29 July 2021
5 Mins read

Vauxhall Owner To Invest £26 Billion In Electric Vehicles

The world’s fourth-largest automaker and Vauxhall owner Stellantis has stated that he would invest more than £26 billion in electric vehicles by the end of 2021. This puts the automaker in line with rivals such as General Motors and Volkswagen in earmarking billions toward EV investments through the first part of the decade.

The ultimate aim is to hit sales targets for low-emission vehicles (including plug-ins) of 70% in Europe and 40% in the U.S. by 2030. Alongside this goal, the brand wants to influence and impact the EV industry in a way that makes the total cost of owning an electric vehicle equal to that of a gasoline model by 2026.

“The customer is always at the heart of Stellantis and our commitment with this €30 billion+ investment plan is to offer iconic vehicles that have the performance, capability, style, comfort and electric range that fit seamlessly into their daily lives. The strategy we laid out today focuses the right amount of investment on the right technology to reach the market at the right time, ensuring that Stellantis powers the freedom of movement in the most efficient, affordable and sustainable way.” – Carlos Tavares, Group CEO https://www.stellantis.com/en/investors/events/ev-day-2021

Stellantis has been one of the slower automakers to electrify compared to some of its rivals. The company designs and manufactures cars across over a dozen brands which include:
Jeep
– Chrysler
– Peugeot
– Vauxhall
– Fiat and more.

The company plans on manufacturing an electric Dodge muscle car and an electric Ram pickup truck, both by 2024. Amongst those plans, Stellantis also said it would offer an electric or plug-in model in every vehicle segment under its Jeep brand by 2025.

UK plans

While this is great news for the planet, what about us Brits? Well, the news that Vauxhall/Opel is going all-electric in 2028 is going to be big for the UK sector. The company will offer electrified versions of all its cars and vans by 2024, then pure EVs only from 2028 onwards. With this news, the brand has announced plans to build electric vans at its Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, leading to a £100m investment, to which the UK government will contribute about £30m. This is estimated to safeguard more than 1,000 factory jobs for the British public.

Meanwhile across the pond, Dodge has plans to launch “the world’s first full battery electric muscle car” in 2024. And it doesn’t end there…in that same year, RAM will be developing an electric pick-up while Jeep has committed to offering a plug-in hybrid version of every SUV/4×4 it makes by 2025.

Stellantis has also released a ‘statement’ for each of its brands, reflecting its own electrification strategies. Abarth’s statement is that they are “Heating Up People, But Not the Planet” and Alfa Romeo suggests that from 2024 “Alfa Becomes Alfa e-Romeo”.