Opel

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and the PSA Group have signed a definitive merger agreement. The two companies say they will, in time, generate two-thirds of its sales from just two platforms: one for compact cars, and one for compact and mid-size models. Each platform is expected to generate around three million sales per year globally.

Independent crash-testing firm, Euro NCAP, has released its latest round of safety ratings, with the new Mazda CX-30, Ford Explorer, and Mercedes-Benz GLB all achieving five-star results. The star of the show was the Mazda CX-30, which recorded a near-perfect 99 per cent score for Adult Occupant Protection, giving it the highest score for this category against Euro NCAP's 2018-19 protocol.

German brand Opel is surging ahead with its 'Charge!' electrification strategy, promising a total of eight electrified vehicles "in important volume segments" by 2021. "We will electrify our entire product portfolio by 2024. Further models will follow very soon after we made the start with the Corsa-e and the Grandland X Hybrid4 this year," said Michael Lohscheller, CEO for Opel and Vauxhall.

The facelifted Holden Commodore has been spied in wagon-bodied Opel guise during hot weather testing in Europe, ahead of an anticipated reveal later this year. Sold abroad as the Insignia under the Opel and Vauxhall brands, the updated Commodore still wears heavy camouflage at the front and rear to disguise the upcoming design changes.

Opel and Vauxhall have revealed their first-ever mainstream plug-in hybrid, the Grandland X Hybrid4. Shown here in Vauxhall guise, the crossover PHEV is essentially a re-skinned version of the related Peugeot 3008 GT Hybrid4. That means there's a 200hp (149kW) 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine hooked up to a pair of electric motors (109hp/81kW combined) and a 13.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack. All up the company claims a system power output of 300hp, equivalent to 224kW.