Opel is a little late to the compact SUV party - dominated by the Nissan and Hyundai - but it needs to enter the crossover market fast to catch up with ever-growing sales in this sector. Crossovers are the cars people want these days, as they move from traditional saloons and hatchbacks to cars that share features of both cars and sports utility vehicles. Traditional family cars are on the way out for many people.
The Grandland X is Opel's response to this market demand. It will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and be on the market fairly quickly thereafter. No engine details have been given but as this is a mid-range offering so too will the engine choices.
The car is almost 4.5 metres long. Standard equipment has not been revealed either but Opel says the Grandland will come with lots of extras - from adaptive cruise control with pedestrian detection to advanced park assist to automatic emergency braking - but these are likely to cost extra too.
While Opel has been slow in recent years to catch up with market trends, it has been catching up in terms of the quality and finish of its newer cars. Much of the improved interior of current models will probably be seen in the Grandland X. Its success, however, will depend very much on the price and what equipment is standard.
