Next Vauxhall Corsa VXR goes electric

• Exclusive images preview racy styling
• Electric Mokka VXR also coming
• May not have any extra power

The Vauxhall Corsa VXR hot hatchback will return in 2022. After a short hiatus, Vauxhall has confirmed its VXR badge is coming back but with a twist. All future VXR models will be electric, so the Corsa VXR will be a zero-emission rival to the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI.

It’ll be one of the first electric hot hatchbacks on sale and won’t be as big or as expensive as a Cupra el-Born. We would expect prices to start from around £25,000, which would be noticeably more than the Fiesta ST - but recharging the battery will cost much less than filling a petrol tank.

Rather than a tuned-up turbocharged petrol engine, the new Corsa VXR will have the same 134bhp electric motor and 50kWh battery pack as the standard Vauxhall Corsa-e. Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman has said “we have more than enough [power]. But we can add performance in other ways.”

As such, we can expect sportier suspension to make it better to drive and upgraded brakes to stop the car quickly. It may not come with any extra power but a change to the way the car delivers it may improve acceleration at the cost of a few miles of range. The standard Corsa-e manages 0-62mph in a brisk 7.6 seconds, while the old petrol Corsa VXR hit that benchmark in 6.8 seconds.

One thing that will remain is the Corsa-e VXR’s pumped-up boy-racer styling. Our exclusive images suggest a new body kit for the upcoming Corsa range-topper, plus a large boot spoiler, big wheels and a diffuser between the exhausts. The front end is likely to get a new air vent below the bonnet shut line, as a tribute to the previous Corsa VXR.

A Vauxhall Mokka VXR and Vauxhall Vivaro VXR are both in the works too. Both the SUV and the van are expected to come with the Corsa-e’s electric powertrain.

The electric Corsa VXR may have been previewed by a battery-powered Corsa rally car, launched in 2019. This didn’t have any extra power, either, getting a host of chassis improvements instead.

Read our guides to the best small electric cars and the best cheap sports cars.