Hot new Vauxhall Mokka GSE hits the road ahead of official unveiling

Vauxhall’s fledgling GSE sub-brand is hotting up and soon it’ll introduce a performance version of the Mokka - spied here for the very first time. 

The Mokka GSE will join a list of zero-emission performance cars from Vauxhall. The all-electric Astra and Corsa are set to gain sporty GSE variants, while a new pure-electric Grandland GSE will replace the previous-generation plug-in hybrid Grandland GSe. 

We already know plenty about the Mokka GSE’s underpinnings thanks to its Stellantis siblings, the Abarth 600e and Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, which use the same platform and powertrain. Vauxhall has also teased the Mokka GSE’s design and even created an FIA eRally5-regulated Mokka GSE Rally to whet our appetites. 

These new spy shots give us plenty of fresh details about the sporty electric crossover. As previewed by Vauxhall’s shadowy Mokka GSE teaser images, it’ll get the same ‘IntelliLux’ LED matrix headlights currently offered on higher-spec models, although the front bumper has been subtly revamped with a larger air opening. 

Vauxhall says GSE owners can look forward to a “sporty look” – which we expect to include the larger wheels found on older GSe models; the rims on the car in these latest spy shots look similar in size to the 20-inch rims found on the Abarth 600e. Under the ‘OMG’ camouflage wrap (similar to the Mokka GSE Rally’s), we can expect white paint to be the statement colour of the GSE, but there don’t appear to be any changes over the standard Mokka Electric at the rear. 

According to the company, GSE customers will get “a chassis set-up that directly integrates the driver and offers exciting driving pleasure”, while the cars are “designed to be stable when braking, cornering and at high speeds on the motorway”.

While we don’t think it's the most dynamic car in its class, the regular Mokka Electric uses the e-CMP architecture from parent firm Stellantis. Within the group, the newer Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce and Abarth 600e both use a modified version of this platform called Perfo e-CMP. The Alfa Romeo and Abarth are capable of using a 278bhp electric motor to power the front wheels via a limited-slip differential, although Abarth also offers a less-powerful 235bhp version of the powertrain that might be better-suited to use in the Mokka GSE. To help manage the extra power, expect to see 380mm four-piston front brakes developed by Alcon.

Whatever the output, we expect the all-electric Mokka GSE to provide notably stronger performance than the current 154bhp model when it arrives, possibly as soon as late 2025. 

At the same time as the number of GSE cars is expanding, Vauxhall has also updated the sub-brand’s logo, tweaking not only its design, but also its size, replacing the old ‘GSe’ format. It still stands for Grand Sport Electric and was designed to replace Vauxhall’s old GSi logo that featured on the likes of the Carlton, Nova and Astra.

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