The PSA Group announced that
the next-generation of the German automaker’s small SUV will be produced at its
Poissy plant in France. The replacement of the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka X will use the CMP
architecture that already underpins the DS3 Crossback, which is also set to
enter series production at the same factory later this year. Being based on the
CMP architecture also means that the successor of the Opel Mokka X will get a
fully-electric variant, just like its French cousin.
The decision to build Opel’s upcoming small SUV at
Poissy outside of Paris was driven mainly by financial reasons, as the new
production line is capable of building both electric and internal
combustion-engined models and is already operational.
The facility is currently building models like the Peugeot
208 and DS3 hatchbacks. It will also build the next-gen Peugeot 208, which has
just been revealed in leaked images ahead of its official debut at the upcoming
Geneva Motor Show.
The current Mokka X is produced at Zaragoza, Spain
and is based on GM’s Gamma II platform which also underpins the Buick Encore
and Chevrolet Trax. Opel plans to make the next Mokka X bigger in order to
better differentiate itself from the Crossland X, which also poses as a small
crossover in the range.
Opel expects SUV models to account for 40 percent of
its total sales by 2021, with the next-generation Mokka X scheduled for a
launch next year.
