Known as the Vauxhall Viva in the UK, the Opel Karl, named after the eldest son of Opel founder Adam Opel, lasted from 2015 to 2019 as the brand's entry-level model below the Corsa. Image: Opel
Ahead of parent company Stellantis’ roll-out of its dedicated electric STLA platforms next year, Opel has indicated it will be introducing a small EV below Corsa in the run-up to becoming wholly electric in 2028.
The effective replacement for both the discontinued Adam boutique hatch and the entry-level Karl, known as the Vauxhall Viva in the United Kingdom, the newcomer is expected to rival not only the incoming revived Renault 5, but also the Volkswagen ID.1 Wolfsburg will debut as the successor for the now obsolete up! in 2027.
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Admitting that a viable, cheap EV below the Corsa could happen, Rüsselsheim’s CEO, Florian Huettl, hinted it is aiming for a starting price of €25 000 (R490 287), exactly €8 000 (R156 892) more than the projected starting price of the ID.1.
Despite declining to go in more details, Huettl’s announcement about the new small Opel to Britain’s Autocar comes weeks after sister brand Citroën’s debut of the new C3 as all-electric ë-C3 spun-off of the developing market CC21 version that went on-sale in South Africa in May.
Accordingly, the publication claims Opel could look to the adapted e-CMP platform, known as the Smart Car architecture that underpins the ë-C3, instead of waiting until 2026 for the introduction of the STLA Small platform should time be of the essence.
Indeed, Citroën boss, Thierry Koskas, hinted that this could become apparent across the various Stellantis brands, before stopping short of branding it a stop gap in preparation for the STLA Small’s arrival.
“The Smart Car platform is supposed to go in the future in other vehicles from Citroën, maybe from other brands,” Autocar quoted him as saying.
“This is a platform that will receive different vehicles because it’s a very promising platform where we can do a lot of things – and not only, by the way, B-segment hatch cars.”
For now, a timeframe till the new model’s introduction remains unknown, however, expectations are that it could happen before 2028 should the Small Car platform be opted for above the STLA Small.
Either way, don’t expect the still unnamed EV to find its way to South Africa once production eventually commences.
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