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Opel presents the first today SUM, acronym for Sustainable Urban Mobility, in Italian car for sustainable urban mobility. AND Opel Rocks-e to represent for the first time what someone could mistake for a new segment, and instead it is only an abbreviation invented by Opel to imitate, probably, the various other acronyms SUV, SAC, and company, which for some years have been depopulated on the market in the attempt to create a niche manned by a single model.
Opel Rocks-e is a “entry level electric vehicle” – as the German company itself defines it – which remembers from the first glance the Citroen Ami. And it is no coincidence that electric cars are very similar, because in light of the fact that Opel and Citroen belong to the same industrial group – before PSA, then Stellantis – in all likelihood the two are very close relatives. No word on the part of Opel in the statement announcing the birth of Rocks-e, but in short, it is a deduction within the scope.
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After all, it is not difficult to grasp elements of similarity between the few technical data communicated on Rocks-e e those, widely known, by Ami, which, moreover, we have already subjected to an in-depth test. Starting from size (2.41 m long and 1.39 m wide), passing through the battery from only 5.5 kWh (but the extreme lightness allows excellent autonomy for urban use) or for the trunk: Opel declares a volume of 63 liters (approximately that of a motorcycle trunk) for the area dedicated to the passenger’s legs and feet, used as a makeshift trunk.
But it matters relatively, because Opel Rocks-e is a SUM or a car from purely urban attitudes, therefore, with enormous qualities in terms of compactness and agility but which inevitably implies lot of compromises.
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MINI DIMENSIONS, AUTONOMY FROM … SUM
Opel Rocks-e is a light quadricycle, i.e. a four-wheeled, two-seater vehicle that can also be driven with the patents AM, then starting from the age of fourteen. The dimensions, as anticipated, are extra small: 2.41 x 1.39 x 1.52 meters, just 471 kg of weight including batteries. Factors that combined with 14-inch wheels and a turning radius of just 7.20 meters make Opel Rocks-e the perfect city “animal”.
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After all, it would be difficult to venture out of urban centers with just one 45 km / h top speed (limited by the law on quadricycles) and 5.5 kWh of batteries, a capacity that according to the data declared is sufficient to guarantee 75 kilometers of autonomy in the WLTP cycle. However, the modest capacity of the accumulators has repercussions when recharging: the car can be brought to 100% from totally discharged to about three and a half hours through a common domestic socket, which is a significant advantage.
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TRADITIONALLY UNUSUAL DESIGN
The design of Opel Rocks-e differs little from that of its French sister, almost twin at this point. The small car has the same layout as opening and closing the doors of the Ami, with that of the driver that opens against the wind unlike that of the passenger side, the same opening mechanism of the windows, a cockpit essential with information limited to speed, speedometer, driving modes – Drive, Neutral or Reverse -, battery charge and remaining range, and the support on the center console for the smartphone that can act as a control center thanks to the my Opel app .
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IN AUTUMN IN GERMANY, ELSEWHERE IN 2022
Three the equipment available at launch: Opel Rocks-e, Opel Rocks-e Klub and Opel Rocks-e TeKno. The car will be available from autumn in Germany and in 2022 on other markets. Opel describes the Rocks-e prices as follows:
The German price will clearly be lower than that of a small car and the monthly leasing price will be similar to that for a local public transport ticket.
The Citroen Ami starts in Italy from 7,200 euros in the list, gross of state incentives which are those provided for electric motorcycles, in force for example for residents of Milan. The leasing provides a first fee of 2,144 euros and 35 monthly payments of 19.99 euros: the figures for Opel Rocks-e they should be similar.
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