General Motors took an Opel/Vauxhall Corsa from Europe, slammed a new front fascia with inspiration from the Vectra lineup, and mounted a bow-tie badge at the front.
And that’s how the Chevrolet Celta was born.

The third generation of the Corsa was a European hit, and GM needed that success exported to other countries. The car made it to the South-American continent and was re-badged as a Chevrolet Celta with a new face and different engines, and the market warmly received it.

Dye to its Vectra-like headlights and grille, the little 5-door Celta looked more serious. The designers included a small and narrow, vertical side window in the C-pillar right behind the rear doors. That was a specific design element for the little GM vehicle in the small-segment. To protect the taillights from scratches and parking bumps, they were installed on the C-pillars.

Inside, the car featured good amenities for its segment, even though the base model didn’t feature power-windows or air-conditioning. The Celta was fitted with a sound system with a CD player, an on-board computer, and four power-windows moving up to the trim level and options list.

The Celta was available with three engine choices with gasoline or flex-fuel system. Its base version provided 60 hp, from a 1.0-liter displacement. For specific markets, GM installed a 1.4-liter engine to cope better with high altitudes.