At last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Opel unveiled a spectacular concept called Monza that had a shooting brake body style and featured an electric drive with a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) range extender in the form of a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine.
While we didn’t expect Opel to bring the futuristic study (pictured) into production very soon, it appears that at least its name will be used on a future model. According to reports from Germany, Opel is planning a large SUV/crossover that will act as the brand’s flagship model.
Known internally as the Monza, the crossover is said to go into production in 2017 with a base price of €26,000 ($35,906), slightly more than the Insignia mid-sized sedan. The Monza SUV may as well be the new model GM CEO Mary Barra promised for Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant, as a report from Auto Bild says the crossover will be built at the carmaker’s core plant.
The Monza SUV is said to retain certain styling details from the concept car, including chrome detailing on the grille and similarly shaped headlights and air inlets. The future crossover will be just under 5,000mm long (196.8in) and will share underpinnings with an unidentified Buick model, while gasoline and diesel engines will be sourced from the Insignia.
The Rüsselsheim plant currently builds the Insignia and will assemble the Zafira Tourer MPV from 2015.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: AutoBild via Autonews Europe
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