Design of the Year 2021: Opel Mokka

The new Matrixmovie is on the way, but forgive me if you think you’ve already entered a rather wobbly parallel reality: TG that decides that Opel will receive the Design of the Year 2021? What is happening here?

But there are no red or blue pills involved here, just some inspiration, technique and a lot of hard work. The Opel Mokka-e could well be the most eye-catching car of 2021, and that in a playing field that also includes a bunch of supercars and new work by some Seriously Big Boys. The fact that he wears the previously not always desirable Opel badge makes that all the more surprising. But he looks good with that ‘visor’-front, isn’t it?

Why does the Mocha win Design of the Year 2021?

Okay, the design team couldn’t help but fiddle with contrasting hood colours, but the basics are rock solid: the proportions, the way it ‘holds’ on the road, the surfaces and overall looks are beyond doubt. He is assertive without looking angry, friendly without being cartoonish. It is 124 millimeters shorter than the previous one, but 10 millimeters wider. What helps.

And so does the Peugeot technology under the skin, which he received as part of the takeover in 2019. As does the interior, which repeats the visor face without scaring the kids and remembers to be left with a few physical buttons rather than rigorously aiming all functionality into a cheesy touchscreen. There is also a version with an internal combustion engine, but this is really one of those compact crossovers that makes use of an electric powertrain. This provides 136 hp and a 50-kWh battery that, according to the statement, should enable a range of 324 kilometers (although you have to take into account less, especially in this season).

Speaking is the vice president of Opel/Vauxhall design, Mark Adams, on how the glorious ascent of the Mokka-e took place…

What does the Mokka-e stand for?

“This car is the catalyst. Here’s what we can do now that we’ve got our act together. And I’m not just talking about the design, but about the company and the brand. There is more focus on consistency and on doing cool things. It’s no longer just about being competitive. “Being competitive” is almost a dirty word now, because we now have a winning mentality. A car like the Mokka-e is not the work of a team that suffered from embarrassment.”

How did they do it?

“Our image was dusty, so we dismantled the whole thing and went straight back to the fundamentals. It is still quite a hassle to get all noses in a car company as large as ours in the same direction. Every design discussion I’ve had with Carlos (Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis) has been positive: ‘Go, go, go, keep going!’ His passion for the brand is really great and he has a keen eye for design. He understands things that most people don’t. It’s fantastic for the team to have so much confidence. We have been given a freedom that we have never known before. There was not much room within the old structure. But if you can show what is possible, you get more freedom and everything becomes more and more positive. Again, this is not just about design, it applies to all meetings at the executive level. We have a completely new dialogue now, we challenge each other and work together. I find it very exciting, and I’ve been involved in this profession for a while.’

How do you deliver an Opel vibe?

“We’ve worked really hard to deliver ‘the good experience’, so that when people sit in an Opel, they appreciate the way some things work or feel. It’s visual, tactile, how you sit in your chair – that’s an emotional experience, you react to something. And what is design if not a process that causes you to react to something? Our work now has many more layers than ever before. In the 1970s, the interior of a car was always the final piece, which also had to be done.’

How will Opel distinguish itself within Stellantis?

‘The design team consists of 30 different nationalities. Malcolm Ward is the Head of Exterior Design and I’ve got a few more Brits around at the chief designer level. So we have quite a British point of view, if you want to call it that. That in any case helps to keep the balance right, especially if all those brands are mixed up. The best British design is pure and strong – think Colin Chapman, or more recently James Dyson. That’s kind of the beat behind all the music we make. Vauxhalls and Opels were pure and strong in the ’60s, so everything is already there. We just didn’t talk about it in the same way back then.”

Why there isn’t just a touchscreen

‘Physical buttons provide faster response times. No one wants to scroll through a menu if all they want to do is turn the heating up or down. If it’s not simple and intuitive, it’s not good design. We’re working on the next series now, and we’re very focused on technology that actually adds value, rather than draws attention to it. It’s about ease of use and relevance. We are not a premium brand, we do not charge insane amounts of money for our products. And so we have to be picky about where we focus our attention, that it goes to the things that add. And the base must appeal widely.’

Pushing boundaries but not scaring people off

‘Oddness can be very polarizing, in the sense that 10 percent of customers think it’s wonderful and 90 percent don’t like it at all. That’s not a success story, is it? The challenge lies in idiosyncrasy, which nevertheless appeals very broadly. And we know that this car does and is both. We need to understand who we are selling to, we need to get a lot of basic things in order, listen to people. It’s like being a translator. Many people don’t want weird situations, but they do want to have the technology. We want to take them with us on that journey, because it is certain that we will get there. We have to have a sustainable goal, and the challenge is to walk over that balance beam, to move everything forward, but to include as many people as possible. You need experience for that. And that means that I have to make very complicated choices every day.’