VXR brand to live on under Groupe PSA – report
Hotter models haven't been forgotten, but they'll need to change with the times
There are still plenty of questions about Opel and Vauxhall under their new Groupe PSA ownership, but one thing is becoming clear: there's still a place for hotted-up sports models under French ownership.
A report from CarBuyer quotes a Vauxhall brand spokesperson, who says "VXR will survive" under the new ownership, although the sub-brand will likely need to shift from larger-displacement engines to compact hybrids.
At the moment, there are no 'current' VXR cars in the Vauxhall range. The imported VXR8 (an Australian product) is no longer, while the Astra and Corsa VXR don't meet ever-tightening European emissions regulations.
The company does offer a handful of warmed-over GSi models at the moment, but they're not as performance-oriented as outgoing VXR cars. The current Insignia GSi – offered in Australia as a Commodore VXR – was developed under General Motors ownership, which is why there's also a Buick version.
"We haven't lost this sporting brand, and it will remain at the forefront of performance motoring in the mainstream," the spokesperson told CarBuyer, even if it'll "need more efficient power sources" to survive.
As for what that will look like? It's not exactly clear at this point, but the next Corsa will be built on the PSA CMP platform – or the e-CMP in the case of the battery-electric model promised for 2020.
Those are the same underpinnings as the next-gen 208 and 308, both of which will likely be treated to a Peugeot Sport makeover. It would make sense for the hot Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot cars to be co-developed, although there's no guarantee that's what will happen.
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