With production of the Insignia ending this year, Opel is officially bidding adieu to sporty vehicles by discontinuing the OPC badge. However, the folks from Rüsselsheim are not abandoning exciting cars altogether as the plan is to bring back the GSe moniker. It used to mean "Grand Sport Einspritzung" (Grand Sport Injection) on the Commodore GS/E and Monza GSE back in the day, but going forward, the acronym will stand for "Grand Sport electric."
Touted as being a new range-topping sub-brand, GSe (with a lowercase "e") will be used for "dynamic, fun-to-drive cars" thanks to bespoke chassis tuning and extensive testing on the Autobahn. With Opel using the word "electrified" rather than just "electric," logic tells us some plug-in hybrids could also get the suffix, along with pure EVs. As a refresher, all of the German brand's models will have an electrified derivative by 2024 ahead of 2028 when the combustion engine is going to be dropped completely in Europe.
2021 Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD concept
The announcement comes along with the reveal of a new badge, which was previewed in May 2021 when Opel unveiled the Manta GSe ElektroMOD. Back then, it was only an LED graphic in the headlights, but now it has been revealed as a standalone logo future production models will wear.
It’s unclear which road-going model will be the first to receive the GSe treatment. However, Opel has said the Manta will return in 2025 as an EV in crossover shape because of course. The Insignia's replacement has already been confirmed to drop the ICE. A spicy electric Astra is believed to be in the works. That would usually mean a GSi or an OPC derivative, but it could ultimately be called the Astra GSe.
It is only a matter of time before Opel will roll out a purely electric Astra taking into account sister brand Peugeot came out this week with the E-308 in both hatchback and wagon flavors. A GSe version would need a beefier setup since the French duo has only 156 horsepower (115 kilowatts) and 260 Newton-meters (191 pound-feet) of torque, which doesn't exactly scream performance.
