Wednesday 14th May

Vauxhall touts new GSE performance sub-brand

Fast Vauxhalls are back, kicking off this year - albeit with electric power only

---

We’ve been waiting on this announcement for a little while. Ever since the demise of the VXR badge, the Vauxhall line-up has really missed having proper performance derivatives. Because they were good, for one thing, and because there’s such hot Vaux heritage in the UK that it seemed weird not having any new ones around. Now some order is set to be restored, with the revival of the GSE badge for “particularly dynamic, exhilarating, and emotional Opel models.” So says Opel CEO Florian Huettl. 

It’ll stand for Grand Sport Electric, so park any ideas of a reimagined straight-six Monza with that badge right away. On the other hand, the new performance offshoot promises a lot more than the current, very tepid range of hybrid GSE models, and there are some encouraging signs in the wider Stellantis empire that fast, vaguely affordable EVs matter. The latest Abarth 600e has been well received, and Peugeot has confirmed a GTI will come back; imagine a Corsa GSE spun off the same ‘Perfo-eCMP’ architecture as the Abarth, complete with 280hp… 

We’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, the GSE message is all about branding fizz rather than a tangible product. Apparently, every letter of the new brand stands for many different attributes; G is for - and this is not a joke – ‘Grand, German engineering meets goosebumps, great grip, and G-forces’. S, a little more predictably, is for ‘sport, speed, sweat, and sliding through S-curves’. E then covers off electric as well as ‘excitement, exhilaration, and euphoria’. That’s some promise. Although credit where it’s due, Opel is suggesting the right sort of changes beyond buzzwords: each GSE model will get a bespoke chassis tune that ‘directly integrates the driver and offers exciting driving pleasure’, alongside brake upgrades - it isn’t just power and a new badge. Opel believes it will demonstrate ‘once again that all-electric vehicles are also full of emotions.’

What happens next? It’s not exactly clear, but Opel does promise more is coming in 2025, so there won’t be very long to wait before another announcement. Furthermore, the mention in the press release of the GSE brand being resurrected back in 2022 is encouraging, because that was when the brilliant little Manta ElektroMOD concept was shown. And when they said the car was coming in 2025, in fact.  A proper little coupe would be quite the way to kick off a new electric sub-brand.

---

• Opel reveals Manta GSe ElektroMOD
• New Peugeot 208 GTI project confirmed by CEO

[Justin-ow582]

Prepare yourselves... not for GSE, but for 10 pages of the usual anti-EV comments, apparently justified because it's in the General Gassing section and not tucked away in the EV and Alternative Fuels corner.

[GeniusOfLove]

Vauxhall launching a new EV performance sub brand seems as relevant to PHers as the 89th best kebab shop in Ashgabat acquiring a new drinks fridge.

[steve S owner]

So not much tangible news then other then they are going to have a limited interest segment of a limited interest car....at some point...maybe.

[andy43]

Gutter Scraping Economics.
Tell me more about that fridge?

[plfrench]

How much longer will it be before people accept that we are transitioning to EVs and that transition is well underway now? There is no magical u-turn coming - the course is very much set regardless of how much individuals don't like it.

Article after article on PH and other car press is about upcoming EVs - when was the last time there was any announcement of note that wasn't either EV only or hybrid for a non-supercar?

[Gecko1978]

GeniusOfLove said:

Vauxhall launching a new EV performance sub brand seems as relevant to PHers as the 89th best kebab shop in Ashgabat acquiring a new drinks fridge.

Pretty much sums it up for me

[Gecko1978]

plfrench said:

How much longer will it be before people accept that we are transitioning to EVs and that transition is well underway now? There is no magical u-turn coming - the course is very much set regardless of how much individuals don't like it.

Article after article on PH and other car press is about upcoming EVs - when was the last time there was any announcement of note that wasn't either EV only or hybrid for a non-supercar?

Might be a problem if less an less people buy the performance derivatives.

EVs are here to stay sure I agree but will all these models find customers not so sure

[philrs03]

Dark times are ahead if transitioning to EV’s means getting exited about an electric Vauxhall.

Comrades thunburg and starmer can pry the caterham out of my cold dead hands.

[RazerSauber]

Probably a good idea to get in on the ground floor of accessible performance oriented EV's for the masses. If we're all going EV, we might as well have something with a more joie-de-vivre than the current range which are either insanely fast with a cost to match or pokey but affordable.

[scottmelvin96]

Can pistonheads start another site just for Evs. I've tried but Evs are just not interesting or worth reading about. It feels like they are polluting what was a good site. I know this will limit content but would be more enjoyable than reading about white good utensils with seats

[daqinggregg]

Why hark back to the past, most buyers of a quick EV Vauxhall/Opel, will have little affinity with the GSE model delineation.

HSR, SRI, GSE, leave them in the past, same applies to all manufacturers, just marketing boloney.

Why not Vauxhall/Opel ESV of something similar, there’s no need to try reignite the past, that was then, this is now.

I suspect, it make a difference, its unlikely Vauxhall will exist in 5 years.

[GeniusOfLove]

daqinggregg said:

I suspect, it make a difference, its unlikely Vauxhall will exist in 5 years.

I think they will exist as long as the Opel brand does, the only difference is the badges, and maybe tiny differences in not being able to share costs on signage etc to have Vauxhall instead of Opel.

Changing all the dealerships and parts boxes and everything else would probably cost so much it'd take a million years to make back the savings, without considering weirdos who won't buy another one because "I only buy Vauxhalls".

Or do you mean the entire former GM Europe now platform shared PSA Opel/Vauxahll thing? I think that should be around for a while, it's far from the lamest horse in the Stellantis Stable of Losers

Ford of Europe though? You can all but see the vultures circling.

[loudlashadjuster]

GeniusOfLove said:

Vauxhall launching a new EV performance sub brand seems as relevant to PHers as the 89th best kebab shop in Ashgabat acquiring a new drinks fridge.

You say that, but I bet the majority of PHers have a cooking 1.6/2.0 diesel or something, even if it is just a second cars for school runs etc., so it's not as if these relatively dull things aren't relevant.

Not everybody is a chiseled PBCD Driving God™ who lets his V12 rip on every dab-of-oppo journey to Tesco Metro...

[GeniusOfLove]

loudlashadjuster said:

You say that, but I bet the majority of PHers have a cooking 1.6/2.0 diesel or something, even if it is just a second cars for school runs etc., so it's not as if these relatively dull things aren't relevant.

They're almost never Vauxhalls though are they.

The only time anyone on PH is interested in their output is in a "What motability car with zero deposit should I get for my old mum" car buying thread, regular appearances on the dashcam bad driving thread, and now and again a post of "I bought this for £300" on the shed thread.

Edited by GeniusOfLove on Wednesday 14th May 13:26

[J4CKO]

Im interested to see what they produce, but I appreciate electric and Vauxhall in the same article will likely garner some negativity.

GS-E kind of makes sense as its got an E on the end and they used it before, on Opels.

The why, well I guess they want to sell some cars, keep going, keep their workforce employed and stuff.

[GeniusOfLove]

I should add that historically this was a brand I had some warm feelings towards, my much missed grandfather tooled around in Senators and Carltons and Omegas until he downsized in his 80s and I had quite a few smoker Cavaliers and Omegas when I was a teenager.

It's just that since the late 90s they seemed to have made a conscious decision to be st.

[Evil.soup]

Article said:

"Apparently, every letter of the new brand stands for many different attributes; G is for - and this is not a joke – ‘Grand, German engineering meets goosebumps, great grip, and G-forces’. S, a little more predictably, is for ‘sport, speed, sweat, and sliding through S-curves’. E then covers off electric as well as ‘excitement, exhilaration, and euphoria’. That’s some promise."

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I ssooo hate this kind of marketing bks! Imagine the many think tank hours that have gone in to come up with this load of crap!

What blows my mind is the fact that these companies are still so detached from the market, that they are spending time and money coming up with this kind of crap tag line bull. Like it makes any difference to the people who may actually have an interest in performance cars.

Wouldn't be surprised if half of those that came up with this stuff didn't even have a driving license...

[Terminator X]

Justin-ow582 said:

Prepare yourselves... not for GSE, but for 10 pages of the usual anti-EV comments, apparently justified because it's in the General Gassing section and not tucked away in the EV and Alternative Fuels corner.

Lol you guys are so scared of alternative opinions, perhaps stay at home and don't turn on the laptop.

TX.

[sly fox]

Why bother Vauxhall? Let Peugeot be the sporty brand in the group.

Vauxhall = Average, nothing more.

GSE hasn’t meant much since the Monza has it?

[theicemario]

Can't wait to spec the new electric Vauxhall crossover blob in my favourite shade of grey