autoevolution
 

New Opel SUV Confirmed, to be Built at Russelsheim Together With the Insignia B

General Motors chief executive officer Mary Barra visited the company’s German nest at Russelsheim, announcing new investments to turn around Opel into a much more potent and versatile carmaker.
GM CEO Mary Barra and Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann in front of the new Corsa 1 photo
Photo: GM
Those investments are all nice and are going to materialize in better engines and transmissions for future Opel vehicles. But there’s a bigger bit of news Mary Barra disclosed during her second visit to Germany this year. The GM helmswoman confirmed that a new model will be produced at Opel’s traditional headquarters in Russelsheim.

When? By the end of the decade apparently. Not exactly pin-point information, but hey, “this SUV will be the brand’s second flagship alongside the Insignia,” explained Barra. €245 million will be invested in at Rüsselsheim to meet future requirements of the next-gen Opel Insignia and the Antara's successor.

Besides that quarter of a million euros, Barra is adamant that the Opel brand “is of high strategic importance for GM. The product offensive with 27 new models and 17 new engines has enjoyed a very successful start. These additional investments will help the brand shine again and further strengthen our position in Europe.”

Thank God someone finally decided to try and bring the manufacturer into the 21st century

If you’re not too familiar with Opel, let’s just say that this General Motors-owned carmaker had a huge lot of outdated products until very recently, wondering why it cannot stay competitive in the face of rivlas from Germany, France and even South Korea for that matter.

Thanks to the 45,000 orders the fifth-gen Corsa E got to the present moment, as well as the big sales volumes of the Adam city car, Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann announced that a third shift will be added at Eisenach plant as of mid-2015, in order to keep up with future demand.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories