Opel taps techno beats to help electric Corsa compete against Chinese EVs

Stellantis is pulling out all the stops to give Opel a facelift in Europe’s race to compete with cheaper Chinese electric vehicles.

The automaker sent its new electric Corsa to dealerships earlier this month, flanking the sales offensive with a TV spot clearly targeting a younger demographic.

Over pulsating techno beats, Gen Zers ask: “Is it fun to drive?” “Can it charge fast?” and, crucially, “Does it look good in slow motion?” The answer: “Yes, of Corsa.”

Bolstering Opel is key for Stellantis as the pressure to deliver affordable EVs intensifies.

With inflation eating into consumers' spending power, European mass-market automakers such as Stellantis and Volkswagen

Group are more vulnerable to losing market share to Chinese manufacturers pushing into the region with cheaper vehicles.

The Corsa may be able to help. It was the most popular small car in Germany and the U.K. last year; more than 14.5 million Corsas have been sold since the model’s debut in 1982.

Despite the success, Opel and its U.K. version Vauxhall lost money for decades under General Motors.

Stellantis, which bought the brands in 2017, slashed costs and unprofitable models and pushed them into the black in less than a year.

But these days, operational excellence is not enough.

Stellantis, and GM before that, long struggled to win over younger customers for Opel.

The brand has been trying to capitalize on the cult status of the Manta, a second-tier muscle car so popular with buyers in the 1970s and ‘80s it spawned three movies and its own line of jokes.

Opel this month confirmed it would make a battery-powered Manta — more than two years after showing off an electric concept — though it did not say when.

The electric Corsa, which starts at 34,650 euros ($36,745) before subsidies in Germany, is meant to make an impact right away.

“The Corsa is the heart of our brand,” Opel CEO Florian Huettl said in an interview. “It has a long history and a lot of emotional potential.”

The car’s arrival feels like good timing. Volkswagen brand’s ID family of EVs have not caught on as quickly as hoped, causing the company to lay off temporary workers and reduce vehicle output in recent weeks.

Tesla, which dominated the first phase of the EV shift, has left an opening for incumbents by taking time to pad out its lineup.

The U.S. manufacturer last launched a new passenger vehicle — the Model Y — in 2020, making only minor changes to the Model 3 since it went into production six years ago.

It’s unclear when the $25,000 model Musk first teased in 2010 will be ready.

After largely abandoning China, Stellantis is doubling down on Europe.

Its Citroen brand this month started taking reservations for a Slovakia-made e-C3 hatchback starting at 23,300, with first deliveries expected in the second quarter of next year.

The group also plans to introduce a similarly priced Fiat Panda-inspired model. Both cars are to compete with Renault’s popular Dacia Spring, which is assembled in China.

Models built in the Asian country may become more expensive if a European Union probe into Chinese EV subsidies leads to additional import duties.

Opel is building electric and combustion-engine vehicles on the same line, meaning the brand can ramp up output of one or the other depending on demand.

While the Corsa is made in Zaragoza, Spain, Opel’s slightly larger and pricier Astra sedan and the Grandland SUV are assembled in Germany.

Europe’s biggest economy will also be home to a joint battery factory Stellantis is setting up with Mercedes-Benz and energy giant TotalEnergies.

“Germany today is probably the most expensive place in the world to make cars on a larger scale,” Huettl said, adding that the country’s manufacturing quality needs to show in a car to justify a higher price.

“We cannot have any shortfalls there.”