New 2019 electric Vauxhall Corsa: pictures, specs and release date

The new Vauxhall eCorsa, the forthcoming electric version of the next-generation Vauxhall Corsa, has been teased. The British brand revealed the LED headlights that'll feature when the car is launched later in 2019.

Like its sister cars the new Peugeot 208 and DS 3 Crossback, the Corsa will be offered in electric form alongside petrol and diesel versions. The eCorsa, as it'll be called, is expected to offer a range of around 250 miles and be compatible with Type 2 and CCS chargers.

Performance details are being kept under wraps for now, but Vauxhall says the headlight technology previewed here will provide "glare-free" lighting; it's already used on the Astra and Insignia.

The LED matrix allows approaching traffic to be "cut out" of the headlights' path automatically, minimising the impact on other road users.

The electric Corsa was first previewed in the form of the Vauxhall GT X Experimental (pictured below), a concept car built to showcase the car's new powertrain.

Ultimately, Vauxhall’s aim is to maintain the Corsa’s appeal as an affordable, practical compact hatchback, so don’t expect to see the extreme design flair of the GT X. However, the next Corsa will herald a fresh design focus and a new electrified era for the company, with the eCorsa being the first car to really take on the Renault ZOE, which currently holds sway as the most affordable way into a compact family hatchback.

Vauxhall eCorsa: high-performance VXR version possible

While the regular version of the eCorsa is set to arrive in 2019, 2021 could see the debut of a hot, high-performance VXR version of the eCorsa. Speaking to our sister brand Auto Express, the CEO of Opel/Vauxhall Michael Lohscheller said: “You can be sure that we will have some positive surprises in terms of having emotion as one brand pillar of Vauxhall.

“I think the electrification point is important; most people think electrification is for green reasons, for CO2, etc. It’s not only that – it’s also fun. I think that’s what we’re thinking of and how we might bring that to more people – but it’s just in the thinking at the moment.

“We’re thinking about how we can bring electrification to a new level in terms of sportiness. This emotional aspect of electrification is important, so its not years away.”

Vauxhall is set to have four electrified models on sale by the end of 2020. There'll be a Vauxhall Grandland X PHEV arriving in late 2019, followed by the Vauxhall eCorsa in early 2020. After that comes a Vauxhall Vivaro electric van, called the Vivaro-e, and finally an electric version of the next-generation Vauxhall Mokka X.