What's this?
Opel’s biggest-selling model, the Corsa, emerging into its fifth generation with the usual range of petrol and diesel engines… but also a pure-electric model called the Corsa-e. Indeed, if the EV Corsa takes off with customers, it may spell the end of diesel power for this evergreen supermini.
What will its rivals be?
The most obvious one will be the car with which the Corsa-e shares so much, the Peugeot e-208, as both have been developed under their shared PSA ownership. But the Opel will also have to overcome strong sellers like the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, while Volkswagen’s recent ID programme – which will kick off with the Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback – will undoubtedly sprout an ID.2 competitor for the Corsa-e before too long.
Any tech info?
The platform that the Opel Corsa-e – and the Peugeot e-208 – uses is called CMP, which has been designed to allow it to accommodate a large lithium-ion battery. Despite this, the Corsa-e should be more practical than its conventional forebears, as it has a 28mm-longer wheelbase and a bigger, 309-litre boot. Opel says the Corsa-e will be fitted with a 100kW (136hp) electric motor that also generates 260Nm of instant torque, resulting in 0-50km/h in 2.8 seconds and 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds. Inside, infotainment is presented on a 10-inch touchscreen.
What will the range be like?
The Corsa-e will have a 50kWh lithium-ion battery pack, allowing it a range of 330km, a figure that has been ratified on the WLTP test cycle. Better still, Opel will fit the Corsa-e with a fast-charging connection, so that it can take in 80 per cent of the battery’s state of charge in around half an hour.
Expectations?
Sizeable, given this is one of the first all-new products to come out of Opel since its purchase by the French PSA conglomerate. Early drives in conventionally powered Corsa ‘F’ models suggest it’s a decent little supermini, although it doesn’t look as striking as its Gallic cousin, the all-new 208. Nevertheless, if buyers take to the Corsa-e’s zero-emissions nature then this could be a big success for the German company going forward.
Carzone - 12-Sep-2019