Opel

Opel is one of the largest European automobile manufacturers and was founded by Adam Opel in Rüsselsheim, Germany in 1862. The company began manufacturing cars in 1899. Opel has been part of the [PSA Groupe]] structure since August 2017. Together with its British subsidiary brand in 2018, the company is represented in more than 60 countries of the world, selling more than a million cars.

Opel is implementing its car electrification strategy to succeed and ensure customers' future mobility needs are met. By 2024, all European passenger car models will offer an electric option. This strategy is part of the company's "PACE!" plan, with which Opel aims to become a sustainably profitable, global and electric brand.

History

2026: More than 900,000 Opel cars found defective: Airbags shot with metal shrapnel and kill people in the cabin

At the end of February 2026, Opel announced a large-scale recall of cars due to defective airbags that can shoot metal fragments. This poses a threat to the health and life of people in the cabin of the vehicle. Read more here.

2021: Appointment of Uwe Hochgeschurtz as CEO

On July 13, 2021, it became known that Uwe Hochgeschurtz, who holds the post of CEO of the Renault regional division (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), was appointed CEO of the Opel brand. Read more here.

2019

Opel returns to Russia

Since December 2019, the first models of the German automaker from Rüsselsheim have entered the car dealerships of official dealers in large cities of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Ryazan and Stavropol. The Grandland X crossover, produced at the Eisenach plant and the Zafira Life passenger minibus, whose production was established in Kaluga, are available for order .

Opel Vivaro cargo vans for the Russian market will go on sale in the first half of 2020.

"A significant increase in profits due to the development of business in foreign markets is one of the key elements of our company's plan called" PACE!. " We have achieved great success in this area thanks to our return to Russia, "said Opel CEO Michael Losheller. "We will gradually increase our presence in the country over the coming years, including expanding the range of products on offer. As in any market, our top priority is to increase profits along with a high level of customer satisfaction. "

"The Opel brand is returning to Russia as part of Groupe PSA, and this is a huge event. The Kaluga plant is an important asset that gives us the opportunity to produce Opel cars in Russia today. We are pleased to offer Russian motorists a competitive and high-quality product based on the best developments in German engineering, "said Paul Wilcox, CEO of Groupe PSA, Eurasia.

Initially, Opel partners will be 11 dealers in 8 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhnevartovsk, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tyumen and Stavropol. That number will double as early as next year and grow further. In terms of the number of dealers, Opel is the leader in Moscow, followed by St. Petersburg with two centers and one dealer each in other cities of Russia.

Readiness to return to the Russian market

On February 26, 2019, Chairman of the Management Board Carlos Tavares, during the presentation of the financial results of PSA Group for fiscal year 2018, confirmed the group's desire to conquer new markets and stated that the Opel brand is ready to enter the Russian market.

The global expansion of export markets is part of the "PACE!" strategic plan to develop the Opel brand, which is expected to help the company become sustainably profitable. The decision to return to the Russian market is part of this strategy aimed at developing the brand both in Europe and in world markets.

According to PSA, Opel's main priority in Russia will be profitable growth and a high level of customer satisfaction. Dragan Nenadovich, who will take the post of regional brand manager of Opel and will work in the Moscow office of the company, will be responsible for expanding the business in the Eurasia region.

The entry of the Opel brand into the Russian market will allow PSA Group to strengthen its presence in the Eurasian region, expand its offer to existing customers and attract new ones. Taking into account the launch of the Opel brand in Ukraine in 2018, we expect to triple the sales volumes of PSA brands in this region by 2021. Building a highly profitable business will help us achieve this, "commented Yannick Bézard, Executive Vice President of PSA Group and Operations Director of the Eurasia region.

2017

Michael Losheller takes over as Opel CEO

In June 2017, the head of the German automaker Opel Karl-Thomas Neumann left his post. His place was taken by Michael Losheller, who previously headed the financial department of the concern.

The former head of Opel will remain a board member until the end of the deal to sell the company to the PSA group.^[1]

General Motors sold Opel for 2.2 billion euros

The American automaker General Motors has agreed to sell the brand and division of Opel to the French PSA Group, which produces Peugeot and Citroen.

The deal, as announced on the morning of March 6, will amount to 2.2 billion euros ($2.33 billion).

PSA, as part of the deal, will also receive Vauxhall's brand and production facilities - under this brand Opel is manufactured and sold in the UK.

The purchase of Opel, AP notes, will allow PSA Group to become the second largest automaker in Europe.

2009: Failed sale to Sberbank-Magna consortium

GM decided to sell a 55% stake in Opel to the Sberbank-Magna consortium at the height of the economic crisis in September 2009, but two months later the Americans refused the deal. GM then attributed its decision to an "improving market situation."

In July 2011, British journalists managed to dig up new details about the failed sale of the automaker Opel to a consortium of Canadian auto parts manufacturer Magna International and Russian Sberbank^[2]. According to the newspaper, the Russian side during the negotiations put forward unacceptable terms of the agreement.

As The Times reported with reference to the materials at the disposal of the WikiLeaks website, the Sberbank-Magna consortium sent General Motors (owner of Opel) 31 amendments to the agreement, which was negatively perceived by the Americans. In particular, it was allegedly about the further possible sale of Opel to the Russian automaker, which is controlled by the state.

However, the reason for the breakdown of the deal could be not only the unacceptable conditions of the Russian side. GM sources told The Times that the corporation ultimately did not want to provide Russia access to its technology and patents. Also, one of the dispatches of the American embassy says that political considerations intervened in the "completely business deal." True, American diplomats consider Russian negotiators guilty. The relevant information is contained in the dispatches that the embassy staff USA in Berlin sent to Washington.

In July 2011, Opel CEO Nick Reilly said he was very pleased with the progress of the company's recovery from the crisis.

Notes