Luca Pröglhöf Wins ADAC Opel Rally Electric Cup 2024 Title

• Rallye Coeur de France: Seventh race of 2024 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe“ season
• Uncatchable: Austrian Luca Pröglhof seals title with one race left
• First win of season: Spaniard Alex Español leads way over weekend

Luca Pröglhöf left nothing to be desired at the Rallye Coeur de France and secured the title in the world's first electric rally one-make cup in the penultimate race of the season. Second place was enough at the asphalt event around Vendôme behind the strong Spaniards Alex Español/Daniel Rivera de la Red, who celebrated their first victory in the 100 kW (136 hp) Opel Corsa Rally Electric, for the 25-year-old Austrian and his co-driver Christina Ettel. Fourth place behind the guest drivers Arthur Roché/Quentin Proust was not enough for the brothers Anthony and Adrien Rott to challenge Pröglhöf for the title in the finale in three weeks at the Central European Rally.

“It was one of the most challenging rallies I have ever driven because risk minimisation was our priority. Our plan worked completely, we drove through it cleanly, made no mistakes and had no problems. Now we are overjoyed and a little speechless. The fact that we were able to secure the title here is brilliant. Now we have no pressure in the final race of the season and can enjoy the World Championship race. Now it’s time to celebrate,” said a delighted Pröglhöf.

Race winner Español delivered a strong performance in the “Heart of France” (Coeur de France), set the best time in six of the eight special stages and ultimately had a lead of 33.6 seconds over Pröglhöf. “We immediately found a good rhythm and were able to complete the rally without any problems. I'm really happy with the win. We were close to it in previous rallies – it's even nicer that it worked out now," said the Opel Spain driver.

Anthony Rott was in third place until the final Power Stage, but had to give way to guest driver Roché. After all, the Alsatian not only received the full points for third place, but also the five bonus points that could be won in the Power Stage. With a deficit of 42 points he can now longer catch Pröglhöf, but the runner-up position is within reach: “We congratulate Luca and Dina, who were the best throughout the season and absolutely deserve the title. We can also be very satisfied with our own performance. It's a shame that the podium place was snatched away from us in the last stage. But it was a good rally and now we want to try to secure second place overall.”

With fifth place and the points for fourth place, Alizée Pottier and Manon Perrin from the FFSA Academy team achieved their best result of the season. “It was a great rally. We had a lot of fun on the demanding special stages here. And the fact that it worked so well at my home rally is of course particularly nice,” said the 23-year-old from Le Mans, just 75 kilometres from Vendôme.

Jörg Schrott, head of Opel Motorsport, was one of the first to congratulate the new champions: “Luca and Dina have continuously improved their performance since joining the Cup. This year, they clearly set the bar as a team and truly deserved to win the title.”

The final of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” will take place on the 19th/20th October at the Central European Rally. The round of the World Rally Championship will be held under the auspices of the ADAC for the second time.

Standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” after 7 of 8 rounds:

1. Pröglhöf                 217 points.

2. Rott                         175 pts

3. Español                  156 pts

4. Lemke                    115 pts

5. Chalvin                  94 pts

6. Wittenbeck            91 pts

7. Pottier                    70 pts

8. Hangodi                 66 pts

9. Baudet                   65 pts

10. Melse                  37 pts

11. Kamermans        33 pts

12. Den Hartigh        24 pts

13. Bayer                   20 pts

14. Felke                    13 pts

Vauxhall Astra Crowned ‘Best Family Car’ at 2024 Business Car Awards

• Vauxhall wins two awards at the 2024 Business Car Awards
• Vauxhall Astra named ‘Best Family Car’ for the third year running
• Vauxhall also wins the ‘Best Fleet Website’ award for the second time
• Judges praised the Astra’s eye-catching design, low running costs and high equipment levels
• Available as the fully electric Astra Electric with a range of up to 258 miles (WLTP)
• By the end of 2024, all Vauxhall cars and vans will be available with a fully electric version

Vauxhall Astra has been named ‘Best Family Car’ at the 2024 Business Car Awards, for the third year in a row. Vauxhall was also awarded with the ‘Best Fleet Website’ prize at the ceremony held in London last night.

The annual Business Car Awards recognise and reward excellence in the automotive fleet sector, highlighting innovation and expertise amongst suppliers and fleet operators. The Vauxhall Astra was once again praised by judges for its low running costs and eye-catching design.

Available as a hatch or Sports Tourer estate, with petrol, plug-in hybrid and fully electric options, the Astra caters for a wide variety of needs. With zero-emissions-in-use, the Astra Electric qualifies for a Benefit-in-Kind rate of just 2% (2024/25), making it particularly well suited to both fleet and business users. The Astra Sports Tourer Electric is one of the few all-electric estate cars available on the market, providing greater choice and practicality to customers and fleet operators.

Martyn Collins, Editor, Business Car, said: “For the third year in a row, Vauxhall’s Astra is again our favourite family car. Not many rivals can offer the version and body style options of the Astra. Its design remains eye-catching and attractive, with low running costs, and all are well-equipped.”

Vauxhall’s website was praised for its vibrant design and clarity for potential fleet customers, making it simple and accessible for decision makers wanting to find out more about how the brand can meet their needs.

Martyn Collins commented: “Vauxhall’s bright website design was praised by our editorial team. In our opinion, it’s the best all-round website, as we felt it had an exceptional fleet focus. As such, it wins our Best Fleet Website accolade again for 2024.”

James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: “Vauxhall’s continued success at the Business Car Awards, with the Astra being named Best Family Car for the third year in a row, demonstrates that our model line-up is as appealing as ever. It’s also rewarding to see the quality of our website recognised by the judges once again. Whether it’s fleet or private buyers, Vauxhall is committed to driving Britain towards an electric future and supporting those who want to make the switch.”

By the end of this year, Vauxhall will offer a fully electric version of every car and van in its line-up. Vauxhall was the UK’s best-selling electric van manufacturer in 2023 and is the leading electric car brand year-to-date across retail and Motability channels combined.

Hydrogen newcomer: Opel Movano HYDROGEN celebrates world premiere at IAA Transportation

• Efficient and fast: Refill with hydrogen for over 500 kilometres range (WLTP 1) in less than five minutes
• All electric: Opel Combo Electric and Opel Rocks Electric with KARGO kit also on display
• Strong portfolio: Xavier Peugeot and Opel Chief Executive Officer Florian Huettl present innovative Pro One and Opel solutions

“Globally, we sold over 125,000 light commercial vehicles last year and we were able to substantially grow our battery-electric LCV sales by 41 percent. We want to continue this success in our LCV business. To do so, we are presenting new, trend-setting products for our customers here in Hanover,” said Opel CEO Florian Huettl at the IAA Transportation today while teasing the imminent world premiere of the Opel Movano HYDROGEN. At the joint Stellantis Pro One booth C70 in Hall 13, Xavier Peugeot, Senior Vice President Stellantis Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, and Florian Huettl presented the strong commercial vehicle portfolio of Stellantis and the innovative newcomers of the Opel brand.

Clever, efficient, timesaving: New Opel Movano HYDROGEN

The highlight of the Opel line-up was the Opel Movano HYDROGEN. “For the first time, we will offer the largest member of the Opel LCV family as a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle,” said Huettl. “Back in 2021, we launched the Opel Vivaro HYDROGEN, the first hydrogen transporter from a vehicle manufacturer. Today, with the introduction of the Movano HYDROGEN, we are now taking the next step and creating an even stronger offer.”

With its combination of hydrogen fuel cell drive and plug-in battery, the new Opel Movano HYDROGEN can travel over 500 kilometres (WLTP 1) and can be refuelled with hydrogen in under 5 minutes. This is an ideal solution for customers who need to drive long distances with zero local emissions and not lose time refuelling. The electric motor offers 110 kW (150 hp) of power and a maximum torque of 410 Newton meters. The 11 kWh lithium-ion battery provides support when starting or accelerating. Another major advantage of the system: braking energy can be recuperated and fed into the battery as electricity via the electric motor working as a generator.

“Obviously, our newcomer inherits all the virtues of its battery-electric and diesel siblings.” This includes a wide range of electronic “helpers” that put the Opel Movano at the forefront of its segment. It is also one of the first vehicles in its class to achieve level 2 assisted driving and impresses with a loading volume of up to 17 cubic metres – and thus makes no comprises in terms of everyday functionality regardless of the drivetrain. “The new Movano has everything it needs to meet the demands of our customers – even if they need to transport a Rocks Electric,” said Huettl while simultaneously revealing the next member of Opel’s IAA Transportation line-up.

Battery-electric light motor vehicle as a micro-LCV: Opel Rocks Electric

Opel Rocks Electric had a very special appearance in Hanover. The smallest vehicle in the Opel portfolio, which young people aged 15 and over can drive in Germany, was in the hold of the new Movano HYDROGEN – equipped with the practical KARGO kit. The battery-electric light motor vehicle with ultra-compact dimensions of 2.41 x 1.39 x 1.52 metres (length x width x height) and the KARGO kit has additional modularly divisible loading volume available. This turns the two-seater into a practical delivery vehicle in no time.

Transporter with passenger car design and technologies: Opel Combo Electric

The third member of Opel’s IAA Transportation also proposes a convincing offer. The new Opel Combo Electric impressively demonstrates how Opel brings passenger car innovations onto the LCV market. The new edition of the compact Opel LCV is instantly recognisable and unmistakable, with a newly designed front and the characteristic Opel Vizor brand face. In addition to all the proven qualities of the previous version, the new Combo can illuminate the road ahead for the first time with the glare-free IntelliLux Matrix Light. This makes the compact van the first to bring state-of-the-art adaptive lighting technology to this market segment. The battery-electric vehicle, which can be ordered from €31,250 excl. VAT in Germany, now offers a locally emissions-free range of up to 354 kilometres (WLTP 2), around 80 kilometres more than its predecessor. Together with the Vivaro Electric, the fourth member of the Opel LCV family, the brand can offer a strong all-electric solution for almost any user profile.

The IAA Transportation 2024 in Hannover runs until Sunday, September 22 and is open to visitors daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

[1] Provisional range values determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). Actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning. Vehicle not yet available.

[2] Range values determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). Actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.