!NEW! Opel presents OnStar emergency services at Berlin eCall conference

• Opel to introduce OnStar Automatic Crash Response ahead of EU eCall deadline
• Car occupants automatically connected with emergency specialist after crash detection
• OnStar responds to nearly 5,000 car crashes across the globe every month

Opel plans to introduce the OnStar connected vehicle service across its passenger car range in selected European countries, beginning in 2015.

Opel is demonstrating its ambition to become a leading player in automotive connectivity by taking an active role in this year’s “eCall Days Germany” (September 16-18), the biggest international conference in Germany on the European emergency call system for automobiles. Participants include political representatives of the European Commission, the automobile industry, component suppliers and other stakeholders.

Opel plans to introduce the OnStar connected vehicle service across its passenger car range in selected European countries, beginning in 2015.

At “eCall Days Germany”, Catherine M. Bishop, manager of global emergency services outreach and strategy at OnStar, and Gerrit Riemer, director of future mobility at Opel, will deliver a presentation on how OnStar assists public safety; in particular, they will inform the conference about OnStar Automatic Crash Response (ACR).

With Automatic Crash Response, OnStar automatically connects the vehicle to a specially trained emergency advisor the moment it detects a crash. If the driver or a passenger requests help, or cannot answer, emergency responders are sent to the vehicle.

OnStar provides additional emergency assistance, as well as ACR. With Emergency Services, if a driver, passenger or even a bystander needs emergency help, they just press the emergency button inside the car. They will get priority connection to a specially trained advisor who can contact fire, police or emergency medical services and guide them to the car.

The “eCall Days” conference at the Representation of Lower Saxony at the Federal Government in Berlin gives an overview of the status of the introduction of eCall in Europe.

OnStar is the leading provider in the global automobile industry of connected safety and security solutions, value-added mobility services and advanced information technology. OnStar already connects around 7.0 million customers in the U.S.A., Canada, China and Mexico.

Advisors monitor the OnStar network 24/7, 365 days a year. On average, OnStar receives two calls every second, or 185,000 every day, and automatically responds to nearly 5,000 car crashes across the globe every month.

In addition to bringing OnStar to Europe, Opel will rollout 4G LTE with which the car becomes a powerful Wi-Fi hotspot for up to seven mobile devices.

!NEW! Opel at the RETTmobil 2014 New Vivaro, Movano and Insignia

• Insignia Country Tourer: Emergency medical/fire brigade command vehicles
• Movano: Fire-fighting vehicle with portable fire pump and disabled transport vehicle
• New Vivaro: Panel van with blue light bar as basis for emergency services use
• Opel rescue data sheets: Online access to vital vehicle information 

Double eye-catcher at the RETTmobil 2014: Opel Insignia Country Tourer as an emergency medical vehicle and a command vehicle for the fire brigade.

Opel Insignia Country Tourer again shows just how versatile it is as a double eye-catcher at the RETTmobil 2014 in the form of an emergency medical vehicle and a command vehicle for the fire brigade. Opel presents the flexibility of its models at the leading European trade show for rescue and mobility in Fulda from May 14 to 16. Next to the Insignia Country Tourer, the new Vivaro will also be on display, modified for the first time with a blue light bar for emergency applications. The Movano is available as a disabled transport vehicle and as a portable fire pump vehicle for the fire department.

Opel Insignia Country Tourer as an emergency medical vehicle and a command vehicle for the fire brigade.

The special use vehicles are built in collaboration with the company’s subsidiary Opel Special Vehicles GmbH (OSV) and certified conversion partners. Company experts are available on all three days of the exhibition to answer questions on individual special equipment and retrofitting options at the Opel stand 505 in Hall 5.

Made by OSV: Insignia Country Tourer as ambulance and firefighting vehicle

Opel Special Vehicles GmbH is responsible for converting the Opel Insignia Country Tourer into an attention-getting emergency medical vehicle. The all-wheel drive vehicles equipped with the powerful BiTurbo diesel engine can quickly and securely get to emergency sites. The vehicle livery in luminous bright red, the blue lettering "AMBULANCE" on the front doors and the hood, two LED front flashing lights as well as two rear warning lights and the retroreflective rear hazard markers clearly identify the flexible station wagon as a special model. In the interior, equipment includes the 230-volt electrical system, ignition override unit, preliminary setup for analog and digital radio as well as accident data storage. Various versions of the special priority vehicle signaling system are available.

Made by OSV: Opel Special Vehicles GmbH is responsible for converting the Opel Insignia Country Tourer into an attention-getting emergency medical vehicle.

But the Opel Insignia Country Tourer is not only ideally equipped for use as an emergency medical vehicle – it also meets all the requirements for use as a fire brigade command vehicle. Visitors to the trade show can view it at the Sortimo International GmbH stand (Hall B, Stand 1906). The red-white-yellow livery and the "FIRE BRIGADE" lettering on the hood and side doors, the prominently displayed emergency number 112, as well as the priority vehicle signaling system on the roof are all visible from afar. The attention-grabbing vehicle design of the two Insignia Country Tourer versions is from the specialized lettering company design 112.

Versatile Opel Insignia Country Tourer: It also meets all the requirements for use as a fire brigade command vehicle.

Coachbuilder variants: New Vivaro and Movano special use vehicles

The new Opel Vivaro is not only suitable for the most diverse transport tasks, it also forms the optimum basis for special use and emergency vehicles. The magma red, all-purpose Opel bestseller shows this in Fulda for the first time in a modified form with blue light bar.

The Opel Movano is distinguished by the same qualities. The company Oberaigner has given the versatile Opel van high-performance, on-demand four-wheel drive that can be activated by simply pushing a button via a panel in the cockpit. The Movano thus offers excellent driving performance even with a heavy payload and is predestined for use in rescue services. A Movano converted to a portable fire pump vehicle by BTG Brandschutztechnik Görlitz GmbH will also be on exhibit at the Opel stand at the RETTmobil. The box body accommodates the special use and emergency equipment. The vehicle also has exterior mirrors with extended arms, step protection at the doors as well as a comfort seat for the driver.

Red thunderbolt: A Movano converted to a portable fire pump vehicle by BTG Brandschutztechnik Görlitz GmbH will also be on exhibit at the Opel stand at the RETTmobil.

The Movano Trabus L3 converted to a disabled transport vehicle by the firm Ambulanz Mobile will also be on show in Fulda. Its equipment includes a linear lift, steps and individual seats. With a seat rail system the Movano offers ample space for up to six large wheelchairs.

Opel rescue data sheets: Vital information at your fingertips

In the event of an accident, it is not only important that rescue services quickly arrive at the scene, but also that they have immediate access to the vehicle information of the car involved. This happens quite simply at the touch of a button: using a normal Smartphone, the information can be called up from around 2,200 rescue data sheets available on the Internet in 25 languages for 87 Opel models from model year 1991 at www.opel-rescuecard.com. Further information, for example on electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles or on the subject of "Accident aid and recovery of high-voltage vehicles" is available on the Opel website www.ifz-berlin.de.

!NEW! Red-White Opel ADAM Ideal Addition to Fire Brigades

Unlimited variants: Individualization champion also suitable as First Responder car

Long tradition: Opel models saving lives since early 20^th century

Right-of-way for safety: Opel has had own professional plant fire brigade since 1911

New Opel ADAM Fire First Responder Concept and Opel Blitz Fire truck

The Opel ADAM is the absolute individualization champion – privately and in future, maybe also for the fire department. The bold urban car now also shows its suitability for rescue services as a speedy fire brigade vehicle. The series production Opel ADAM offer encompasses 12 body colors and three additional combinable roof colors – as a fire brigade study it comes exclusively in red-white signal colors. The small lifestyle car continues the tradition of Opel lifesavers – which started over 100 years ago in the form of the “Doctor’s Car” – in an unconventional way.

New Opel ADAM Fire First Responder Concept

Fire brigade first responder Opel ADAM: Safety down to the smallest detail

Opel Special Vehicles GmbH transformed the stylish urban Opel ADAM into a spectacular fire brigade first responder vehicle. The study sporting red-white applications of the emergency number 112 clearly visible on the hood, side doors and trunk lid as well as special alarm signals on the roof and two LED front flashing lights is a real attention-getter. In addition, the fire brigade ADAM features an interior push-pull-rotary alarm switch as well as a portable Tetra two-way radio in a holder on the center console. The special-use equipment joins high-tech innovations like the IntelliLink infotainment system that is compatible with iPhones and Android smartphones, and that makes the ADAM the best connected small car. The multi-award winning newcomer also features equipment and technology options including fully automatic park assist, heated steering wheel in combination with heated front seats, blind spot alert, hands-free docking station for smartphones called FlexDock, 18” wheels featuring red-white color clips and LED daytime running lights.

An especially practical detail of the fire brigade ADAM is in the rear: a special design by the company Bösenberg ensures that emergency backpack, defibrillator, fire extinguisher and fire helmet stay securely in place even during high-speed travel on rescue calls.

Life saver with the blitz: Rescue services vehicles have long tradition at Opel

At just under 3.7 meters in length and with a host of innovative technologies, the agile urban car ADAM is ideal as a first responder vehicle in heavy city traffic. It leads Opel rescue services vehicles into the future while continuing an over 100 year-long tradition of Opel cars for emergency services.

The first example of this was the “Opel 4/8 hp” from 1909. There was good reason the two-seater was soon known under the name “Doctor’s Car”. Smaller and more agile than conventional cars, it could maneuver much more easily in narrow streets – very useful for doctors, who could thus get to their patients easier and faster.

The importance of professional rescue personnel and the corresponding equipment was something the automaker found out for itself just two years later. In 1911 a big fire destroyed large parts of the Rüsselsheim plant. As a direct result, a professional Opel fire brigade which supported the existing volunteer fire department was established and the “motorized fire pump” was developed for the plant fire brigade. Opel set new technical standards with its first models. The fire brigade vehicles quickly gained both national and international customers’ attention. A famous example of the brand’s rescue vehicles is the Opel Blitz. Various chassis layouts built the basis for personnel transport vehicles carrying up to nine occupants as well as for fire-extinguishing tank trucks.

In 1952 a new Blitz was developed, and due to its popularity with fire fighters it quickly became market leader. Its lively and, if necessary, overloadable carburetor engine was extremely robust. For some smaller fire departments the fire truck 8 based on the Opel Blitz 1.75 t was their first motor vehicle – many of these models stayed in service until well into the 1980s.

Today Opel subsidiary Opel Special Vehicles GmbH (OSV) builds special vehicles for police, ambulance and fire brigades from series production cars. These range from tailor-made Astra five-door and Sport Tourer versions, Insignia Sports Tourer, Corsa, Antara and the Zafira family to the spacious compact van Zafira Tourer. Together with certified conversion partners, the Opel models Vivaro and Movano are also available as multi-utility, crew, emergency medical services and small fire-extinguishing vehicles.