Photo: Opel
Adam Opel founded a sewing machine company in Russelsheim am Main back in 1862, which is a whopping 160 years ago. Bicycles were added to the production line in 1886, then Opel switched to automobiles in 1899.
The German automaker was listed on the stock market in 1929, with General Motors purchasing the majority stake. Come 1931, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit gained full control of Opel, transforming it into a subsidiary that would eventually work together with Britain’s Vauxhall.
Due to financial hurdles, Opel and Groupe PSA – which then consisted of Peugeot and Citroen – entered into a major alliance in 2012 to enable massive cost savings through platform sharing and other economies of scale. That partnership didn’t last too long, though, because General Motors then sold Opel and its Vauxhall subsidiary to Groupe PSA in 2017. Not surprising anyone, Opel managed to post an operating income of €859 million for the fiscal year 2018, the first positive income since 1999.
Even though it’s hardly the Opel that gave us the Rekord, Kadett, Omega, and Calibra, the German automaker continues to deliver good results under the ownership of Stellantis, the Amsterdam-based multinational corporation consisting of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group.
Despite its financial hardships and loss of character in favor of cookie-cutter models based on various Peugeot and Citroen models, Opel celebrates its 160th year of existence with a production milestone. Car number 75 million gas just rolled off the assembly line in Eisenach in the guise of a plug-in hybrid crossover, namely the sporty Grandland GSe.
Revealed with much pomp and circumstance in October 2022 with 296 ponies combined, the Grandland GSe is based on the EMP2 vehicle architecture of the Citroen C5 Aircross, Peugeot 3008 and 5008, and DS 7 Crossback. Its plug-in system brings together a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and two electric motors - one in the front and the other out back.
"75 million Opel vehicles – a real milestone in the history of Opel’s car production,” said big kahuna Florian Huettl. “This impressive figure shows Opel’s important role in democratizing technologies and mobility solutions over the decades and for the future. We are redefining mobility – with the clear goal of becoming a fully electric brand in Europe by 2028.”
Due to financial hurdles, Opel and Groupe PSA – which then consisted of Peugeot and Citroen – entered into a major alliance in 2012 to enable massive cost savings through platform sharing and other economies of scale. That partnership didn’t last too long, though, because General Motors then sold Opel and its Vauxhall subsidiary to Groupe PSA in 2017. Not surprising anyone, Opel managed to post an operating income of €859 million for the fiscal year 2018, the first positive income since 1999.
Even though it’s hardly the Opel that gave us the Rekord, Kadett, Omega, and Calibra, the German automaker continues to deliver good results under the ownership of Stellantis, the Amsterdam-based multinational corporation consisting of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group.
Despite its financial hardships and loss of character in favor of cookie-cutter models based on various Peugeot and Citroen models, Opel celebrates its 160th year of existence with a production milestone. Car number 75 million gas just rolled off the assembly line in Eisenach in the guise of a plug-in hybrid crossover, namely the sporty Grandland GSe.
Revealed with much pomp and circumstance in October 2022 with 296 ponies combined, the Grandland GSe is based on the EMP2 vehicle architecture of the Citroen C5 Aircross, Peugeot 3008 and 5008, and DS 7 Crossback. Its plug-in system brings together a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and two electric motors - one in the front and the other out back.
"75 million Opel vehicles – a real milestone in the history of Opel’s car production,” said big kahuna Florian Huettl. “This impressive figure shows Opel’s important role in democratizing technologies and mobility solutions over the decades and for the future. We are redefining mobility – with the clear goal of becoming a fully electric brand in Europe by 2028.”
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