But hey, it’s just as impressive as expected.
German carmaker Opel have (begrudgingly) unveiled their new all-electric Corsa-e well ahead of its planned Frankfurt motorshow reveal, after the bright orange hatchback was leaked extensively over the web last week, revealing pretty much all there is to know. Despite the lacklustre appeal of the full unveil in light of those leaks, the Corsa-e’s objectively-impressive offerings more than make up for it, as well as it’s sharp looks.
The new Corsa, and indeed the Corsa-e, shares its CMP platform with other Groupe PSA machines, like the Peugeot e-208. Focusing on the electric hatch, that means that there’s a 50kWh battery under the skin with the ability to recharge to 80% capacity in just 30-mins on a fast-charger, or via a wallbox or cable (though these will naturally take longer). Charging can be monitored via a ‘myOpel’ application.
Once fully juiced, the Corsa-e offers up 100kW and 260Nm, with Opel keen to point out that its 0-50km/h sprint time of 2.8-seconds is comparable to some sports cars (though its full 8.1-seconds for the century-sprint is not). That said if you don’t maintain a disciplined right foot, you’re unlikely to get close to the claimed 330km of range on a full battery.
The new Corsa is the first fully-developed product by Opel under its new French minders, and we have to say that it looks good. While it retains broadly the same footprint as before, the new-generation car is some 48mm lower than the car it replaces (with a “coupe-like” roofline), while the overall exterior aesthetic aims to give it a sense of aggressive and dynamism that should see it fare well in the marketplace.
It’s not all looks and no smarts, either. Advanced driver assistance systems like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and a sharper and more accurate traffic sign recognition system all debut here on Opel’s smallest first, showing how much intent Groupe PSA harbours to ensure that its new brands flourish under their care. One of the highlights of the new Corsa are the adaptive-multibeam Intellilux headlights, which work with that sharpened front-camera to adapt the headlight beam to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
As we mention in all Opel articles, the brands’ return to Australia and with it the offering of any new cars is highly unlikely, but it’s worth mentioning anyway. That said while we used to lament that fate as just another way to write off a bunch of interesting cars, under Groupe PSA, we can expect to see the Corsa-e available locally… sort of. Just not as an Opel, but as a Peugeot e-208 like we mentioned earlier. With equally-sharp styling, the same promises of dynamics and perhaps an even more upmarket appeal, we’re hardly losing out now, are we?
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