Opel is going to bring back a classic badge from the 1990s when it replaces the small Crossland crossover later this year. That's right, folks; the Frontera is back.
Early 1990s
The Frontera name originally appeared on Opel's early-1990s SUV, itself a rebadged version of an Isuzu product (both brands were at the time part of the General Motors empire). It was also one of the first SUVs on the market, beating the likes of Land Rover's Freelander to the punch by half a decade.
Now, the name is back but the product is very different. The new Frontera, which will go on sale towards the end of this year (realistically, it's a 2025 product from an Opel Ireland point of view), is a replacement for the small Crossland crossover although, as ever with such things, the march of time has equalised the sizes - the once-chunky original Frontera is about the same length overall as a Crossland, which we consider to be quite a compact model.
Fully-electric version
As well as petrol and hybrid options, the new Frontera will also come with an all-electric version. Opel hasn't released any details on that model yet, but it's probably a fairly safe bet that it will use the same 156hp electric motor and 54kWh battery as the updated Mokka for a range of around 400km.
Opel CEO Florian Huettl said: "The name Frontera is ideally suited to our new, exciting SUV model. It will have a confident character and be positioned right in the core of the market."
Opel says that the new Frontera: "will come with a high level of space and versatility and thus appeal to customers with an active lifestyle and families alike. The newcomer will also continue Opel's long-standing tradition of bringing affordable mobility to a wide range of customers by being offered at an attractive price." Indeed, there have been suggestions that Opel is lining up the Frontera as an affordable rival to the likes of the Dacia Duster.
Chunky styling
The styling will represent a massive change from the current Crossland, which is something of a hybrid of an SUV and an MPV. The Frontera, as can be seen from the silhouette here, is much more square-edged and more definitively an SUV.
Along with the launch, also in 2024, of the new Grandland, the Frontera will mark the point at which the entire Opel passenger car and commercial range will be available with a fully electric option. By 2028, Opel has said that it will sell only fully electric models.
The first proper images and details of the Frontera will be revealed in the coming weeks.