Major car brand to launch affordable ‘entry-level EV’ after car firms price out electric cars to most customers
A MAJOR car brand is set to launch an affordable ‘entry-level EV’ to combat the rising prices of electric cars for customers.
Vauxhall’s new development will be priced from around £22,000, according to the boss of parent brand Opel.
The entry-level city car is envisioned as a diminutive, urban-oriented proposition to sit below the Vauxhall Corsa Electric – which goes for £32,445.
The new model would occupy a space similar to that of the Vauxhall Adam and Viva.
As a result, it would make the entry-level EV an instant rival to the forthcoming Renault 5 and the Kia EV2.
CEO of Vauxhall parent brand Opel, Florian Huettl, said a city car “was possible” as “there is space in the [new] range for a smaller model [than the Corsa]”.
However, Auto Car report that he wouldn’t confirm if such a car had been designed.
Huettl did hint that the development of new energy-dense battery chemistries would be the key to a Vauxhall city car.
He states that it would bring production costs down, enhance interior space and lower vehicle weight.
Reducing the overall size of battery packs would also allow small EVs to offer ranges similar to those of larger existing models.
Furthermore, they would maintain a compact footprint and low price point.
“That is the goal,” added Huettl. “Our target for the next generation is €25,000 (£21,663) [for an EV].”
He added that cheaper electric cars are becoming “a big pull” within the automotive world, especially from customers, and the brand needed to react to this.
If Vauxhall are to pursue with an affordable entry-level EV, then there are several options they can use to engineer it.
Parent company Stellantis has a range of platforms, including the forthcoming STLA Small architecture, to replace the E-CMP platform used by the current Corsa Electric and the Peugeot e-208.
The STLA Small architecture is designed to accommodate cars ranging from the A-segment to the C-segment, with batteries of between 37kWh and 82kWh.
It will also allow for a range of motors and power outputs, starting from around 94bhp – ideal for a small city car.
Figures released by Stellantis suggest that the platform can be used for cars as small as 3600mm long and 1700mm wide.
Vauxhall could also adopt sister firm Citroen’s Smart Car platform.
Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas has previously hinted at the architecture being made available for other Stellantis brands.
It could also used by cars smaller than the average supermini.
“The Smart Car platform is supposed to go in the future in other vehicles from Citroën, maybe from other brands,” he said.
“This is a platform that will receive different vehicles, because it’s a very promising platform where we can do a lot of things – and not only, by the way, B-segment hatch cars.”
However, Vauxhall will not initially attempt to match the mooted €20,000 (£17,337) price point of upcoming EVs like the Volkswagen ID 1.
Huettl said: “The aim of €20,000 is, I think, unattainable. The cost of materials is too high.”
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