Next Holden Trax may have been an EV
But new Opel Mokka could come to Australia with new platform and EV option to challenge Mazda CX-3 and new rivals like Ford PumaFormer General Motors brand Opel has posted the first teaser of its next-generation Mokka, a small SUV that currently shares its mechanicals with the discontinued Holden Trax. And the PSA-owned brand has revealed the new compact crossover will get the option of a full electric powertrain.
Teased overnight, the Opel Mokka – as it's known in Europe – is set to go on sale later this year and could help spearhead the brand's return Down Under after Holden's closure.
Set to take its style inspiration from the 2018 GT X Experimental concept, like the latest Corsa supermini sold in Europe, the next Mokka has migrated from a GM platform to the PSA Group's more advanced CMP modular platform.
This has brought significant benefits for engineers. Not only is the CMP lighter and more rigid than the old Gamma II platform, it has been developed for electrification and will be offered with a pure-electric version.
Thought to have been developed alongside the latest Peugeot 2008, the new Mokka appears to sit far lower to the ground than the current car but, if anything, has more overtly chunky SUV styling.
Like its French relation, under the bonnet the next-generation Mokka is set to be offered with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with 75kW, 97kW or 115kW tunes.
A single 1.5-litre turbo-diesel will also be available with either 75kW or 97kW, while all engines will come with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic.
The new pure-electric version expected in 2021, meanwhile, will get a single 100kW motor that's fed power from a 50kWh lithium-ion battery.
Expect a WLTP-verified range of 310km.
Inside, thanks to what's thought to be a longer wheelbase, the Mokka should offer far more space compared to the new Nissan JUKE.
Helping it go head-to-head with new rivals like the Ford Puma, the Mokka should be jam-packed full of new technology and feature the car-maker's latest semi-autonomous driving aids.
There's still no word on Opel's return to the Australian market, but if the rumoured 2022 date is correct, expect the Holden Trax to return as the Opel Mokka around then.
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