Automotive News Europe — 2024-02-08
Automotive Industry
Opel is reducing output of its Grandland due to lower demand.
The Stellantis plant in Eisenach, Germany, which builds the crossover, will have eight days of short-time working this month, a company spokesman told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.
With a model change due, some customers are waiting for the Grandland’s successor, which is depressing demand for the current model.
Production of the next Grandland, which will be available as a full-electric version, is scheduled to start in the second half. Opel is investing more than €130 m ($140 m) in the plant for its production.
The current Grandland was launched in 2017 and was jointly developed by General Motors and PSA Group on the EMP2 platform. It is available with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, as well as gasoline and diesel engines.
The next Grandland will be Opel’s first model on Stellantis's “BEV-centric” STLA Medium platform, which will underpin models with an electric range of up to 700 km (440 miles). It will be a sibling model to the Peugeot 3008, built in Sochaux, France.
Another reason for the declining demand for the Grandland is the discontinuation of subsidies for plug-in hybrids, which affected a popular variant.
Opel expects further short-time working in Eisenach in the first half.
This year, Opel hopes to join other European automakers in launching affordable small EVs to counter competition from Chinese automakers, targeting a price point of around €25,000 ($26,967) without incentives from 2026.
Opel has set a target of selling only full-electric vehicles by 2028.
The Grandland was Opel's fourth bestseller in 2023, with 44,034 units sold, down from 38,436 in 2022, according to market researcher Dataforce.