Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro C History

Opel Vivaro C was introduced in 2019 and marked the biggest structural change in the nameplate’s history. After two generations developed as sister vehicles to the Renault Trafic (Vivaro A and Vivaro B), the third generation moved onto Groupe PSA’s EMP2 platform following Opel/Vauxhall joining Groupe PSA in 2017. Historically, Vivaro C is the point where “platform sharing” shifted from a Renault partnership model to a Stellantis multi-brand strategy, aligning the Vivaro with a wider family of mid-size vans produced and sold under several brands. Opel Vivaro C History

Opel Vivaro C: EMP2 platform

In official communications around launch, Opel stated that the third-generation Vivaro would be open for orders in early 2019 and reach dealerships in late summer; Opel also confirmed that its Rüsselsheim R&D centre was responsible for the global development of light-commercial vehicles for the wider PSA organisation. In the UK, Vauxhall positioned the EMP2-based Vivaro as a British-built product, supported by investment intended to expand output at the Luton plant; Stellantis later confirmed that the same site produced the Vauxhall Vivaro and Opel Vivaro alongside sister models such as Peugeot Expert, Citroën Dispatch/Jumpy and Fiat Scudo, and that Luton had built 1.5 million “Vivaro-platform” vans by June 2023. Early diesel ranges for the new-generation vans used 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines (with multiple factory outputs), while the all-electric Vivaro-e—with 50 kWh or 75 kWh battery options—won the International Van of the Year 2021 award. The generation expanded into new niches with the Vivaro-e HYDROGEN fuel-cell variant, launched into series production in Rüsselsheim with fast refuelling and a WLTP range stated above 400 km, while the 2024 update introduced Opel’s “Vizor” front-end design and a new digital cockpit approach, alongside an improved electric driving range quoted up to 350 km (WLTP) for Vivaro Electric. Vivaro C is therefore the “EMP2 and electrification” generation: not a facelift of the earlier Trafic-based vans, but a platform change driven by ownership and group strategy. For deeper technical detail, keep this history page focused and link out to specification pages rather than duplicating full data tables in the historical narrative.