Opel Increases Europe-Wide Sales of Light Commercial Vehicles

• Strong growth in European core markets
• Vivaro-e is European leader in its segment
• Combo and Vivaro-e named Van of the Year
• Complete van portfolio on the road with zero emissions

Opel has significantly increased sales of its light commercial vehicles across Europe in the first 11 months of 2021. Compared to the same period last year, sales grew by 12.1 per cent to around 100,000 units¹. The results in important markets such as Germany (+9.0 per cent), United Kingdom (+8.1 per cent), France (+25.2 per cent) and Spain (+6.0 per cent) contributed significantly to this development.

The growth of the battery-electric Vivaro-e from Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall between January and October is particularly pleasing. In Europe, the Vivaro-e leads the D segment with a share of 21 per cent. In the overall ranking of all electrified commercial vehicles, the midsize van is in a convincing third place – also thanks to the high sales figures in the UK. There, the Vivaro-e holds a market share of almost 50 per cent in the segment. In Germany, the Opel Vivaro-e has reached third place in the top list. Demand for the only recently introduced Combo-e is already equally good.

“Our light commercial vehicles are holding their own very successfully in the market and have by no means exhausted their full potential,” said Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz. “Now that all our LCVs – the Opel Combo-e, Vivaro-e and Movano-e – are available for battery-electric, zero-emissions transportation, we will generate further impetus.”

Opel’s light commercial vehicles are highly regarded by customers and the media. For example, the Opel Combo (2019) and the Opel Vivaro-e (2021) were named Van of the Year by an international jury of experts. Another big fan of the electric vans from Rüsselsheim is mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner, who uses the Opel Zafira-e Life and Opel Vivaro-e for emissions-free shuttle operations and deliveries to his mountain museums.

Fleet customers are currently particularly interested in the zero emissions Vivaro-e. Opel’s sister brand Vauxhall has already signed contracts for 3,000 battery-electric Vivaro-e vehicles with British Gas and for a further 655 vehicles for the service company Mitie. In Germany, registrations of the Combo increased by 27 per cent compared with the same period last year, the highest growth within the Opel LCV fleet.

In addition to the Combo compact van and the Vivaro midsize van, Opel also offers the Movano large van as the battery-electric Movano-e – as with all Opel’s electrified commercial vehicles, with full functionality and unrestricted load volume compared to the conventional variants. This makes the brand with the Blitz currently the only one to offer its entire LCV portfolio battery-electric, emission-free and immediately orderable.

^[1] Europe 29