Opel/Vauxhall will launch sales of a battery-powered version of its Astra compact car in 2023 in a move that will accelerate the automaker's plans to become an all-electric brand.
The full-electric version of the new-generation Astra, to be called the Astra-e, will bring the brand's range of battery-powered passenger cars to three. Opel already sells electric versions of the Mokka small SUV and Corsa small car. The brand also sells electric vans, in passenger and commercial variants.
Opel said in July that it will become a pure electric brand in Europe by 2028.
"This will be the first time that we offer both a plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicle on the same model," Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz said on Wednesday during an online event.
Hochgeschurtz, a former Ford, VW and Renault executive, on Wednesday had his first day as Opel CEO. He succeeds Michael Lohscheller, who is now CEO at VinFast Global, the automotive arm of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup.
The addition of the battery-powered version will give the new Astra the widest drivetrain lineup of any Opel model.
The car will be available for order in September with two plug-in hybrid options, making either 222 hp or 148 hp, as well as a 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline with two power outputs and a 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel. Prices will start at 22,465 euros in Germany.
The wider range of powertrain options will help the Astra better compete with the compact segment leader, the Volkswagen Golf, which also offers a plug-in hybrid.
VW does not sell a full-electric version of the Golf. The Astra's electric version will compete with the VW ID3 and a coming electric version of its Stellantis sibling model, the Peugeot 308.