Opel Mokka GSE heralds electric rally era
First eRally5 machines gets 280hp, Bilstein dampers - and previews where Vauxhall will take revitalised GSe badge
Euro mega-group Stellantis has more rally brands under its umbrella than any other of the industry’s many alliances. And, to its credit, it’s kept most of their respective toes in the rallying pool in one way or another. Citroen’s C3 is still going strong in Rally2, while the Peugeot 208 has now been joined by the Lancia Ypsilon in the less financially-crippling Rally4 category. Now, it’s going after the FIA’s recently launched eRally5 class with this: the Opel Mokka GSE Rally prototype.
Based on the firm’s Mokka compact crossover, the GSE Rally - launched with the tagline ‘OMG GSE’ (sigh) - is the first car built to the new eRally5 regs, which permits electric vehicles to run at officially sanctioned FIA events. But while traditionally-powered Rally5 cars, which include the Renault Clio and Suzuki Swift Sport, sit closely to their low-powered civvy counterparts, Opel says the Mokka GSE’s performance will be on a par with the quicker Rally4 machines courtesy of a punchy 280hp and 254lb ft electric powertrain.
That’s quite a step up from the standard Opel (well, Vauxhall on this side of the English Channel) Mokka Electric, which serves up just 136hp from a single electric motor. However, the power figure given for the GSE would suggest it's using the same single-motor configuration as the Abarth 600e Scorpionissima and Lancia Ypsilon HF, both of which share their underpinnings with the Mokka. That’s paired up with a 55kWh battery, which has a claimed range of 207 miles on the Scorpionissima, though that’ll likely plummet when run at full chat on a rally stage. Charging will be carried out at specially designed stations at service parks using sustainable energy - not diesel-powered generators.
While the powertrain appears to have been lifted off the Stellantis shelf, the rest of the Mokka GSE is pure rally. Opel engineers have chucked in a limited-slip differential and a motorsport-grade transmission, and the driveshaft has been reinforced to handle the brutality of a world rally stage. The suspension comes from Bilstein, paired up with reinforced McPherson struts at the front and a rigid axle at the rear. Out goes the interior, in comes a roll cage and a pair of bucket seats, which should make the GSE Rally considerably lighter than the 1,600kg standard car, while the battery and motor management have been tweaked for competition use.
Now, you’re probably thinking a battery electric car in an environment filled with things to hit at high speed is a recipe for disaster, and you’d be right. But Opel says it’s taken special measures to keep the Mokka GSE Rally safe while out on the stage, including visual and audible alerts for electric insulation issues, plus a motion sensor that immediately shuts down the 400v battery in the event of a ‘sudden deceleration’ (i.e. a big shunt). Finally, there’s an in-built extinguisher with a special agent to help suppress battery fires.
Vauxhall and Opel chief Florian Huettl said: “For more than four years, Opel and the ADAC have been demonstrating that electric rallying works and excites. With our new Opel Mokka GSE Rally, we are offering a glimpse of a fully electric next-generation rally car. Thanks to the latest motorsport technology the prototype offers strong performance and power aplenty.” Rally stages of the world are about to get a little quieter, then, but the good news is the fire-breathing Rally1 monsters look set to stay for 2026, so the sound of turbo whistles and exhaust backfires won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
Remember those old days of yesteryear, trudging through a dank Welsh forest with an unpronounceable name on a freezing cold November day, hearing the shrill warning whistle of the marshal.
How did they know, a rally car was imminent, the same bloody way you did, the sonorous, scream of a BDA (insert your engine of choice) at full chat, hurtling your way, scrabbling for grip.
Then in an instant it shot past an idiot grappling at the wheel, defying the laws of physics, leaving behind a hint of mechanical scent and a cacophony of sound as it disappeared into the distance.
If you were lucky (some prick, didn’t stuff their steed into a tree) there would be another one along in a couple of minutes, rinse repeat. The overriding sensation, being, mechanical sound and smell.
“heralds electric rally era’ I can’t see it being that enthralling from a spectators point of view, unless its in a car park.
Wonder how many "reminiscing about the days of yesteryear" have ever been to a round of the BRC, CRC or the ERC Rali Ceredigion. Think they would find the driving, sounds and the smells are still much the same.
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