New Mokka will 'change perception' of Opel, CEO says

Opel/Vauxhall’s new Mokka small SUV, which will include an all-electric version, will "change the perception" of the brand, CEO Michael Lohscheller said.

The PSA Group subsidiary this week released a teaser picture of the car, which will go into production during the fourth quarter. Deliveries of both the full-electric and conventional versions of the Mokka will start in December, Opel said.

The second-generation Mokka loses the X at the end of its name as part of an overhaul that Opel promises significantly improves the new model's look compared with the previous-generation car, developed by Opel's former owner, General Motors.

"The new Mokka will be one of the most exciting cars in our long history," Lohscheller said in a statement.

The design will be influenced by the 2018 Opel GT X electric SUV concept, Lohscheller told Automotive News Europe last year. The GT X styling cues that will be used on the new Mokka include the concept's central hood line and its squared off front end, which were inspired by popular Opel sports cars such as the Manta, a source close to the brand said.

Opel used the word "detoxed" to describes the new Mokka's design language. It also said the car will have a "fully digitized" interior, without elaborating.

The EV, expected to be called the Mokka-e, will use the same electric drivetrain as the Corsa-e small car and Peugeot e-2008 small SUV. Those two models use a 50 kilowatt-hour battery mated to a 136-hp electric motor. The e-2008 has a quoted WLTP range of 320 km (about 200 miles).

In the UK, Opel's British sister brand, Vauxhall, expects sales of the Mokka EV to account for 15 percent to 20 percent of the SUV's total volume.

“The Mokka is very stylish compared with what came before,” Vauxhall CEO Steve Norman told Automotive News Europe.

European sales of the Mokka fell 35 percent to 77,796 last year, according to data from market analyst JATO Dynamics, dropping it to 14th place in the region's fast-expanding small SUV segment.

Pressure came from one of the Mokka's Opel siblings, the Crossland X small SUV, which had a volume of 116,441 in 2019. Another reason for the decline was that Opel stopped making the first-generation Mokka last year.

Norman said the Crossland X would continue to be sold and that a new-generation model would follow, maintaining Opel's multiple-model presence in the small SUV lineup.

In the December interview, Lohscheller said that the brand doesn’t need a large SUV.