There appears to be an OPC version of the current Corsa. Well that is already interesting news, but the fact that the Corsa-e forms the basis is striking. The electric Mokka also awaits a sporty treatment and the Peugeot 208 and 2008 will probably go the same way.
Vauxhall, the UK branch of Opel, is working on a Corsa VXR. Vauxhall director Stephen Norman confirms this in conversation with AutoExpress. This undoubtedly means that a Corsa OPC is on the way for our market. The new Corsa OPC follows a different recipe than before. Instead of an extra potent petrol engine, the Corsa OPC will get its power from the Corsa-e’s well-known 136 hp electric motor. Although it is a blow weaker than the 207 hp 1.6 that was in the previous Corsa OPC, it puts down performance that is already quite an extension of that. For the 0-100 km / h sprint, he needs roughly a second longer.
Norman hints that the extra sporty Corsa, which will appear in 2022, will mainly owe its distinctive character to a modified steering gear, suspension and brakes. Nevertheless, it does not seem entirely inconceivable to us that a little more power will be extracted from the electric motor than normal. Of course, external features such as larger light metal, thicker spoilers and the necessary OPC badges will not be missing. Keep in mind that the whole story will reduce the range slightly. Normally, the Corsa-e reaches 330 km on a full battery according to the WLTP cycle.
Peugeot 208 PSE
Peugeot 208 PSE – Forward-looking illustration
The fact that the Corsa-e forms the basis for the sportiest Corsa, of course immediately suggests that sister model Peugeot 208 is heading in the same direction with the ‘GTI’. There have been rumors for some time that the new 208 GTI will be fully electric. Should Peugeot indeed take the e-208 as the basis for the sportiest 208, it could be that the GTI badge is not on it. Peugeot now has the PSE label. That appears first on the sporty top version of the 508, which is a plug-in hybrid. (Partly) electric drive for sporty models is inextricably linked to PSE.
Opel Mokka OPC / Peugeot 2008 PSE
Now that the market for crossovers is so huge, brands are also looking more often at the sporty options with those models. Think of the Ford Puma ST, but also the yet to be unveiled Hyundai Kona N. Opel and Peugeot also seem not to pass that exit, but also go for electro power. The Vauxhall CEO explains AutoExpress namely also that a VXR version of the Mokka-e is on the way. According to him, it will appear even earlier than the Corsa VXR (early 2022). Of course, that car shares its basis with the Corsa-e and so we can expect a similar story. Here that car will almost certainly be called Mokka OPC. Again, there is a French counterpart; the Peugeot e-2008, of which the sporty top version will almost certainly be called 2008 PSE.