Opel Chief: electric Manta will not arrive pre-2030
In an interview with Der Spiegel, Opel CEO Florian Huettl stated: “The Manta is a model with enormous emotional potential. However, we have reordered our medium-term priorities. We are first renewing the Corsa and our SUV segment. The Manta project exists—there are design models—but none of these models will reach the market before 2030.”
An electric Manta has been in the planning stages at Opel for years, yet the revival of this cult model has not progressed beyond this phase. In summer 2021, under former Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller, the Rüsselsheim-based Stellantis subsidiary announced plans to launch the Manta-e as a particularly emotional battery-electric model by “mid-decade”. This followed the many positive reactions to the Manta GSe ElektroMOD concept presented in May 2021 (article image).
After a period of silence surrounding the Manta, rumours emerged in early 2024 that Opel had shelved the project. The promised “mid-decade” deadline was approaching, yet there were no concrete signs of an impending premiere or series production. However, Huettl emphasised in an interview in April 2024 that the project was progressing and not on hold.
Since then, however, the electric Manta has once again faded from view. When asked directly when he would bring back the Manta, the Opel CEO initially laughed and replied: “I will probably never escape that question—unless I actually launch the model.”
In the brief interview, Huettl also commented on the EU’s new CO₂ targets, which were presented in December as part of the “Auto Package”. Opel had originally planned to sell only battery-electric vehicles from 2028 onwards. “We had a very ambitious strategy, which we regularly review. We clearly saw that the market’s growth rate and the expansion of charging infrastructure are falling short of our expectations,” Huettl said. “We welcome the fact that there is now some movement in the regulations. However, key issues remain unresolved: even the CO₂ target for 2030 is barely achievable from today’s perspective.”
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