New 2021 Vauxhall Mokka teased and electric version confirmed

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This is our first official look at the next-generation Vauxhall Mokka - the firm’s answer to the brand new Ford Puma, Nissan Juke and Renault Captur in the highly competitive and ever expanding small SUV class.

The teaser image complements a flood of spy shots of the newcomer undergoing development, and is accompanied with final confirmation that the car’s brand new platform will support a fully-electric version, and also, that the next version of the car will lose the ‘X’ suffix used on the previous-generation model’s name. The name will change from Mokka X to just Mokka.

Vauxhall has also confirmed that production will begin in the fourth quarter of 2020, with first customer deliveries in early 2021. We’ve known for some time now that the next Mokka would come with an electric variant, but interestingly, Vauxhall has confirmed that fully-electric versions of the new Mokka will hit showrooms at the same time as the initial petrol and diesel versions. A “fully digitalised” cabin is promised, too.

Our latest exclusive images show how the model should look when it goes on sale in the first half of 2021. They’re based on recent spy shots taken when a much more lightly disguised Mokka prototype was captured undergoing cold-weather testing.

Vauxhall Mokka X spied rear side

Vauxhall Mokka X spied rear side
Vauxhall Mokka X spied front side

Vauxhall Mokka X spied front side
Vauxhall Mokka X spied side front

Vauxhall Mokka X spied side front
Vauxhall Mokka X spied front

Vauxhall Mokka X spied front
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Vauxhall Mokka X spied side rear

Vauxhall Mokka X spied side rear
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The modestly camouflaged car in the latest spy shots is likely to have been a deliberate tactic from Vauxhall and its sister brand Opel, as they sought to kick-start early momentum for the new model by showing how big a departure it will represent over the old car.

The prototype demonstrates that Vauxhall/Opel’s design team – still led by Briton Mark Adams – is keeping the car lower and wider than before, and taking several key styling cues from the well received GT X Experimental concept, which was first revealed in autumn 2018.

In particular, the GT X’s wider, flatter front end looks set to be adopted, and Vauxhall/Opel’s designers are trying to retain as much of its roofline as possible. However, the detailing around the prototype’s C-pillar shows that they’re also trying to keep some headroom for rear-seat passengers.

Speaking to Auto Express, Michael Lohscheller, the boss of Vauxhall’s parent brand Opel, said that while his company’s focus for 2020 is the newly launched Corsa, the target for 2021 is to bring the Mokka back to market after a hiatus of around 18 months (it was pulled from sale in the UK late last year). “The Mokka is one of the most important launches we’ve had for some time. We have new tech, electrification and a new design language,” he explained.

“It will be on the CMP platform, so that means a pure-electric version will come as well, alongside diesel and gasoline. We also have a new design language based on the GT X Experimental concept car. The Mokka will come very close to it.”

Vauxhall Mokka X spied rear side

Vauxhall Mokka X spied rear side
Vauxhall Mokka X spied front side

Vauxhall Mokka X spied front side
Vauxhall Mokka X spied side front

Vauxhall Mokka X spied side front
Vauxhall Mokka X spied front

Vauxhall Mokka X spied front
Vauxhall%20Mokka%20X%20spyshot%202020-5.jpg

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Vauxhall%20Mokka%20X%20spyshot%202020-4.jpg

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Vauxhall Mokka X spied side rear

Vauxhall Mokka X spied side rear
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Vauxhall%20Mokka%20X%20exclusive%20image.jpg

image Avarvarii
2020%20Vauxhall%20Mokka%20teaser.jpg

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That should mean at least two 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech petrol options, along with a 1.5 four-cylinder diesel. The Mokka e, meanwhile, is all but certain to get the same 50kWh battery pack as the electric 2008, giving a range of around 200 miles on a single charge. All cars will be front-wheel drive, although it’s feasible that more potent versions will be offered with a more advanced traction-control system to give some very limited off-road capability. A plug-in hybrid version won’t appear - the CMP underpinnings is strictly for combustion engined and pure electric models.

It’s unclear how much the new design language will contribute to the new Mokka’s cabin, but the promise of a more digital environment means it’ll be a large departure from what has gone before. The GT X concept featured a dramatic ultra-wide display across the top of the dashboard – but while we would expect a digital instrument panel to be standard on many versions of the car, it’s likely to be offered in conjunction with a more conventional central infotainment display, of a new design familiar to other PSA models but new to Vauxhall.

Lohscheller didn’t pull any punches when asked to confirm the schedule for the Mokka. “It will be in production at the end of this year with commercial launch beginning next year,” he said. “It’s an incredibly important car for us.”

What does the new Vauxhall Mokka X have to beat? Read our run-down of the best electric cars currently on sale

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