Vauxhall is completely overhauling its model range in the next few years, introducing eight new or updated models by 2020, boosting its alternative fuel offering and killing off cars that aren’t seen as key to the brand’s future success.
IT’S VAUXHALL, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The revitalisation will be spearheaded by the launch of the all-new Corsa supermini in 2019. A significant departure from the current model, it will be underpinned by the same Common Modular Platform (CMP) as the next Peugeot 208. For the first time in the Corsa’s history, an all-electric version will also be offered, with order books open in mid-2019.
As part of the “Vauxhall goes electric” push, it will be joined by a Grandland X plug-in hybrid. Sharing technology with the Peugeot 3008 PHEV, it’s likely this will be powered by the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and electric motor confirmed for the French model, for a total of just under 300bhp and a 30-mile EV driving range. Vauxhall is planning to offer an electrified version of every model by 2024 and says it will “democratise electro-mobility while further improving its combustion engines.”
Van and passenger versions of the Luton-built Vauxhall Vivaro will also arrive next year, along with new versions and trim levels for the Vauxhall Combo, helping to bolster the manufacturer’s commercial market share.
There’ll be another big launch in 2020, as the successor to the popular Mokka X crossover is launched. It is described as “pivotal” in Vauxhall’s aspirations to rapidly expand SUV sales from 25 to 40 per cent of its overall volume by 2021.
Not every model fits into Vauxhall’s ambitious plans, though, and the MINI-rivalling Adam and budget Viva will be cut after 2019 “in order to focus on high volume segments”. This plan follows the axing of the GTC, Zafira Tourer and Cascada soft-top earlier this year. The drastic action comes as part of the Pace! Plan, conjured up after Vauxhall was bought by the PSA Group, tasked with slashing the complexity and number of platforms in Vauxhall’s range, while still covering “around 80 per cent of the mainstream market volume in 2020”.
