Opel relaunches in New Zealand with a line of EVs
It’s not every day that a ‘new’ brand launches here. For Opel, it’s more of a return. From the time they were here until the mid-90s when Holden took over and rebadged their products, different people have different memories of Opel.
So to 2022; DriveLife got the news that a new brand was launching here. That’s pretty brave when you consider that Holden shut its doors, and we seem to be overloaded with both manufacturer and model choices, for a country that’s only as populated as an average American city.
In Germany, the Astra outsold Polo as the #1 small vehicle, and it’s the #1 selling small car in the UK. Those are some big credentials that Auto Distributors NZ (ADNZ) are happy to cash in on. While Opel in the UK has a range of petrol and EV vans, for New Zealand ADNZ is focusing only on EV vans at the moment. In Europe, Opel has a working hydrogen variant of the van.
Stellantis is the owner of Opel, and is a company formed in 2021 by the merge of PSA and FCA to become the 4th largest car manufacturer in the world. As a group of brands, they are targeting carbon net emissions by 2038, with a 50% reduction on 2021 figures, by 2030. To help this along, they are investing an incredible 30 billion euro in EV technology, and are targeting 100% EV sales in Europe and 50% in the USA by 2030. Their target is to sell 5 million EVs by 2030.
Here in New Zealand, it will be ADNZ to distribute the product. ADNZ are no stranger to this, as they currently distribute Citroen and Peugeot vehicles around the country.
To the questions, is New Zealand ready for yet another car brand? ADNZ believes so, with high importance placed on 3 different purchasing options (“accessible pricing”), Clean Car Rebates, and their target market of young and hip people who want an EV but can’t quite stretch to it financially. With 28% of new cars financed here, they want a piece of that pie. The young and hip market message was rammed home by a video that had a tag line, “less normal more mocca”
The three purchasing options are:
- own
- e-own
- e-lease (80% in the UK use this lease model)
With low or no emission vehicles across their New Zealand range, that does mean that every Opel sold here will get at least a rebate of $1,510, up to the max $8,625.
MODELS
The main drive behind Opel in New Zealand is their claim that every one of the models they sell will be available electrified in some way. That’s a far cry from what we have available here at the moment.
We’ll get 4 models:
- The Corsa (small hatchback)
- The all-new Astra (medium hatchback)
- The Mokka (small SUV)
- The Grandland (medium SUV)
All of them come with either a plug-in electric (PHEV) option, and most will be available as a full EV straight off. The PHEV models have an electric-only range varying from 59-62km.
Initially, the Grandland will have a 225hp ICE motor, with a 300hp motor available later. EV battery capacity in EV-only models is listed at 50kW.
POSITION AND PRICE
Well, no pricing is available just yet, but there will be 6 dealerships around the country this year, increasing to 11 in 2023. There’s been strong investment from the Armstrong Group (who own ADNZ).
The first wave of production for New Zealand cars is underway, with the first customer deliveries in the second half of this year. The first models to arrive will be the Mokka and Corsa, in the third quarter will be the Grandland, with the Astra coming at the end of the year.
How will Opel do on its return to New Zealand? I think all bets are off until we can get pricing, warranty information and more importantly – get behind the wheel and see how these cars compare.
