo made its Australian debut in June, but with the company now winding down its local operations, it is unclear how many of the updated models were sold. 

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