Opel previews styling, tech direction with Experimental concept

Opel/Vauxhall said its Experimental all-electric concept car gives a “clear vision” of its future design and technology direction.

The sporty concept will be unveiled at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, which runs from Monday, Sept. 4 to Friday, Sept. 8.

The Experimental is based on a Stellantis BEV platform and is equipped with electric all-wheel drive, Opel said in a statement on Wednesday.

Opel did not say which Stellantis BEV platform the concept uses but a production version is expected to be built on the Stellantis STLA Medium electric-focused platform and revive the brand’s Manta name used on an Opel sports-coupe built from 1970 to 1988.

The STLA Medium can house battery packs of between 87 and 104 kilowatt-hours and offer a range of up to 700 km (440 miles), Stellantis said last year.

The Experimental’s coupe-crossover fastback body style has become a preferred design at Stellantis for replacements of the group’s midsize cars, as seen in the China-built Citroen C5 X and the Peugeot 408.

The Experimental gives a “a more extreme interpretation” of Opel’s current design language, which centers around the Vizor black-out front grille, Opel’s design boss Mark Adams said in the statement.

The grille has been renamed the 4D Vizor with 4D referencing the lidar, radar and camera systems embedded within it.

The concept is fitted with active ‘flaps’ on the front and rear to improve the car’s aerodynamic qualities, while a rear diffuser can extend or retract in response to the car’s speed. Wing mirrors have been replaced with cameras on the C-pillar.

Inside the concept has lightweight seats and a simplified dashboard that projects information instead of offering a traditional screen.

Foldaway steering wheel

The concept has a steer-by-wire system and a steering wheel that can be folded away in autonomous driving situations. Illumination in the cabin is enhanced by “electrochromic fabrics” which emit light.

The new Opel model on the STLA Medium platform will be built in Italy in early 2025 in Melfi, southern Italy. It follows a model from DS built at the same plant starting in 2024.

The STLA Medium platform is designed for premium vehicles and defined by Stellantis as “BEV by design,” meaning that it was conceived mainly for battery powered vehicles but could also underpin internal combustion variants in markets and regions that would require it.