CarBrandLogos archive · Opel · 2012

OpelMokka

An early small crossover, then the car that redrew Opel's face.

Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Opel history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Opel Mokka, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The first Mokka arrived in 2012, at the point when European buyers were beginning to abandon superminis for small high-riding crossovers. It was built on General Motors' Gamma platform and sold in parallel as the Buick Encore and Chevrolet Trax, initially imported from Korea, which made it profitable from the start and slightly generic to drive.

2016 Vauxhall Mokka Exclusiv Turbo 1.4 · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

2021 Vauxhall Mokka-e Launch Edition Front

Design and engineering

The second-generation car of 2020 is the more interesting one. Under Stellantis ownership it moved to the shared CMP platform, lost a substantial amount of length and weight compared with its predecessor, and introduced the Vizor, a black panel running across the nose that unifies grille, badge and lamps. That treatment has since spread across the entire Opel range and is now the brand's clearest visual signature.

2021 Vauxhall Mokka-e Launch Edition Front · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

It was also the first Opel launched with a battery-electric version alongside the petrol and diesel cars rather than after them, reflecting how quickly the small crossover class became a proving ground for electrification.

2021 Opel Mokka-e front view · Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0

At a glance