2015 Opel Corsa revealed

The Opel Corsa has broken cover in the UK wearing Vauxhall badges. It’s a European light car that was previously sold in Australia badged as the Holden Barina between 1994 and 2005 – and could yet return as a Holden.

The new 2015 Corsa features completely new sheet metal, the bold new look spearheaded by sharp new headlights with integrated LEDs and tidy grille work.

Available in three- and five-door body styles, the new Corsa is based on the same front-drive platform as the previous model but now gains electric power steering and new six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.

New engines will power the fifth-generation Corsa, including a three-cylinder turbo-petrol 1.0-litre tiddler, the likes of which most Euro manufacturers are favouring. The economical triple-cylinder unit can be had with 66kW or 85kW, both generating a very healthy 170Nm.

Other petrol engines include an updated version of the 1.4-litre turbo, which is now more fuel efficient, along with naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre engines. There's also an updated 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engine on offer.

The interior of the Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 rival has been given a new look and feel, the drawcard feature being a large seven-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashpad. It can be integrated with iOS and Android smartphone/devices and uses an IntelliLink app system to enable music streaming via 3G/4G.

German car maker Opel has added assistance features such as tyre pressure monitors, hill start assist, lane departure, blind spot warning and even automatic parking systems. There's also a rear-view camera now.

The new model will enter full production later in 2014 says Vauxhall, at which point it will apparently "raise the class benchmark for driveability, comfort and practicality".

The Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio will be firmly in its sights when it launches.

There's a chance the new Corsa could come to Australia in the future, with Holden confirming three high-end Opel models will wear the lion badge in 2015, the Astra GTC and VXR three-door hatchbacks, the Insignia VXR and the all-new Cascada hard-top convertible.

The Opel Corsa was badged a Holden Barina for more than a decade from the mid 1990s, after which the Barina was imported from Korea. But after Opel's failed attempt at starting up in Australia last year, Holden now has the green light to pick and choose Opel models.