New GSi or OPC?
Opel has plans to build a hot version of the upcoming electric Astra-e. That’s what design chief Mark Adams says in an interview with the British TopGear. It is not yet clear what the electric hot hatch will look like, and what name it will be given.
The plug-in hybrid Astra with 180 hp is currently the most powerful of the series. All Astras in the range still have a combustion engine, but that will change next year with the introduction of the electric Astra-e. The exact specifications are still unknown, but Adams says at least that Opel is working on several versions of the electric Astra. When asked whether Opel is working on a sporty Astra-e, the design boss responds as follows: “Yes, we are working on things that are not too far in the future, where we are going.”
It therefore seems that Opel has a fast Astra-e in the planning. Adams does not give any further details, even the name remains a mystery. The return of the OPC label would be a possibility, but at the same time it is not inconceivable that Opel will get the GSi badge. In technical terms, the electric Astra will be on the same EMP2 platform as the regular model. If Opel wants to compete with the upcoming Volkswagen ID3 GTX with the Astra-e OPC/GSi, it must deliver around 300 hp. That would mean a nice power gain compared to the previous Astra OPC, which released 280 hp on its front wheels.
In line with the hot Opel Astra-e, Peugeot could make a PSE version of the electric e-308 with the same powertrain. The e-308 will be on the market at about the same time as the Astra-e and is on the same basis. Peugeot has not released anything about such a PSE variant. It is not yet known when Opel will launch the sporty Astra-e. The regular Astra-e will be in the showroom next year.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl