Opel will not bring an electric version of its iconic Manta model to market before the end of this decade, its chief executive said, as the automaker reassesses priorities amid slower-than-expected growth in electric vehicle demand and charging infrastructure.
In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, Opel Chief Executive Florian Huettl said the company had shifted its medium-term focus toward renewing high-volume models, including the Corsa and its sport utility vehicle range. “The Manta is a model with enormous emotional potential,” Huettl said. “However, we have reordered our medium-term priorities. We are first renewing the Corsa and our SUV segment.”
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The Manta project remains alive at the design stage, Huettl said, but production is not imminent. “The Manta project exists—there are design models—but none of these models will reach the market before 2030,” he added, tempering expectations for a near-term revival of the cult nameplate.
Opel, part of Stellantis, first signalled plans for a battery-electric Manta several years ago. In 2021, under former chief executive Michael Lohscheller, the company said it aimed to launch the Manta-e by the middle of the decade, following strong public reaction to the Manta GSe ElektroMOD concept. However, the project has since seen limited visible progress, fuelling speculation in early 2024 that it had been shelved.
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Huettl sought to downplay those concerns at the time, saying the project was continuing, but acknowledged the persistent public interest. Asked when the Manta would return, he joked: “I will probably never escape that question—unless I actually launch the model.”
The Opel chief also pointed to broader regulatory and market challenges facing Europe’s auto industry, including new European Union carbon dioxide targets unveiled in December as part of the bloc’s so-called Auto Package. Opel had previously planned to sell only battery-electric vehicles in Europe from 2028. “We had a very ambitious strategy, which we regularly review,” Huettl said. “We clearly saw that the market’s growth rate and the expansion of charging infrastructure are falling short of our expectations.”