Opel Manta EV Will Return Around 2025, Pledges Purely Electric Lineup for 2028

The company already has twelve electrified versions in the lineup, “from the small Opel Rocks-e to the large Movano-e transporter.” But it has recently pledged even more. Such as an EV offer for the entire light commercial vehicle line-up. Even better, in just two years there will be at least one electrified variant of each model and Opel will become “purely electric in Europe by 2028.”

This is a noticeably big, general pledge. No worries, there are specific details, as well. Probably to spite Elon Musk’s latest controversial debate, Opel wants to have vehicles with EV-only ranges of 500 to 800 km (311 to 497 miles), as well as “a best-in-class fast-charging capability of 32 kilometers per minute.” Now, let us discuss enticing model goodies.

After years of speculation and last year’s spectacular 145-hp/124-mile (200 km) one-off Manta GSe ElektroMOD project, Opel finally confirms the return of the coveted Manta nameplate sometime during the middle of the decade. The around-2025MY Manta C will be purely electric, of course. However, it is anyone’s guess if the third generation will look more like its predecessors, or the Opel Manta-e Concept shown in the gallery.

“The new Opel Manta will be a highly emotional car once again. With electric power that ensures first-class acceleration on tap. Our Manta will once again stand for pure driving pleasure. We will build a fascinating, astoundingly spacious new interpretation,” explained Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz.

Anyway, from 2023 onward we are going to see the battery-electric Astra-e on the market. Both as a hatchback and family-oriented Sports Tourer variant. Further down the line, the Opel Crossland and Insignia successors will also be fully electric offerings. And the rumor mill thinks the latter is morphing into a crossover, as sedans continue to bite the dust.

Additionally, to support all the EV expansion, Stellantis’ battery-production joint-venture ACC with Total/Saft, Mercedes-Benz, and Opel will see the Kaiserslautern location transform into a veritable “Giga factory” from 2025. That is when the partners will surge their on-site cell industrial capacity to no less than 32 GWh.

“Opel is on a consistent path to going electric – and in record time. And we will not stop with the conversion of our product range. Together with our partners, we will be manufacturing our own high-performance batteries in Kaiserslautern as early as 2025. In addition, a resource-friendly new campus is being built at our headquarters in Russelsheim,” further added the Chief Executive Officer. That is one quick way of explaining the brand’s new strategy for the short and medium-term.