With production of the Insignia ending this year, Opel is officially offering a sporty vehicle by discontinuing the OPC badge. However, the guys from Rüsselsheim didn’t leave behind any attractive cars at all as the plan was to restore the GSe moniker. I used to mean”Grand SHarbor Einspritzung” (Grand Sport Injection) on the Commodore GS/E and Monza GSE in the past, but going forward, the acronym will mean “Grand SHarbor eelectricity.”
Touted as a new sub-brand, the GSe (with a lowercase “e”) will be used for “a dynamic and fun car” thanks to bespoke chassis tuning and extensive testing on the Autobahn. With Opel using the word “electric” instead of just “electric”, logic tells us that some plug-in hybrids could also get the suffix, along with pure EVs. As a refresher, all German brand models will have electrified derivatives in 2024 leading up to 2028 when the combustion engine will be completely downgraded in Europe.
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This announcement comes alongside the reveal of the new badge, previewed in May 2021 when Opel launches the Manta GSe ElektroMOD. Back then, it was just an LED graphic on the headlights, but now it has been revealed as a standalone logo that future production models will wear.
It is unclear which road model will be the first to receive GSe treatment. However, Opel says the Manta will return in 2025 as an EV in crossover form because of course. Insignia’s successor has been confirmed to drop ICE. The spicy electric Astra is believed to be in the works. It usually means GSi or OPC derivatives, but it could end up being called Astra GSe.
It’s only a matter of time before Opel will launch a pure electric Astra with the Peugeot sibling brand coming out this week with the E-308 in hatchback and wagon variants. The GSe version will require a more robust setup as the French duo only has 156 horsepower (115 kilowatts) and 260 Newton-meters (191 pound-feet) of torque, which isn’t exactly a performance show.
