Volkswagen and General Motors Europe took different paths to the same place. Opel and Vauxhall were in the B-SUV segment years before almost all others with the Mokka. Meanwhile, VW still has no small SUV but dominates several larger classes in EU markets. Soon, GM Europe will begin adding three more SUVs in an attempt to take on Europe’s number one brand.
Gamma 2 architecture for global B-SUVs
Go deeper with GlobalData
The GU1O Mokka has always been a likeable car but not necessarily a class leader when it comes to chassis dynamics. Does that matter to the majority of buyers? Not too much. The Mokka and its relatives sold by other General Motors brands are a combined very big deal for the US company. They also prove just how agile GM can be when it needs to be – five years on, where are Volkswagen and TMC in this segment? The VW brand has shown several design studies (T-ROC/T-Cross) but a production model is yet to appear, while the Toyota C-HR is only now ramping up at plants in Japan and Turkey with US sales yet to begin.
GM has some talented chassis engineers within its ranks as can be seen from the excellence of the soon to be replaced Insignia, as well as the latest Astra. In small SUVs though, Peugeot leads, and many, many other brands compete in the second tier. The competitors in this segment are almost too many to list, with the global GM range alone comprising multiple nameplates. In Europe it’s the recently facelifted and renamed Opel Mokka X and Vauxhall Mokka X so as to create an SUV-identifying suffix for the brands. In North America and the PRC, the Chevrolet Trax/Trax Chuangku and Buick Encore are differently styled versions of the same car, Brazil’s Mexican-made Chevy is the Tracker, while down in Australia and New Zealand, Holden has the Trax.
GM’s G2XX series B-SUVs: big in China too?
Europe might be the main battleground for B-SUVs today but things are really hotting up in China. There, the segment is led by Honda and Haval. Great Wall Motor had the number two best selling vehicle last year, the H6, a C-segment/Compact SUV being that model. More than 580,000 were sold in 2016. It was a big gap from there down to the most popular B-SUV, that honour going to the Haval H2. Its 196,926 registrations sound a lot but they only gave the model 22nd position in the sales charts. Two versions of the same vehicle, the Guangqi-Honda Vezel (164,076) and the Dongfeng Honda XR-V (161,711) are much of the reason why the Japanese brand is now bigger in China than Toyota. VW remains China’s number one brand but still has no rival for these big three small SUVs. Buick sold just 71,945 Encores in 2016 but this was far better than the 42,393 units of the Ford EcoSport which were registered.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataAs the above numbers are meant to show, brand loyalty is not something which seems to be much of a factor in China, as endless numbers of young buyers continue to choose an SUV as their first new car. In Europe, by contrast, such models are often favoured by older people, attracted by the high driving position, ease of entry and accessibility of the boot. Yet to do well in this class, you have to have something new to offer, as the reversal of sales positions for the Peugeot 2008 and Renault Captur during the last six months has demonstrated. The Peugeot had a facelift last year and immediately pulled ahead of the Renault, which still hasn’t had a styling refresh despite being of a similar age. Soon, Volkswagen will reveal its entry to the class and this might finally awaken Germans to the appeals of small SUVs – such vehicles are still only a small segment of that market.
UK is largest EU market for Mokka
Since 2012, the Mokka, recently replaced by the new Mokka X, has found more than 120,000 buyers in the UK, the model’s largest market in Europe. This Corsa-sized crossover/SUV had its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2012, going on sale in LHD European markets in October 2012. The Opel and the Vauxhall reached dealers in Ireland and the UK respectively from November 2012.
There was also once a variant of this small SUV for Chevrolet Europe. This was the Trax, which had its global debut at the Paris motor show in September 2012. The Holden-badged version of the Trax for Australia and New Zealand was launched there in September 2013.
Build: originally at Bupyeong, now at Figuerelas
In July 2013, Opel and Vauxhall stated that CKD assembly of the Mokka would commence at Zaragoza from the second half of 2014. The company went on to state, “While the initial European production will be based on Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits, with parts coming from Korea, localisation will gradually increase”. An investment equivalent to US$80m was made in the Spanish plant for Mokka assembly. Build commenced in September 2014.
Why Mokka X, no longer just Mokka?
The Mokka X had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2016. As well as some mild styling changes, and alongside the existing 1.6-litre so-called ‘Whisper’ diesel engines, the X gained GM’s latest 1.4-litre Direct Injection Turbo combined with automatic transmission, Start/Stop and all-wheel drive. Production of the Mokka X commenced at Figuerelas/Zaragoza in September 2016.
GM Europe was clever in making the facelift more than just a quick nip and tuck. The revised model looks genuinely different and should be enough to keep the Mokka selling well until its successor enters production in the third quarter of 2019. The big challenge will come from the second half of 2017, which is when Volkswagen’s entry in this segment will finally appear.
There is a lot to recommend in the newly updated Vauxhall. It’s very roomy, especially in the front and due to the way the seats are positioned, those in the back have lots of glass not only to their sides but also ahead of them. If you’re used to a Mazda CX-3, then the handling might seem slightly disappointing but compared to a Ford EcoSport, the Mokka X is very car-like. There is a commendable amount of grip, even in front-wheel variants too. Peugeot was clever to make the 2008’s interior look quite sporty with that small steering wheel but the Vauxhall takes a different approach.
G2UO – the next Mokka X
A replacement for the Mokka X is expected to appear at the Geneva motor show in 2019, and then to be in showrooms in October/November of that year. Opel stated in December 2016 that the car would be built from 2019 at its Eisenach plant.
More Opel & Vauxhall SUVs coming soon
Opel and Vauxhall will be aiming to make up for much lost ground in the SUV segments above the Mokka X with various additional models set to appear from May onwards.
The roll-out of fresh metal starts with the addition of G2MO, which is the code for the Crossland X. Production is scheduled to start in April at the same Spanish plant which makes the Mokka X. An effective replacement for the discontinued Meriva, this B-crossover was revealed to the media in January. The car’s public debut will be at the Geneva motor show. LHD cars will be in showrooms in May, with RHD Opel and the Vauxhall versions following a month later.
After the Crossland X, Opel and Vauxhall move their attentions to the C-SUV segment. The Grandland X will be the replacement for the Antara, even though the latter will have been out of production for some eighteen months by the time the successor goes on sale. The Grandland X will also serve as the Zafira Tourer’s successor even though that model should remain in production for a few years yet. The public debut should be at this year’s Frankfurt IAA with the Grandland X due to be in Opel and Vauxhall showrooms during the first quarter of 2018. Production will take place in France at Groupe PSA’s Sochaux plant.
Volkswagen has long had much success in the E-SUV segment with the Touareg and Opel-Vauxhall wants some of that volume. In March 2014, the companies CEO head K-T Neumann told the media that an additional Opel/Vauxhall model as well as a Buick for export to North America would be built at Rüsselsheim. “Due to competitive reasons, details about this car will not be announced until the end of the year”, Opel’s statement added.
In November 2014 came slightly more information when Neumann and GM’s CEO Mary Barra announced the future production of a new SUV at Ruesselsheim. This will be Opel and Vauxhall’s co-flagship with the Insignia, the leaders claimed. Speculation suggests the Monza X model name might be used for this vehicle, though something ending with ‘land’ is the obvious other alternative. Build will more than likely be on the same line at Opel’s main plant as is used to make the Insignia: the ‘Monza X’ would share that vehicle series’ Epsilon 2 architecture. Expect production to commence in 2019, which will link nicely into a cycle of SUV additions and replacements: this is also when Mokka 2 is set to be released.
