Category Archives: Opel

Volkswagen ID.3 electric car (Image: Volkswagen.com)

IAA 2019 — Thoughts On The Future Of German Compact Family Cars

The 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, IAA (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung), was a strange and different experience compared to the last time I was there.

The road trip in itself was a +1000 mile long and very satisfying experience in my Tesla Model 3, which I will dedicate another post to cover. In the following article, though, I will try to put into words the puzzling buzz of change in the realm of passenger cars from a consumer perspective.

Quick IAA 2017 Recap

I wrote about my trip to the IAA in 2017 on EVObsession, and apart from apologizing deeply that I drove in my son’s knackered 1994 VW Golf, because it would have been a nightmare to drive my own 1st-gen BMW i3 with what would have been around 30 charging stops in total, I also had this thought on the long drive home:

“When the German brands start offering a wide range of fully electric models, that are comparable to the current fossil fuel models, German EV sales will explode. The question is, will the German auto industry make the transition fast enough, and will they be able to keep up with demand? These heavyweight companies probably think they have a loyal customer base, but what if these people get tired of waiting and begin ordering Teslas? Or even Chinese models? The clock is ticking.”

Well, German auto giant Volkswagen Group may just make it in the nick of time, because what I think I saw at IAA 2019 was a whole lot of people ready to spend money on electric cars!

Pending Avalanche In The Electric Compact Segment

How was IAA 2019 different from 2017? When I entered the large exhibition hall housing VW, Porsche, Audi, Seat, and Skoda, it was very clear something had changed. I mean, there was an actual waiting line to enter the hall! And inside it was mayhem. This was Saturday, midday, and it seemed every German family, their kids included, was in that hall. Kids? Sure, it’s not unusual to see an occasional parent bring a child that has an interest in cars, but this was like Disneyland!

Slowly it dawned on me what was going on. The VW brand occupied half the hall, with all the I.D. vehicles center stage, which in itself was grand and sparkly, but not so many people were pushing to get to see the models on stage. No, because VW had cleverly placed several ID.3s all over the place and this is where the pushing and shoving was taking place, mostly by kids!

Volkswagen ID.3 electric car (Image: Volkswagen.com)
Volkswagen ID.3 electric car (Image: Volkswagen.com)

I recently had my Tesla Model 3 at a local town fair, and about 30 kids where crawling inside and out of my car, playing video games on the center screen and looking for buttons to push, all the while shouting at their father: “Buy one dad!” Father was glancing at mother, who was whistling through her teeth: “No!” (Because nobody has realized the Model 3 is considerably cheaper than the Model S). But here these ID.3s were filled with kids crawling all over and pushing all the buttons (yes, it has more buttons than the Model 3), and parents where nodding at each other and clearly thinking: “Yes, this could work!”

It was like the ketchup effect, propelled by the neighborhood effect. The last time I was here, I heard people who where looking at the prototype EVs and going: “Yeah, maybe it’s the future, but hey look, the new VW T-Roc is cool!” As if it would be embarrassing to even suggest the next family car could be electric. This time around everybody was fondling and probing the affordable compact electric vehicles, hardly noticing their internal combustion ancestors glooming in the corners.

Read more: Clean Technica

Opel Corsa-e Electric Car (Image: Opel.com)

Opel looks to fix rough EV past with Corsa-e

Opel aims to deliver a small, punchy and affordable electric car when it launches a full-electric version of its popular small hatchback in November.

The Corsa-e is the brand’s first battery-powered vehicle developed since becoming part of the PSA Group two years ago.

Under previous owner General Motors, Opel was an early proponent of electromobility with the Ampera plug-in hybrid, which debuted in 2011, and the full-electric Ampera-e, with its 423-km WLTP-certified range, that arrived six years later. Both Ampera models flopped, however, partly because of their high starting prices.

Opel Corsa-e Electric Car (Image: Opel.com)
Opel Corsa-e Electric Car (Image: Opel.com)

Opel wants to be more competitive this time with a lower cost of entry — 29,900 euros — along with offering numerous related services including charging. The starting price is still more than twice that of the entry gasoline version of the Corsa, which will cost 13,990 euros.

“The know-how we have collected [from launching the Amperas] is a tremendous help now that the whole automotive industry is entering the era of mass electrification due to the CO2 targets set by the European Union,”

CEO Michael Lohscheller said at the debut of the Corsa-e this summer.

Read more: Autonews

Opel Corsa-e Rally Car (Image: Opel)

See the world’s first fully electric rally car: the Corsa-e

  • German automaker Opel is releasing what it claims is the world’s first all-electric rally car.
  • It’s a modified version of the Europe-only Opel Corsa-e, which itself is the electric version of the Corsa.
  • The Corsa-e is part of Opel’s plan to electrifying every model they offer by 2024.

German car manufacturer Opel has made what it claims is the world’s first all-electric rally car, which is based on the carmaker’s first electric vehicle.

The Corsa-e is the first time the automaker is offering a battery-electric version of the Corsa, one of its most popular models.

Opel Corsa-e Rally Car (Image: Opel)
Opel Corsa-e Rally Car (Image: Opel)

“It is no coincidence that our first pure electric model of the new generation is a Corsa, our most popular nameplate and one of the best-selling cars in Europe”, Michael Lohscheller told journalists at a press conference earlier this year in Rüsselsheim, Germany announcing the company’s electrification strategy.

“The Corsa-e not only makes electric mobility more practical and convenient but also more accessible.”

The rally car version features a lightweight body, integrated roll-cage, and underbody protection for the engine and transmission. There’s also an electric fire extinguisher, quick releases for the hood and hatchback, and regenerative braking capabilities to increase safety.

Read more: Business Insider