Opel promises electric version of new Zafira in 2021
The fourth generation of Opel’s multi-purpose passenger car Zafira, will debut at Brussels Motor Show on January 18, 2019, this time as essentially a van in three sizes and with space for nine people. The German company has said that the Zafira Life all-electric version will follow in 2021.
The Opel Zafira Life is currently only offered as an ICE, but the carmaker is promising that this multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) will be available in a fully electric version in 2021. That would certainly be useful since the passenger van comes in three lengths and can be tailor-made to customer requirements: the 4.60, 4.95 m and 5.30 m – each of which comes with up to the mentioned nine seats.
The then electric van will not be the only such solution. Opel also delivered an update on the upcoming Vivaro, saying the transporter will also be available as a purely battery-electric variant from 2020.
Both models are part of the carmaker’s larger strategy. Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller assures that “by the end of 2020 we will bring eight all-new or refreshed models onto the market.” He added: “We will already open the order books for two electrified models in the first half of 2019: for the all-electric version of the Corsa, which will become a real electric car for everyone, and the Grandland X as a plug-in hybrid.”
Clearly, Opel/ Vauxhall is making a strong push with its electrification strategy. This is mainly due to the restructuring plan called PACE that was presented in November 2017, which aims to bring Opel back into profitability in the PSA Group from 2020. Accordingly, all European passenger car series from Opel will also have an electric version by 2024.
Another part of Pace! is charging infrastructure and the German carmaker recently announced a large initiative that is to turn Opel’s home town into the Electric City, defined by eventually offering one charge point for every 72 inhabitants of Rüsselsheim. Opel claims this would be the highest density of charging stations in relation to the number of inhabitants in all of the European Union.
The order books for the Zafira Life will open in February.
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