New Opel Corsa-e Rally is Ready to Go

The Opel Corsa-e Rally is the first all-electric rally car from a carmaker. The Blitz-badged electric vehicles will next year take part in their own one-make series – the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup.

Four Corsa-e Rally cars from Opel Motorsport, in the hands of drivers Marijan Griebel, Horst Rotter and Opel racing legend, Volker Strycek, last week completed three days of testing at the Pferdsfeld Test Center. The 100kW (136hp) cars covered a total of 1,500 kilometres without problems. The Corsa-e Rally is based on the successful Opel Corsa-e, the winner of the 2020 Golden Steering Wheel.

Two complete rounds of the German Rally Championship (DRM) were rehearsed during the three-day test programme – including special stages, road sections and servicing. The unique features of electro-mobility, such as times spent driving and charging, temperature management of the battery and fine-tuning the software, were tested for the first time in a rally environment. The all-electric cars also completed long runs to test the durability of the new components.

“It was an efficient and successful test”, said Opel Motorsport Director, Jörg Schrott. “We gathered important data and information for the ongoing preparations for the 2021 Opel e-Rally Cup. Unfortunately, several test rallies with our development cars could not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That made our rally simulation in Pferdsfeld even more important – as a result, the new Corsa-e Rally is now ready to go.”

The ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup will comprise eight qualifying rounds between spring and autumn 2021. An additional preparation rally for all registered teams is planned before the actual start of the season.

UK Illustrators Come Together to Broaden Appeal of Electric Vehicles

A new campaign from Vauxhall Motors is ‘switching up’ the electric vehicle industry with a burst of colour and creativity. The eye-catching creative campaign, which sees 24 up-and-coming British Illustrators collaborate to create a digital stop-motion artwork, aims to drive active consideration of Vauxhall’s first electric vehicle, the all new Corsa-e, and get more people excited about electric vehicles in general.

Despite electric vehicle sales growing fast, there is still work to be done when it comes to showcasing the diverse ways and places in which an electric vehicle can be used, and the variety of lifestyles they are suited to. For this campaign each artist was commissioned to create an illustrated world in their own inimitable style, with the Corsa-e sitting centre screen, thus showcasing Vauxahll’s very first electric car in a mind boggling variety of different scenarios each with a unique story behind them.

Kyle Platts, known among other things for his ‘Vibe Consultant’ comic strip in the Guardian, provided a frame for the project entitled ‘All Good Signs’. Kyle commented: “My contribution was inspired by my own love for driving around the UK on summer road trips. I wanted to celebrate the exploration of the countryside and all the visual stimulus that it brings, from rolling landscapes to road sign iconography.”

Peter Hope, Marketing Director at Vauxhall Motors commented: “To celebrate the launch of the Corsa-e we wanted to show that electric vehicles can do all the things ICE vehicles can, in the same number of varied scenarios. It’s been fantastic to collaborate with such exciting and diverse British talent to help us get more people talking about zero-emissions vehicles.”

Seb Underhill, Creative Director at Creative Communications agency, 33Seconds, commented: “Our goal with this campaign was to break the mould of traditional electric vehicle marketing, providing Vauxhall with an array of incredible, visually arresting images that embody the Corsa-e’s ‘Switch It Up” tagline. The campaign allowed us to tell an authentic story about the car, through the unique perspective of some of the UK’s most exciting creative talent.”