Vauxhall is opening the next chapter of its electrification offensive and the British brand will focus entirely on full battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from 2028. At the Stellantis EV Day 2021, held this week, it was announced that a new all-electric car will be introduced mid-decade.
The zero-emissions car will be a modern-day version of the popular Opel Manta. This follows on from the positive public reception to the Manta GSe ElektroMOD restomod concept.
Paul Willcox, Vauxhall Motors managing director, said: “As of 2028, Vauxhall will only offer fully electric cars and vans in the UK. The future of the automotive industry is electric.
“Vauxhall will lead that in this country. We are on a journey to reinvent Vauxhall and heading towards a net-zero CO2 future. CO2 is the new currency in our industry.”
Currently, Vauxhall offers nine electric or electrified cars and vans with the Corsa-e, Mokka-e, Grandland PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid), Combo-e, Combo-e Life, Vivaro-e, Vivaro-e Life and Movano-e.
In the first six months of this year, Corsa-e was the bestselling battery-electric supermini and Vauxhall itself is the UK’s number one electric van manufacturer. The future for Vauxhall is looking strong and it’s good to see them continuing with the electrification of their range in a big way.
With the introduction of the all-electric Combo-e and Movano-e light commercial vehicles (LCVs), Vauxhall will offer fully electric vans across its range by the end of 2021. Including the car range, the entire Vauxhall portfolio will offer electrified versions by 2024 and then move to fully electric in 2028.
This move to being all-electric follows the announcement earlier this week that the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire will become the first Stellantis plant to produce solely electric vehicles. The Combo-e LCV and passenger version (together with their partner vehicles) will go into production at the historic site at the end of next year.