Opel Reveals Experimental Concept

RÜSSELSHEIM, Germany – The Stellantis-owned Opel brand reveals its new Experimental concept ahead of the compact CUV’s premiere at the upcoming 2023 Munich auto show.

Created to preview an upcoming electric-powered model (being rumored to bring the Manta name back into production), the Experimental provides the first look at what the German automaker calls its “Opel 2.0” design.

“With an ultra-modern exterior design, the Experimental gives a clear vision of where the brand will be heading in the coming years,” says Mark Adams, Opel’s chief designer.

The 5-seat CUV is based on the recently unveiled STLA Medium electric-car platform and follows similar concepts from other Stellantis brands including Chrysler, Lancia and Peugeot.

The design of the Experimental concept is a further evolution of the “Bold and Pure” lineage first aired on the GTX Experimental concept in 2018. It introduced what Adams calls the “Compass” front end and “Visor” grille treatment – elements since featured on all new Opel models.

On the Experimental concept, the so-called “Compass” has been given greater emphasis, with a large, illuminated Opel badge at its center point. Surrounded by four narrow LED lighting bands denoting the four cardinal compass directions, it forms an integral part of the “Visor,” which has a blanked-off grille across the front end incorporating fine illuminated vertical louver graphics and housing lidar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras required for advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).

Adams says he wanted to avoid the “scatter gun effect,” a term he uses for the current trend by rival automakers of adopting ADAS devices on the front of many existing new vehicles without any apparent consideration to their design.

The Experimental’s tapered front end sets a modern tone for the rest of the concept. It receives a heavily rounded silhouette together with squared-off wheel arch flares and illuminated graphics within the lower section of the flanks.

The “Compass” treatment is mirrored at the rear, where the name “Opel” replaces the logo. It is surrounded by four red LED light bands to “really be confident about where we are as a brand going forward,” says Adams.

OpelExperimental back view resized

Lower down, a diffuser can be extended and retracted to alter the aerodynamics and boost range. 

Opel is holding back on releasing further details about its new concept car, including its dimensions, until closer to its planned debut at the Munich auto show. Insiders, however, say it is similar in size to the company’s Astra hatchback, which is 172.2 ins. (4.4 m) long.

Similarly, Opel has not provided any details as to the specification of the STLA Medium platform used by the Experimental concept. However, the production model on sale in Europe and other selected markets in 2025 is expected to receive a 400V architecture and the choice of either a front-mounted electric motor in combination with front-wheel drive or a dual-motor set-up with all-wheel drive.

Stellantis already has confirmed the STLA Medium platform will offer two different-sized batteries, the largest of which will have a usable capacity of 98 kWh and provide a range of “about 370 miles” (595 km) on the U.S. EPA test standard, according to the multi-nation, multi-brand automotive conglomerate.

The Manta name speculated for the production version of the Experimental concept is taken from the sporting Opel coupe produced across two generations between 1970 and 1988.

Founded in 1862, Opel has been a division of Stellantis since 2021. It was previously owned by General Motors, from 1927 until 2017, and the PSA Group, the predecessor of Stellantis, from 2017 until 2021.