Opel-Vauxhall
The electrification of Opel and Vauxhall continues apace as the brands remain on their journey towards being electric-only by 2028. And while the EVs keep coming, there are many new MHEVs too.
Available as both an electric model and a mild hybrid, the five- or seven-seat Frontera will soon be replacing the Crossland, albeit – at 4,380 mm long – in a larger form. This positions it above the Mokka (4,151) and below the next Grandland (4,650). The MHEV comes in two outputs, these being either 74 kW/100 PS or 100 kW/136 PS. In each case, the petrol engine is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo, boosted by a 21 kW and 55 Nm integrated starter-generator linked to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Vauxhall side of the business will give certain versions of the EV and mild hybrid the same GBP23,495 price. Interesting, Opel has not (yet) made an equivalent statement for the German market.
There is petrol and electric power for the new Grandland too. The SUV was revealed to the media in April at the Eisanach plant which will manufacture it from the fourth quarter. This, the first STLA M architecture Opel/Vauxhall model is 170 mm lengthier than the outgoing Grandland. The EV will offer 73 and 98 kWh battery choices with the 48V 100 kW 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo also offered in what will be marketed as the Grandland Hybrid. As per all the many other Stellantis vehicles which have or soon will have this powertrain, it is a mild hybrid.
One, or two new large models?
In all the activity over these two new models, the recent debut of a Mokka Hybrid has been almost overlooked. Stellantis’ increasingly-everywhere 100 kW (136 PS) and 230 Nm 1.2-litre turbo plus 21 kW and 55 Nm motor powers this mild hybrid. The timing of this launch is curious as the Mokka range is due a facelift later in 2024.
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The updated Mokka may instead be pushed back to 2025, which is also when the Insignia successor was or is due to arrive. Both Opel and Vauxhall have been intriguingly quiet about this vehicle but it should be an electric crossover in the style of the Peugeot E-408 with STLA M the platform. The brands’ default for any new models launched in or after 2025 is electric-only but might that now change as sales of EVs continue to collapse in Germany?
Once said to be coming one year after the debut of the E-Insignia (model name TBC) was the Manta, another electric SUV. Is this the vehicle which will be twinned with the Lancia Gamma and manufactured in Italy at the Melfi plant? Sources have begun to claim that the Insignia and Manta have been merged into one vehicle.
In 2027, we should see both a new Corsa and a new Mokka, each electric and derived from the STLA S (for Small) architecture.
Peugeot
What has happened to formerly-mighty Peugeot? Once steadily ratcheting its way ever closer to Volkswagen in a strong second place in all-Europe, as at mid-2024, the picture is very different indeed. With sales of only 345,601 passenger vehicles (according to ACEA data), this brand was nowhere near VW (714,063) let alone second placed Toyota (486,202) or BMW, or Skoda or Renault, in that order. And as Audi (344,459) was already way ahead in June (64,917 versus 57,023 for Peugeot), data for July – released by ACEA earlier on 29 August – show another place has been lost. The relevant numbers are 404,092 versus 394,972 for Peugeot.
Where once it might have said forget about volume, Stellantis is all about profit, after its terrible second quarter numbers, this company has some serious work to do. Peugeot at least has a lot of new metal landing now or soon; what’s more, the existing model ranges are young and very competitive. The main problem is an EV-heavy line-up just as buyers are backing away from electric cars, particularly in Germany.
New 5008: both MHEV and EV
Revealed in March and on-sale from October, the E-5008 (pictured) certainly looks the business. Identical to the E-3008 and 3008 from the A-pillars forward, it offers the choice of two motors and two batteries. Charging is at up to 160 kW and there will be three launch variants:
- Electric 210 Single Motor: 73 kWh (net), battery, 157 kW & 345 Nm motor
- Electric 230 Long range Single Motor: 98 kWh (net), 170 kW & 345 Nm
- Electric 320 Dual Motor AWD: 73 kWh, 157 kW & 345 Nm front motor + 80 kW & 170 Nm rear motor for a combined 237 kW, 311-mile range
A new generation 5008 was also previewed. It too is based on the STLA-M platform and can be thought of as a long-wheelbase 3008 with seven seats. The most popular powertrain should be the 100 kW 1.2-litre three-cylinder mild hybrid. This is called 5008 Hybrid. There will also be a PHEV in 2025 called 195 e-DCS7, powered by a 110 kW engine and 92 kW motor. Six- and seven-speed DCTs feature, respectively.
Will next 208 and 2008 be EV-native?
The life cycles of both 5008 and E-5008 should be seven years. With that in mind, mid-life facelifts would be towards the end of 2028.
Also making its motor show premiere at the Paris salon in October will be the E-408. The coupe-crossover should have the same motor and battery selections as the E-5008. It and the existing 408 will have their mid-cycle refreshes in 2026 with successors due in 2029.
Aside from facelifts for the 308 and 408 plus the China-only 4008, and the end of the 508, next year might be a relatively quiet one for Peugeot. Then in 2026 the next generation Rifter MPV plus the 208 and 2008 arrive. Some believe the 208 and 2008 could even be electric-only. This seems an unnecessarily risky move though, with at least a mild hybrid more likely alongside the new E-208 and E-2008. The unusual Hypersquare steering wheel from the 2023 Inception concept should feature.
Ram
Yet another model powered by what the former Chrysler Group had branded a ‘Hemi’ engine will vanish within months, that being the old-shape Ram 1500. Launched in 2008, what was renamed the 1500 Classic quite some time ago has had a great production run and will inevitably be a big money spinner for Stellantis. When it dies later in 2024, this will be the end of a long line of V8-powered Dodge/Ram 1500 pick-ups.
Meanwhile, the newer, facelifted-for-2025 1500 will soon be all about six-cylinder engines and fresh derivatives. That includes the RHO. This has a 540 hp and 521 lb-ft 3.0-litre biturbo I6 along with off-road looks and long-travel suspension.
Another, smaller pick-up is also fresh for the 2025 model year. The Ram 1200, an import from China, is a special model for Mexico. A rebadged Changan, it is also more or less the same as the Peugeot Landtrek and Fiat Titano. A turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine produces 154 kW and 320 Nm. There is a choice of single or double cab bodies. As the original is now fairly aged, the 1200 should be replaced by 2030 at the latest.
Ramcharger: coolest Ram name yet?
One more new arrival, this time for all North American markets, is the Ramcharger. A clever name for a 1500 with a Pentastar V6 range-extender, it will be made at the Sterling Heights plant. Due on sale in late 2024, the launch timing will be similar to when the 1500 REV also arrives. As for outputs, the EREV has 663 hp versus the REV’s 654 hp but only 615 lb-ft compared to the electric-only truck’s 620 lb-ft. Each is claimed to hit 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and capable of towing up to 14,000 pounds. There will be 168 and 229 kWh battery options for the 1500 REV while the one in the Ramcharger has a capacity of 92 kWh.
Other novelties for MY25 include facelifts for the 2500 and 3500 pick-ups along with a new Cummins diesel engine but the big news is of course the debut of a facelift for all 1500 trucks. Production, which remains at Warren Truck in Michigan, will see workers fitting the Hurricane inline six and Pentastar V6 but as noted earlier the Hemi V8s are no longer offered. Most 1500s now come with a 420 hp and 469 lb-ft version of the biturbo 3.0-litre I6, one exception being the RHO as noted above.
Ram’s 1500 series should be replaced for the 2028 model year, followed not too longer after that by a new generation of the 2500/3500 trucks towards the end of CY27.
This is the third of three reports looking at certain expected Stellantis future passenger vehicles. It follows a focus on Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS and Ferrari, as well as a look what should be ahead for Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Leapmotor and Maserati.
