Opel, Stellantis’ German unit, has been spotted testing a prototype for its next Crossland subcompact crossover, which will be offered with the choice of gas or electric power.
The prototype is for the electric version that will likely be called the Crossland Electric, mirroring the strategy Opel uses for other models that offer both gas and electric powertrains.
The current Crossland has been on sale since 2017 and together with the Grandland compact crossover represents a design used prior to 2021’s merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis. The redesigned Crossland is due in 2024 and is expected to be joined that year by a redesigned Grandland.
Opel also has the Mokka in the subcompact crossover segment, but the redesigned Crossland, like its predecessor, will likely be slightly bigger. Judging by the prototype, it also has a boxier shape compared to the Mokka, which should result in more cargo space.
The prototype is heavily camouflaged, but some details, such as the horizontal daytime running lights integrated with the headlights, were previewed on Opel’s Experimental concept unveiled earlier this month at the 2023 Munich auto show.
The platform is likely the same CMP (also known as EMP1) design used across multiple subcompact cars from Stellantis, including the Mokka and Opel’s Corsa hatch. It also features in the Jeep Avenger sold overseas, a subcompact crossover whose EV option packs a 54-kwh battery and a single motor rated at 156 hp. The same setup is used in the related Fiat 600e, and should also appear in the Crossland Electric.
While the U.S. won’t see the new Crossland, since Opel doesn’t operate here, the vehicle’s underpinnings will feature in a subcompact crossover from Alfa Romeo due in the first half of 2024. It will be Alfa’s first EV, and is expected to reach the U.S.
Opel, which operates as Vauxhall in the U.K., plans to be a fully electric brand in its main market of Europe by 2028. Being part of the Stellantis fold, Opel has access to various dedicated EV platforms ranging from designs for subcompact cars right up to full-size trucks and vans. One future dedicated EV that Opel has confirmed is a sporty crossover to be called the Manta E. It’s due around the middle of the decade in markets where Opel operates.
