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Opel wants to say goodbye to the world of combustion engines in six years – at least in Europe. The Astra will get its electric drive at the end of 2023, and an electric Manta is in development.
Not quite as fast as Blitz, but still faster than most other volume manufacturers: Opel has imposed a tight timetable for phasing out combustion engines. "The brand is going electric with all consistency - and in record time," announced the recently retired boss Uwe Hochschurtz. As early as 2024, customers should be able to choose at least one electrified model from each series. Only four years later, the Rüsselsheim brand wants to offer every newly launched model - at least this should apply to Europe - only as a full-electric vehicle. An extremely ambitious goal, no doubt. The rapid electrification should help, among other things, to open up new customer groups who have not previously dealt with the brand from Rüsselsheim.
It may take a while
In the Stellantis Group, however, Opel is not in pole position with its advance strategy. The premium sister DS has already given 2025 as the exit date. In any case, there will be a short breather before Opel continues purely electrically. The Astra is not to receive its battery-electric drive until the end of 2023. Here you can access the shelf at low cost. The package should be identical to that used by Peugeot for its e-308, meaning: 54 kWh battery capacity, 114 kW/155 hp. A range of almost 400 kilometers is expected. The platform will of course remain. Like the combustion engines and the plug-in hybrid version, the electric Astra uses the EMP2 multi-energy architecture.
Opel has also announced that it will also offer the Astra Sports Tourer as a battery car. With an electric station wagon, the people from Rüsselsheim would be (almost) on their own. VW has nothing in the pipeline in this segment so far, the ID.6 Variant is positioned one class higher and will not be available until 2024. The only competitor at the moment is the Chinese brand MG with the MG5 Electric.
No strong Astra
Opel is targeting customers with sporting ambitions with another Astra derivative. The plug-in variant, currently on the road with a system output of 180 hp, will be joined by a more powerful version with 225 hp. The 300 hp all-wheel drive hybrid package in the Grandland will not be available for the Astra.
In terms of the life cycle, the renewal of the Crossland and Grandland models is scheduled for 2024. Things are shifting back a bit with the Grandland, whose most recent facelift only starts this spring. This means that the new generation of the largest Opel SUV will probably not be available at dealerships until 2025 – only fully electric, of course. The STLA medium platform forms the technical basis.
Burners are no longer worth it
Anyone who thought that the Mokka and Crossland were too close together in terms of size (eight centimetres) and that Opel would therefore throw the Crossland out of the portfolio in the next generation would be wrong. Both models remain, both address a different target group and Opel has done well with this diversification in the lower segments so far. The Crossland is also likely to say goodbye to combustion engines, since it makes little economic sense for half the life cycle (until 2028) to continue to drive on two tracks here. The Crossland will use the further developed eCMP architecture (2nd generation), since Stellantis only calls the year 2026 for the debut of the STLA small platform. The sales figures for the Corsa and Mokka show how open-minded customers are to electric drives. The e-quota is between 20 and 25 percent.
Vauxhall Monza?
Literally big things are happening at Opel in 2024. The current flagship Insignia is facing the end of production and will be replaced by an all-electric coupé sedan. The name Monza was often to be read. Opel had such a vehicle in its portfolio between 1978 and 1986. The STLA Large platform forms the technical basis for the Monza-e. It should enable a range of up to 800 kilometers.
In 2025, the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker will launch its most emotional electric car, the Manta. Opel is still completely reticent about the details of the car. Some speculate on a retro look, some on a futuristic, others on a clear and sporty design. In any case, the Manta should definitely polish Opel's image.