Good news for nostalgics waiting for the ‘electric comeback’ of Opels’s 1970s icon, the Manta. Although Stellantis first said in January 2024 to ‘freeze’ the plans for a launch in 2025, now Opel brand boss Florian Huettl said in an interview with German car magazine Automobilwoche that the project ‘is making progress’.

According to Huettl, at Opel, they are convinced that what once worked well for so many people can still be relevant for future generations, but—of course—now in a fully electric version. “This car will not be a copy of the historic model. It will be a car for a broad target group. But I can assure you that we will treat our history with great respect, ” he added.

Revival of an icon

Opel’s former CEO, Michael Lohscheller, launched in 2021 the idea that the German brand would introduce an emotional electric model mimicking its iconic Manta model by the middle of the decade.

The Manta GSe ElektroMOD concept shown looked like a 1970 Manta converted to an electric drive – the ‘MOD’ in the name for ‘modern’ and ‘modification’. Opel said this refers to technical and stylistic modifications catering to a modern lifestyle. Apart from changes to the drive system, the Manta GSe ElektroMOD would also feature the fully digital cockpit from the Mokka-e.

That new electric Manta was to carry the ‘Opel Vizor’ face, which, for the first time, was introduced in the concept car that was a mock-up only without a drivetrain. That Vizor face will likely be one of the few design clues remaining in future models.

Another thing left from the Manta-e study is the GSe label, which will become a sub-brand for the more dynamic electric models, with the ‘e’ indicating the electric drive. GS/E used to stand for Grand Sport, and the E referred to ‘Einspritzung’, which at the time replaced the outdated carburetor technology with a refined injection that realized more power at lower consumption and emissions.

Exit Lochscheller

Initially, the feedback on the Manta GSe ElektroMOD study presented as a rendering in March 2021 had been so “overwhelming” that Opel’s market research would undoubtedly influence a potential series version.

In an interview with Business Insider, Lohscheller at that time said that “in his wildest dreams, he had not expected the feedback to be so overwhelming. At the moment, I’m still totally gobsmacked because we’ve only shown a few first pictures, not the whole car,” the Opel CEO said. “Germany seems to be waiting for the Manta.”