Production begins in mid-2023 and hope is NZ will be a priority market.

FULL electric enhancement announced overnight for an Opel inbound for New Zealand next year has the national distributor fizzing – and hopeful it also can be landed in 2023.

The Astra’s adoption of an electric powertrain in the staple hatchback coming here, plus a Sports Tourer station wagon, will add extra talent to a model whose 1.2-litre petrol and 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid options have already been signed up for Kiwi adoption.

The PHEV has stood as the most efficient Astra until now, with ability to achieve almost 68 kilometres on electric power alone. The full electrics have up to 415kms’ range, according to data released today.

Production of the fully electric editions begins in mid-2023, and it not clear when it would be available to New Zealand, which has only just become Opel’s newest market – the product was shown to media just last month and is still arriving.

However Noah Robertson, Opel NZ commercial manager, says the type is a priority and Stellantis, the multi-national parent of the Opel brand, having determined ours as an important market lends hope it could yet arrive in 2023, albeit after the petrol and PHEV versions.

“We have high aspirations for Astra, we think it will be a car that will grow the segment. The EV model is something we are really interested in.

“We don’t know when we will get it … we do hope it could be as soon as right-hand-drive production begins. Stellantis has said we are a key market.”

What helps is that the car provisions to the United Kingdom, as a Vauxhall. Those models are pictured here.

The prospect of NZ availability is also fuelled by the policies already outlined by the Opel rights’ holder, AutoDistributors NZ.

Armstrong Group-owned ADNZ has made clear that while it is using petrol editions of the Corsa and Mokka as price leaders, it sees the brand’s future as tying to electric. Opel has also said it wants to become a fully electric marque by 2028.

The electric ethos is why local market promotion of the Mokka compact crossover and Corsa city hatchback accentuates the abilities of the ‘e’-badged electric editions, both with a 100kW/260Nm single motor powertrain fed by a 50kWh battery and allowing 363km and 383km range, over the cheaper 1.2-litre petrol variants.

With exception of the Grandland sports utility, also cited for 2023 introduction, Opel’s product utilises platforms and drivetrains developed for Peugeot and Citroen cars, a result of Opel being in French ownership. In turn, the French brands, under PSA, have subsumed into Stellantis.

The Corsa-e and Mokka-e driveware is shared with the electric editions of the Peugeot 208 and 2008, but with price advantage.

The Astra’s battery-wed progression is result of it having also moved to PSA’s EMP2 platform. This allows installation of a 54kWh battery pack, supplying a front-mounted motor that delivers 113kW and 270Nm of torque.

Opel has confirmed a top speed of 170kmh but has not yet outlined other performance figures, though a 0-100kmh time of eight to nine seconds is expected.

In respect to charging performance, 100kW DC rapid-charge capability allows for an 80-per cent top-up in 30 minutes. Astra Electric models have a three-phase 11kW on-board AC charger, and a full recharge from a 7kW home wallbox will take just under eight hours.

The Astra Electric features the brand’s trademark ‘Vizor’ grille seen on the Mokka-e and set to be adopted by Corsa next year, during that model’s mid-life facelift.

Opel claims that, with the battery in the Astra’s underbody, there’s no loss of boot space over the Hybrid. That means the electric hatch has 351 litres with the seats in place, and the Sports Tourer offers 516 litres.

The electric models take IntelliLux pixel LED headlights and a Pure Panel infotainment set-up with a pair of 10-inch screens. There’s also voice control and the ergonomic sports seats have been certified by the German campaign for healthier backs (AGR).

With the full electric Astra out, there’s expectation the same development will occur with the Peugeot 308, which has just landed in NZ for sale.