Opel’s new SUV is sexy and not only electric, but it will be hard to find customers

We have to accept that the German car company has finally backed away from its idea of ​​offering only electric cars within a few years, all the news today would have to be just that. Still, the new Grandland doesn’t look like a hit.

In the first three months of this year, Opel sold 889 new cars here. Compared to the same period last year, the German carmaker thus improved by an impressive 20 percent. The lion’s share of the growth was the Crossland model, which has 408 registrations. Looking at the price, which currently starts at CZK 459,990, this is not surprising, but the competing Škoda Kamiq is more expensive, and you can count on 95 or 115 horses for it in the case of a three-cylinder engine. Crossland, on the other hand, has a one-two with 130 horses.

Just like the Czech SUV, the German one is currently no longer available with diesel, as a result, only 2 units of the “soot producer” participate in the above-mentioned registrations. After all, Opel generally left this drive behind, so only 84 cars sold were equipped with it this year. Twenty-one are betting on hybrid technology and twenty-eight on pure electromobility. It is interesting that 18 of this portion are Combo-e, i.e. electric vans. Otherwise, however, there is practically no interest in an alternative drive at Opel.

Nevertheless, the German automaker planned to introduce only electric cars from 2025 and to offer nothing else until 2028. Considering the decline in enthusiasm in most European markets, this probably won’t work, and the new Grandland is proof of that. So it is electric, it stands on the STLA Medium platform, which includes an electric drive, but it is not just an electric car after all. In the case of this variant, there will be a choice of batteries with a capacity of 73 and 98 kWh, but in addition, there will also be two primary combustion variants on offer. On the one hand, it will be a mild-hybrid combining the 1.2-liter three-cylinder mentioned in the introduction and a 48-volt electric circuit, and on the other hand, it will be a plug-in hybrid. However, it is questionable whether these versions will do anything at all. Compared to the current generation, the new generation has grown by 173 millimeters in length, 19 mm in height and 64 mm in height. In other words, here we have a 4,650 mm long, 1,660 mm high and 1,905 mm wide SUV with a wheelbase of 2,784 mm.

These changes have resulted in a more spacious trunk, which will hold 36 liters more, as well as more space in the cabin, for example, rear passengers can count on 20 extra millimeters for legroom. However, it is also apparent that this shift will also affect weight gain. At that moment, however, the basic one-two may no longer be enough, despite the (objectively speaking quite negligible) mild-hybrid doping. The plug-in hybrid version remains a chance, however, this year only appealed to 3 people in the current version.

The price list will easily reveal why this is so. While the basic version with a pure gasoline one-two can be had from 639,990 CZK, for the plug-in hybrid you have to pay 300 thousand crowns more. At the same time, you already have three quarters of the basic Opel Corsa. So it is no wonder that customers are not flocking in this direction. Which is why we have to ask what they will do with the new generation, if they have a choice between a rather suffocating one-two, or an expensive plug-in hybrid and an even more expensive electric car.

It probably doesn’t take a graduate degree to figure out the answer. So it wouldn’t be surprising if the new Grandland just accelerated the change in the brand’s original plans. This is because the SUV not only moved up in terms of dimensions, but also in terms of equipment. Inside, Opel wants to compete more with premium car companies, and the dashboard includes a 16-inch multimedia screen and seats with heating, ventilation or massage functions.

All of this will logically lead to a further increase in the base price, Grandland will slowly become a car for the chosen ones. However, Rolls-Royce, for example, can survive with such a strategy, whose profit on one car sold can easily reach millions of crowns. This is a very problematic approach for mainstream brands. So we will see what will happen in the next two years mainly in the political field and where Europe will go, for Opel today the parent Stellantis is said to be ready for anything.

The second generation Grandland looks really attractive. However, with the already rather insufficient one-two, he will start somewhere around 800 thousand crowns. It will thus be difficult to find customers, especially if it will be significantly more expensive as a plug-in hybrid or electric car. Photo: Opel

Sources: Opel, SDA

Petr Prokopec

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