The birth of the Stellantis group led to a repositioning of the brand Opel. Word of James Taylor, number one of the British division of the German brand, who admitted that he had no doubts about it: “We believe we can be a step above the purely mainstream brands, not abandoning our volume customer base but offering them a particular kind of personality and quality. We are already on that road”. So what changes for the individual models that Opel offers on the market?
The analysis by the CEO of Opel UK started from Racecurrently being updated. “Clearly the important thing is to adopt our new front end, just as you see it on the Mokka and Astra – his words collected by Autocar – When Opel became part of PSA, and later Stellantis, we had already frozen the design of the Corsa. Do not misunderstand me: we are proud of what we have done, and the market supported us. But the new corporate Vizor makes the car feel very new and different. We have also improved the interior. The idea is to ‘detoxify’ it, to make it easier”.
The continuing success of the Corsa allows Opel to concentrate its efforts on the segment of sedans, although the latter is increasingly at risk given the boom in SUVs. Again, however, Taylor tends to stay grounded: “There will be changes, but that doesn’t mean everything has to be high. A lot will depend on where technology takes us. The cars will generally be taller, and the batteries will be installed below. But aerodynamics will also be important and the lower cars have an advantage in that.” It is inevitable that with the advent of electrification, car layouts become mechanical more flexibleopening up great possibilities for the companies themselves: “The opportunities are great: shorter overhangs, more flexibility, even changes to the positioning of the vehicle’s occupants. We’re looking beyond 2028 right now and the opportunities are great. But it’s still a matter of designing cars that people like.”
Setting long-term goals is therefore right according to Taylor, but without exaggerating given that the pace of change could to surprise at any moment. “They will continue to be sold, but they will change – concluded the CEO of Opel UK talking about the hot hatch – Our GS-e line will appear soon allowing us to show our point of view. We are talking about cars that will guarantee excellent performance, but will not be explosive. Driving pleasure must and will survive. We will focus on that, as well as responsiveness, agility and other aspects like that.”
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