New Opel Rocks-e: Citroen Ami-based two-seat electric city-car unveiled

This is the Opel Rocks-e: a pure-electric city-car quadricycle from Vauxhall’s sister brand, based on the Citroen Ami. Order books for the ultra-compact Rocks-e will open in Germany later this year, followed by other European markets from 2022.

The Rocks-e uses the same platform and powertrain as the Ami, with a front axle-mounted electric motor producing 8bhp giving it a top speed of just 28mph. Designed for city streets, the Rocks-e also has an impressive 7.2-metre turning circle, plus it’s only 2.41 metres long and 1.39m wide.

The new Opel also uses the same 5.5kWh battery as its Citroen sister car, which provides enough juice to cover 47 miles. Fully recharging the battery takes three-and-a-half hours via a three-pin socket, although Opel will offer an adapter for when you need to top up from a charging point.

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Much like the Citroen Ami it’s based on, the Rocks-e is classed as a quadricycle so it can be driven from the age of 15, so long as the driver has a light motorcycle licence (AM licence).

Design-wise, the Rocks-e gets slightly different front and rear bumpers, and features an interpretation of the ‘Vizor’ grille design from the new Grandland, Crossland and Mokka SUVs, as well as the Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD zero-emissions restomod unveiled earlier in 2021. 

Inside, you get two seats, a digital driver’s display and a smartphone cradle. According to Opel, the Rocks-e should provide ample headroom for most people and offers 63-litres of storage space in the passenger footwell. 

There will be three versions of the new Rocks-e: an entry-level model and Klub and TeKno variants. Exact equipment levels and the Rocks-e’s price haven’t been revealed yet, but Opel claims “monthly leasing costs will be similar to that of a ticket for local public transportation.”

However, while there remains a chance that the Citroen Ami or it’s commercial variant, the My Ami Cargo, could make their way to the UK, the Rocks-e won’t.