• Sporty fun-car
• Electric retractable steel roof and boot lid
• Maximum versatility

Vauxhall has confirmed that it is to name its stylish new two seater sporty coupe roadster the Tigra – the second niche model to bear the name.

The car has its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and goes on sale mid-2004.

The electro-hydraulic retractable steel roof opens and closes automatically at the touch of a button, folding almost vertically into a shaft between the cabin and the boot.

So the new Tigra offers the exciting immediate choice of convertible fresh air or coupe motoring.

Tigra will be available with Vauxhall’s Twinport 1.4 litre 90hp or 1.8 litre 125hp ECOTEC engines. A five-speed manual gearshift is standard.

Vauxhall chairman and managing director Kevin Wale said: "Tigra plays an important role in our model offensive and shows the new direction we have taken with our product portfolio, 20 per cent of which will soon consist of niche models."

Externally, Tigra is a compact, well-proportioned two-seater with eye-catching details. The front features the characteristic Vauxhall family crease in the bonnet, large inlets in the bumper, and 3D ellipsoid headlamps with cylindrical lights.

Attention to detail is evident in the air vents on the front bumpers with integrated side indicators, as well as in the distinctive line of the roof structure. At the rear, large wraparound tail lights and an elegant matt chrome moulding in the bumper round off the dynamic appearance.

The interior features two-tone bucket seats as standard, chrome-ringed instruments and subtle aluminium touches. For example, two aluminium-coloured strips connecting the centre console and transmission tunnel lend a special flair. The aerodynamic profile of the unusually shaped, aluminium roll hoop is another design highlight.

Tigra will be produced in France by the coachbuilder Groupe Henri Heuliez S.A.

The previous Vauxhall Tigra was on sale from 1994 to 2000. Sales in the UK totalled 37,374.