German automaker Opel is set to roll out an electric model of its Vivaro van.
The new midsize van will be available as a battery electric vehicle in 2020, the company said in an announcement Thursday.
In addition, Opel will open its order books for a battery electric version of its popular Corsa model and a plug-in hybrid version of its Grandland X sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the first half of 2019.
Opel’s CEO, Michael Lohscheller, said that the new Corsa would “make electro-mobility affordable for many customers.”
Lohscheller added that the company was “putting maximum effort into the electrification of our portfolio.”
Founded in 1862, Opel is one of the largest carmakers in Europe. It has been part of French company Groupe PSA since August last year.
Opel is among several major companies ramping up their presence in the electric vehicle sector.
In 2017, for example, Volvo Cars announced that every new car it launched would have an electric motor from 2019. The business also wants fully-electric cars to account for 50 percent of sales by the year 2025.
In September 2018, Mercedes-Benz launched its first totally electric SUV. The Mercedes-Benz EQC was unveiled at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the first vehicle produced under Mercedes’ technology brand EQ. September also saw Audi begin mass production of its e-tron, the brand’s first totally-electric SUV.
Source : CNBC
