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Could Opel Become an All-Electric Brand?
General Motors Co.’s Opel unit has been working for months on a plan to turn itself into an electric car-only operation by 2030, sources tell Manager Magazin.
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General Motors Co.’s Opel unit has been working for months on a plan to turn itself into an electric car-only operation by 2030, sources tell Manager Magazin.
The German business magazine says GM’s board was to review the plan in May. The fate of the scheme is now unclear as GM confirms it may sell Opel to PSA Group. Opel has declined to comment, Automotive News Europe reports.
Plans to transform Opel have been led by CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann. Manager says the idea was prompted by concerns that Opel lacks the funds to develop electric and more efficient piston powertrains simultaneously. Like other carmakers, Opel will need a hefty percentage of zero-emission vehicles to meet future European fuel economy and pollution standards.
Manager says Opel’s electrification strategy would migrate the company’s vehicle lineup primarily to the platform that carries the soon-to-be-introduced Ampera-e (pictured), a variant of GM’s Bolt electric sedan. During the 13-year transition, Opel would continue to produce conventionally powered cars as a largely separate “old” Opel operation.
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