New Vauxhall electric SUV is on the way, with a little help from Leapmotor

If you can’t beat them, join them, as the old saying goes – and Vauxhall’s doing just that with a new all-electric SUV that will arrive in early 2028. 

This all-new model offers a fresh design matched to cutting-edge technology developed from the Leapmotor joint venture within Stellantis. But it won’t replace an existing model, and instead will sell alongside the Grandland, Frontera and Mokka in the Brit brand’s line-up.

This is not just a rebadged Leapmotor, either; instead it’s the first in a new generation of high-speed, high-tech collaborations between the brand and Stellantis to create new models that combine the expertise of both.

It’ll do this by taking advantage of low cost bases, electronic architectures and battery electric powertrains from Leapmotor, in tandem with the high-fidelity engineering, design and driving dynamics typical of legacy brands from Europe. 

Vauxhall’s CEO Florian Huettl told Auto Express: “This will significantly allow us to make yet another step when it comes to affordability of electric models to a great level. We are entering a new world of opportunities by entering into this collaboration.”

However, this won’t be a ‘simplified’ low-cost model in the sense of the Frontera, as the SUV’s positioning will be governed by its size, not its platform. As such, we expect the model to be priced underneath the Grandland and above the Frontera, splitting the pair with a price point that could start at around the £28,000 mark, or even lower.  

Huettl continued: “The positioning of the car goes by its dimensions. We’re looking at the mid C-segment, which is 450cm, so it sits in between the Frontera and Grandland. This is a very popular market in the UK and Europe, which Vauxhall has not yet covered. We see this as a vehicle that gives us additional coverage in the market.” 

The brand is keen to emphasise that this won’t be a ‘Chinese car with Vauxhall badges’, and says that it will be optimised for European tastes. Huettl continued:  “Vauxhall is firmly rooted in the north and east of Europe; these are our home markets and the particularity of these markets is that they’re more prone to C-segment SUVs and BEVs.”

This also means it’ll feature the now familiar design language of current Vauxhalls, with elements such as the cross-hair motif front and rear, and the now-ubiquitous Vizor grille. Vauxhall has not released any images of the new model yet, but an illustration shows what the new model could look like.

Inside, Vauxhall will make use of the advanced digital architecture from Leapmotor, while offering the physical controls that European customers insist upon. Huettl said: “We’re looking into the ways of making best use of Leapmotor's expertise in electronic architectures, which includes the screen. What’s important, though, is that we are Vauxhall, and we use buttons, that’s part of who we are and that’s part of what we do and that’s what our customers like.”

At a length of 4.5 metres, this will be firmly aimed at cars that sit just below the Grandland in terms of size. This will see it rival the Ford Explorer – itself a model built in collaboration with Volkswagen – the Skoda Elroq and Kia EV5, although it’ll be a touch smaller than the forthcoming VW ID. Tiguan. No information has been released in regards to battery size, but it will feature LFP battery technology to keep a lid on costs, and won’t tread on the toes of the larger Grandland with its 400-mile range. 

The new model will also be built here in Europe, rather than in China, and while Vauxhall has stopped short of confirming its name, it has told us that it’ll draw on its long history for inspiration. 

So what’s your guess? Nova? Cavalier? Maybe even Chevette? All we do know is that it won’t be called a Manta. We guess they’re still saving that one.

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