Carmaker Stellantis said on Wednesday it would invest 130 million euros (R2.5bn) in its Eisenach assembly plant in Germany to produce a new battery electric vehicle (BEV) there from the second half of next year.
The new BEV vehicle will be the successor to the Opel Grandland compact SUV now produced in Eisenach, the automaker said.
It will be based on the "STLA Medium" platform, one of the four platforms that will underpin all Stellantis' new models starting from next year. Opel has committed to a fully electric product line-up by 2028, and the Grandland successor will join electric versions of the Corsa and Astra in the carmaker's line-up.
The company hasn't announced whether the new EV will be renamed or retain the Grandland badge. Opel has previously revealed plans for a compact coupe-crossover that will carry the historic Manta nameplate, due for launch by 2025.
There are no technical details of the model yet, but the STLA Medium platform is also used by the electrically powered Peugeot e-3008 that is to be revealed later this year.
"Adding a BEV to Eisenach's output supports Opel's bold commitment to a fully electric product line-up by 2028 in Europe," Stellantis said.
Current production at the facility also includes plug-in hybrid versions of the Opel Grandland.
Stellantis, the world's third-largest automotive group by sales, wants 100% of its European passenger car sales and 50% of its US passenger car and light-duty truck sales to be battery electric vehicles by 2030. Its other brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep.
The Eisenach plant, in the German state of Thuringia, was opened in 1992, when Opel was part of General Motors. As of 2022 it has produced a total of 3.7-million vehicles, Stellantis said.
The Opel Grandland had its global debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and was launched in South Africa a year later. It sells in a Grandland X model powered by a petrol 1.6l turbo engine.
