!NEW! Opel Rüsselsheim Plant Debut: First Insignia for Holden

• Start of regular production of the Holden Insignia VXR in the main plant in Rüsselsheim
• Insignia, Astra and Cascada new in the portfolio of the Australian sister brand
• Intensified cooperation with the other GM brands

First Insignia for Australia: Start of regular production of the Holden Insignia VXR in the main plant in Rüsselsheim.

Cooperation between Opel and its sister brands within General Motors has entered a new era. The first Holden rolled off the production line in Rüsselsheim today – a Silver Lake coloured Insignia VXR with 325 hp for the markets in Australia and New Zealand. Opel wants to intensify the cooperation with the other GM brands continuously in the years to come. The production of Holden vehicles plays an important part in this strategy.

Thumbs up: Rüsselsheim plant director Axel Scheiben (left), Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann and the production team with the first Holden Insignia made in Germany.

“We will work closely with our Australian partner whenever it makes sense in the coming years,” said Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. “It is not only further proof for the development expertise of our engineers and the attractiveness of our products it also increases the capacity utilization of our plants. We are delighted that our successful flagship will also be available in Australia and New Zealand.”

“Astra, Cascada and Insignia are renowned in Europe for their performance credentials and premium execution, making them the perfect addition to Holden’s range as we continue to offer more choice for our customers,” said Bill Mott, Holden Executive Director of Marketing.

Opel Insignia OPC

The Holden Insignia VXR is known as the Opel Insignia OPC in mainland Europe. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker announced in May 2014 that it would be exporting European vehicles under the Holden badge from 2015.

In addition to the Insignia VXR, the Astra GTC and the especially sporty Astra VXR (the equivalent of the Astra OPC) will also be exported to Australia and New Zealand as Holdens. The elegant Cascada convertible will complete the line-up.

Holden Cascada convertible and Astra VXR

Holden and Opel share very similar core brand values, including the commitment to performance, engineering excellence, vehicle dynamics and technology. In future, Holden will source roughly one third of its future product line-up from Opel.

The GM-internal cooperation with Holden is not the only one announced by Opel in recent months. A few weeks ago, Buick presented the Cascada convertible at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Buick Cascada convertible

Furthermore, it was announced last year that Opel would produce a new Buick model for the US market in Rüsselsheim later this decade.

New Buick Envision