Opel Teases New Concept, Will Develop Next-Generation Four-Cylinder Engine For PSA

Opel has held its TechDay at its engineering center in Rüsselsheim, Germany where the company revealed a handful of details about its future product lineup.

Since Opel and Vauxhall are now part of Groupe PSA, most future models will be underpinned by the Common Modular Platform (CMP) and the Efficient Modular Platform (EMP2). The platforms are highly flexible and Opel noted they can be used to underpin everything from coupes and convertibles to crossovers. Opel went on to say the next-generation Corsa will debut next year and ride on the CMP platform.

Speaking of the Corsa, Opel said the model will be built in Zaragoza, Spain and be offered as an electric vehicle. It will be one of four electrified models the company will launch by 2020.

While Opel has plans to electricity all future models, it will also play an important role in the development of a new generation of four-cylinder petrol engines for Groupe PSA. The automaker said the new engine family will be “optimized for operation in combination with electric motors and will be used in the drivetrain of hybrid systems.”

The engines will debut in 2022 and they will be used by all Groupe PSA brands including Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall. The engines will also be offered in a wide variety of markets including China, Europe and North America.

Opel wasn’t ready to talk specifics but said the engines will have “state-of-the-art technologies such as direct-injection, turbocharging and variable valve control.” The new four-cylinder petrol engine is currently under development and it will eventually replace PSA’s 1.6-liter PureTech unit.

Since Opel was previously owned by General Motors, the company will play a huge role in PSA’s return to North America. As the company noted, it brings a “wealth of knowledge in US market federalization to the table.”

Opel’s vice president of design, Mark Adams, also used the event to announce the company will introduce a new concept later this year. Car Magazine reports Adans said the concept will show an “expression of truly what we want our brand to be.”

#Opel teases new concept for 2018, following on from Geneva 2016's GT Concepthttps://t.co/wIX68jcZrl pic.twitter.com/YHecYJQgG6

— CAR magazine (@CARmagazine) June 12, 2018