Frontera Name Returns to Vauxhall/Opel Brands

Stellantis is resurrecting the nameplate of what was once the top-selling SUV in Europe as it announces a new Vauxhall/Opel Frontera model will be unveiled later this year.

The new model will be available with a range of powertrains including a battery-electric variant to join that of its larger, next-generation Grandland sibling also launching this year.

The original model was introduced in 1991 and produced by the Vauxhall factory in Luton north of London before switching to the Ellesmere Port plant in the northwest of England. Within three years it was the most popular SUV among European car buyers, although demand waned toward the end of the decade with production ending in Germany by 2003 and in the U.K. a year later.

Now the automaker says the new Frontera will be available as a BEV from the very start of production. It also insists it will stay true to the brand's tradition of providing affordable mobility.

Its launch, together with the all-electric version of the Grandland, means the brands will be offering at least one BEV version across their whole car and van ranges. James Taylor, Vauxhall managing director,  says: “The name ‘Frontera’ is ideally suited to our exciting new SUV model. It will have a confident character and be positioned right in the core of the market.”