Opel GT X Experimental: Bold Vision of Opel’s Future

• The next PACE! milestone: Brand Concept vehicle previews future of Opel models

• Expressing Opel values: German, approachable, exciting

• Opel Vizor: Hallmark design for the new face of all future models

• Visual and digital detox: “Pure Panel” redefines interior design

• Electric Power: GT X Experimental stands for electrification of all Opel models by 2024

• Opel concept vehicles: Designing the future for over 50 years

New Opel GT X Experimental

Opel is giving a preview of the exciting future of the brand with a new Brand Concept. Its name: the Opel GT X Experimental – a bold, 4.06-metre, 5-door, all-electric compact SUV with coupé appeal and brimming with innovative ideas. The GT X Experimental embodies Opel’s values and vision along with providing a glimpse of what the future holds for Opel models. The company had already announced that it would further sharpen its profile during the presentation of the strategic PACE! plan last November. Opel GT X Experimental is the first tangible result of this process.

Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller

“With our PACE! plan, we have a very clear vision of how we want to create a successful future for Opel. Focus on a strong brand identity defined by our values – German, approachable, exciting – plays an integral role in our return to sustainable success. Our Brand Concept shows how these values will come to life in our products in the future. Our engineering and design teams have put this into effect brilliantly in the Opel GT X Experimental. It gives a clear idea of how we at Opel see the mobility of the future,” said Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller.

Passion for democratising technical innovations fuels Opel’s pioneering spirit

During the concept phase, Opel started a wide-ranging and intense process of reflection about itself and its values. Opel can look back on 156 years of industrial existence starting with precision mechanics and almost 120 years of automobile engineering fuelled by the constant commitment to make exciting and relevant innovative technologies accessible to all. Throughout its history, the specific “Opel way” can be summarised with these three values: German, approachable and exciting. As for its future, the brand wants to remain anchored in the most modern and positive expression of its German roots: Opel’s “New Germanness” takes the best of Germany’s traditional values – engineering excellence, a genuine fascination for well-executed machines, an intense focus on functionality, quality and reliability – and enriches them with warmth and open-mindedness. Inspired by Opel’s innovative spirit, the new GT X Experimental captures the essence of the company’s rich heritage and promises an exciting future. It blends German engineering, precision and quality with visionary innovations to give a preview of what Opel cars will be in the mid-2020s: bold, pure in appearance yet extremely approachable and customer-centric.

Compact SUV: Opel GT X Experimental

Opel decided to embody its vision for its future automobiles in a compact SUV of just 4,063 millimetres in length (wheelbase: 2,625 mm; width: 1,830 mm; height including antenna: 1,528 mm): SUVs are currently the most popular vehicles on the market and Opel is driven by the desire to make such even more attractive for a wide public. But to do so, SUVs must also become more efficient than ever before. This is why the Opel GT X Experimental is built on a lightweight architecture, has a reduced footprint and drives on 17-inch wheels that visually look much larger, so as to maximise road comfort but also look stunning. True to the PACE! plan promise of offering an electrified version of each Opel model by 2024, the GT X Experimental is a fully electric car with power delivered by a 50 kWh, compact next-generation lithium-ion battery with inductive charging. The GT X Experimental does not pretend to offer full autonomous driving. However, it does have Level 3 autonomous driving functions – meaning it can handle all aspects of driving but the driver must be able to respond to a request to intervene.

Pure and bold: This is future Opel design

The GT X Experimental presents innovative technology with sophisticated simplicity. Vice President Design Mark Adams and his team have developed a whole philosophy for Opel’s specific, German design, blending purity with emotional boldness. In the GT X Experimental, each usual function, each module of an automobile has been questioned with the aim of achieving purity of design by removing all unnecessary design elements. This is something the design team calls “visual detox”.

The Opel GT X Experimental body shows bold proportions coupled with beautifully structured, pure flowing surfaces. Its strong silhouette is accentuated by the bold graphic identity separating the upper and lower areas. The lower section is painted in a luminous light grey, and the whole upper part including the bonnet, glass and roof are in an almost black, night blue. Between these is a bold Opel yellow signature accent that flows through the car to give it structure and dynamism. This colour scheme re-visits Opel’s traditional grey/black/yellow colour but reconfigures it to create a fresh modern feel. The GT X Experimental welcomes passengers with spacious, unobstructed access thanks to rear-hinged rear doors and all four doors opening wide to 90 degrees to give the concept an approachable character. The sweeping panoramic windscreen/roof reaches far back to the rear seats, enhancing the SUV’s light and open sense of spaciousness.

Opel designers have also reduced the traditional, so-called “cut lines” in the bodywork – made necessary by the different openings such as doors and bonnet – to an absolute minimum. The upper cutline of all doors is hidden in the yellow accent and the one of the rear doors coincides with the opening of the boot. Forgoing conventional elements such as door handles and exterior mirrors, the body is a smooth canvas that wraps around surprising details such as small cameras embedded in the yellow graphic lining the sides of the bonnet pop out, replacing the exterior mirrors.

To counterbalance this visual detox, rare graphical details energise the appearance of the Opel GT X Experimental. Cropped triangles are engraved along the sill under the driver’s side rear door: one of them contains a small, hexagonal LED screen that shows the electric charge level of the battery.

Opel GT X Experimental - Hexagonal LED screen shows electric charge level of the battery

The 17-inch wheels look much bigger thanks to robust rubber covers that flow over the rim to visually enlarge the size of the dark blue tyres. Yellow graphic lines on the rim echo the yellow signature accent of the body and surround the electronic Blitz emblem that stands still as the wheels rotate. And to underline the SUV character of the car, protective cladding wraps around the lower body, giving the GT X Experimental’s solid, robust stance a rugged look.

Opel GT X Experimental - 17-inch wheels with yellow graphic lines

“The Opel GT X Experimental embodies the spirit of our core brand values – German, approachable, exciting. It’s an “approachable” concept that people can identify with. It confidently combines a pure and bold design execution with progressive technology that makes life easier. Clearly, this vehicle signals a very exciting future for the brand,” said Mark Adams.

Opel Compass and Opel Vizor give new visual identity to future Opel models

The GT X Experimental also reveals the new theme for the front and the rear fascia of future models for the first time. The “Opel Compass” organises the design elements along two strong axes that intersect the Blitz. The legendary brand emblem is now the focus point more than ever before. In a crisper and purer execution, the centre-crease line on the bonnet represents the vertical axis, which is prolonged under the Blitz. The horizontal axis is symbolised by the Opel-typical wing-shaped daytime running light signature, which will continue to feature on all future Opel vehicles. The rear echoes the front fascia and shows the Opel Compass in its purity, with the Blitz solidly anchoring the horizontal line of the wing-shaped rear lights and the vertical line from the roof fin antenna to the accentuated crease in the bumper.

Opel GT X Experimental - Wing-shaped rear LED lights

Following the theme of the Opel Compass and in line with the approach of creating the purest possible design, Opel designers have also created a new Opel face that expresses the company’s pioneering spirit: the “Opel Vizor”. The Opel Vizor is a full, single module that frames all of the high-tech and brand elements such as the LED Blitz emblem that shows the car’s operation state by lighting up in different colours, the LED Matrix headlights, the wing-shaped daytime running lights as well as all cameras and sensors of the assistance systems and autonomous driving functions under darkly tinted Plexiglas. The elegant module boldly stretches across the front of the car right under the bonnet. The new, distinctive Opel Vizor is set to be a hallmark design element for all Opel models later in the 2020s.

Interior around Pure Panel: Visual and digital detox for a relaxing oasis

The airy interior of the Opel GT X Experimental follows the same principles and opts for visual and digital detox. Surrounded by the panoramic windscreen/roof and uninterrupted side-window, the cabin’s sleekness masks the innovations it holds in store. The interior’s standout feature is the instrument panel encased in a module that mimics the Opel Vizor – the Opel “Pure Panel”. One wide, single screen welcomes drivers and shows that the multitude of screens, buttons and controls often seen in current-day production vehicles could become obsolete. The Pure Panel enables drivers to have access to the latest technology and get the information they need while eliminating all visually distracting elements. The purity of the interior design can also be seen in the clever positioning of the air vents. They have been hidden behind the screens, allowing all-round pure, clean surfaces. The Pure Panel also shows how Opel allows technology to simplify customers’ lives. Two screens on the far left and right of the front panel display the side views captured by the small pop-out cameras. Elsewhere, the design of the steering wheel has been simplified while its centre module repeats the shape of the Opel Vizor. And, like its counterparts on the wheels, the LED Opel Blitz on its centre remains upright whatever the steering position.

Opel GT X Experimental - Interior with Pure Panel

This clean high-tech approach flows throughout the interior. For example, the four seats look like they are floating while removable speakers nestled under the headrests also allow an out-of-car sound experience. Graphic details also highlight the strict purity of the design in the interior: the cropped triangle theme is repeated on the seat backs and the accelerator and brake pedals.

Opel concept cars have showcased Opel’s future for more than 50 years 

The name of the GT X Experimental is reminiscent of Opel’s pioneering concept car, the 1965 Experimental GT – an accessible coupé that was also the first concept car ever produced by a car manufacturer in Europe.

The additional X underlines Opel’s plan to further develop its footprint in the SUV market: 40 per cent of all Opel cars sold in 2021 are to be SUVs.

Over decades, Opel has used concept cars to shape its future. Most concepts were never meant to ever be produced but they allowed the brand to set guiding principles for its upcoming models. In this regard, the three latest concept cars from Opel display a clear coherence with the development of the brand. The 2013 Monza concept reflected Opel’s quest for more efficiency (lightweight, packaging, powertrain) and the expression of this efficiency in a sleek design. 

The 2016 GT Concept took efficiency to the next level, with a design around the core ideas of approachability, simplicity and purity. This has now been taken to the next level by the GT X Experimental and its philosophy based on the brand values – German, approachable, exciting – is expressed in a pure and bold design.

!NEW! Buick Introduces Avista Concept

Design elegance, performance heritage conveyed in turbocharged 2+2 coupe 

2016 Buick Avista Concept 

Ahead of its public debut at the North American International Auto Show, Buick today revealed the Avista concept – a 2+2 coupe that pushes the brand’s contemporary design ethos and rekindles its historic performance roots.

A sleek, sweeping proportion is the foundation for this vision of a contemporary grand tourer, with a 400 horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 driving the rear wheels and a driver-focused cockpit offering a comfortable, connected center of control.

“The Avista embodies the dynamic soul of Buick,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick Sales, Service and Marketing. “It is a modern expression of the brand’s heritage of sophisticated performance, communicated with beautiful elegance.”

The Avista’s uninterrupted body lines stretch front to rear, suggesting motion – resembling Buick’s design language introduced on the Avenir concept and carried into production on the 2017 LaCrosse. The absence of conventional B-pillars between the doors and rear side windows enhances the flowing profile.

“There is elegant simplicity in the Avista’s surfaces, which speak to the purity of the car’s performance, and a timeless beauty that’s a hallmark of Buick design,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director Global Buick Design. “It was designed to capture the spirit of the perfect drive.”

Marking the front and rear, Buick evolves its signature wing-shaped lighting with “soft curtain” elements that create illuminated “halos” around lamps’ edges, suggesting a three-dimensional shape and sculpture. Their design forecasts the evolution of Buick’s production lighting features, while the Avista’s grille features the brand’s new winged tri-shield insignia set against a three-dimensional mesh background.

Additional exterior features include:

• A 110.7 inch (2,811 mm) wheelbase and 63 inch (1,601 mm) front/62.9 inch (1,598 mm) rear tracks for sporty proportions and an aggressive stance
• Twenty-inch aluminum wheels with color-toned accents match the car’s Dark Sapphire Jewel exterior
• Front fender vents with chrome accents evolve Buick’s signature fender ports.

Performance-oriented, modern cockpit

Like the exterior, the Avista’s 2+2 interior is defined by flowing, uninterrupted lines conveying elegance through simplicity – with intense technical and surfaces details, in everything from 3D-printed door and seat trim to a future vision of Buick’s IntelliLink, with touchscreen controls on a widescreen instrument panel display.

The center console also incorporates touchscreen controls and extends to the rear seating area. Open side storage compartments built into the front of the console are enabled by the new Electronic Precision Shift, similar to the 2017 LaCrosse.

A Superior Blue foundation color echoes the exterior and is complemented with Mist Gray leather seating inserts, console trim and door trim. Exposed carbon fiber and aluminum accents throughout reinforce the precision of the performance-oriented driving experience. The fading pattern on the seats, console and doors were inspired by waves receding at a beach’s edge.

“Waves, whether from the sea or in the sand, are all about motion and flow,” said Nesbitt. “That’s exactly what this concept is all about – flowing design and the purity of the driving experience.”

Buick designers enhanced the passengers’ sensory experiences with next-generation QuietTuning and air-quality control, including advanced noise cancellation technology, ionic air purifiers and aromatherapy.

The Avista also advances Buick’s legacy of turbocharged performance, which carries forward in the 2016 Regal GS and other models. Similar to the 2017 LaCrosse, the concept twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 features fuel-saving Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and Stop/Start technology to complement its power with efficiency. The engine is backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission and Magnetic Ride Control delivers more precise body motion control.

!NEW! Bodensee Klassik: Opel CEO Neumann enters with Diplomat V8 Coupé

• KAD rarities: Opel takes part with rare Kapitän, Admiral und Diplomat models
• CEO at the wheel: Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann drives his own Diplomat A V8 Coupé
• Well-known guest: German TV stars Gesine Cukrowski and Tim Wilde in Opel team

Strong team: Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann will take part in the old-timer rallye “Bodensee Klassik” with his own Diplomat V8 Coupé.

Opel will be present with some very special car when the fourth Bodensee Klassik starts in front of the festival hall in Bregenz, Austria at 14.00 CET on May 7. Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann will also be in the field with his very own Diplomat A V8 Coupé. The list of rarities from Rüsselsheim also includes a further, very rare Diplomat A Coupé with a 5.4-liter V8 engine with 230 hp and equally rare Admiral A and Kapitän A models with eight-cylinder power under the long hood. A Diplomat B and a Kapitän B round off the offer for old-timer fans.

In total, 180 classic cars will take part in the tour taking them through parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland before reaching the finish in Bregenz on May 9. The Opel CEO is not the only famous face to take to the wheel of one of the cars from Rüsselsheim. TV stars Gesine Cukrowski and Tim Wilde along with Opel Brand Ambassador and racing legend Joachim Winkelhock will also be at the start and complete the Opel-Classic-Team.

The two Diplomat A V8 Coupé are members of an exclusive series consisting of only 347 unit produced by Osnabrück-based body makers Karmann from 1964 onwards. The vehicle identification number of Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann’s 1967 coupé ends in 347 – clearly identifying it as the last of the exclusive vehicles ever produced.

Interesting course: Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann is looking forward to the rallye with 180 classic cars that will take the field through Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“I have always been fascinated by the combination of the timelessly elegant coupé body of the Diplomat and the legendary Chevrolet Small Block V8,” said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. “I have been the proud owner of this car for roughly six months now and I am delighted when I get the opportunity to take this icon for a spin.”

Powerful engines: Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann will swap his Insignia OPC with 325 hp for his Diplomat Coupé with 230 PS for the “Bodensee Klassik“.

The KAD models of the first series taking part in the Bodensee Klassik are all powered by various versions of the famous GM V8 engine that celebrated its debut 60 years ago and has been built over 100 million times to date.

Powerful engines: Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann will swap his Insignia OPC with 325 hp for his Diplomat Coupé with 230 PS for the “Bodensee Klassik“.

Neat appearance: The Coupé, built by body specialist Karmann, was based on the Diplomat V8 sedan. The roof was shortened, the front doors extended and a welded steel plate replaced the rear doors.

!NEW! Four decades of top design: Opel Monza GSE meets Opel Monza Concept

• Style icons in comparison: Dream coupé of the seventies meets the IAA study 2013
• Designers from back then and now in dialogue: George Gallion and Friedhelm Engler
• Fascinating double interview: The Opel design language of yesterday and today

Four decades of top design: The Monza GSE meets the Monza Concept. Opel is continuing the tradition of beautiful Gran Turismo models coming out of Rüsselsheim.

A beautiful autumnal day at the river Main: Riding on a yellow truck, the Opel Monza Concept rolls up in front of the Adam Opel Building. The namesake of the brand-new concept vehicle, Opel Monza GSE, is already set. George Gallion, who designed the original 1977 Monza, and Friedhelm Engler, Director of Advanced Design of the Opel Monza Concept, follow spellbound, as the two cars are placed side by side – a moment worthy of goose bumps. Dozens of employees gather immediately, pulling out their smartphones as they walk around the racers. Even the two designers cannot be persuaded to pose for the photographers as planned. While the Opel Monza Concept is still assuming its position, Gallion opens the tailgate of the GSE. “That was a tricky thing,” he says, stroking the delicate trimming of the rear window. “It ensures the extremely slender structure is rigid enough, and we wanted this structure at all costs,” he explains. “When designing the Opel Monza Concept,” says Engler, “we were inspired by the tailgate’s glass.” And the car is now finally good to go. With a stroke of his finger over the rear fender, Engler opens the huge gull-wing door. Silently. Gallion takes his seat. Using a touchpad, Engler raises the LED projection. The curved cockpit, stretching from door to door, springs to life. Virtual buttons and control dials appear on the cockpit surface. “Everything can be shown here. A CD cover, the navigational map, a Facebook app, whatever you want, when you want it,” explains Engler.

Two designers and their works. Friedhelm Engler (on left) with his Opel Monza Concept with George Gallion in front of his Opel Monza GSE.

Ten questions for Opel designers George Gallion and Friedhelm Engler:

Mr. Gallion, you made history with the Opel Monza A2 in 1983. It was the first car with a digital display. What do you think of this new kind of instrument panel ?

GALLION: Some newspapers called our display a ‘mouse screen’ back then. I liked that. This is like, how should I call it, “Mickey Mouse meets Star Wars.” I am even slightly envious when I see what’s possible today. How beautiful this car has become.

ENGLER: Hey, George, you’ve got goose bumps. This interface between human and machine is crazy, right? The infotainment and instrument panel was originally intended to be a lot smaller, more reduced. Then we realized that it works really well. We can place the multifunctional, customizable dash panel across the entire width of the dashboard. It’s state of the art.

Opel Monza GSE: A luxury of the late seventies and early eighties. A coupé for daily driving with a six cylinder in-line engine that runs with silky smoothness.

Two generations: George Gallion (on left) and Friedhelm Engler under the large wing door of the Opel Monza Concept.

Mr. Gallion and Mr. Engler, your paths coincided at Opel in 1992. Did you ever run into each other ?

GALLION: But of course. I actually interviewed Friedhelm for the job.

ENGLER: I still remember it well. After the interview, George showed me around the studio and let me look under all the car covers. That was actually against the rules. But that’s typical of the fascination with Opel / Vauxhall. It’s approachable, both then and now.

How has the work of designers changed ?

ENGLER: The early stages always involve the vision, the idea and then pencils, and quality paper. That hasn’t changed. Right, George?

GALLION: Yes. It’s the old cliché – the designer sits in a café and sketches with pencil and paper in front of them. That’s true. Even in meetings, while designers are listening, well, most of the time, they are drawing while they’re at it.

ENGLER: What has changed, of course, are the tools – computer development and 3D programs, shaping machines and simulations.

48 years ago, Opel was the world’s first car manufacturer to present a concept car at the IAA, the Experimental Opel GT. This year it’s the Opel Monza Concept. How important are concept cars for the evolution of design ?

GALLION: The show cars are there in order to showcase new design ideas. They don’t necessarily have to result in a product. Rather, they aim to illustrate a trend. At that time, Opel had the first design department that was only allowed to research without regard to a particular product line.

48 years of Opel concept cars: The Experimental GT was in 1965 the first concept car made by a European manufacturer. Just like the Monza Concept, the GT celebrated its premiere at the IAA in Frankfurt.

ENGLER: The Monza Concept is the vision of the Opel brand, and for us, too, for designers, employees, and colleagues. It is incredibly motivating to see a vision take shape. Indeed, we have just seen what happened in front of the Adam Opel Building. Before the car is even in position, colleagues gather in droves to see the car and take photos.

How was the idea of the Opel Monza Concept born?

ENGLER: It began with a vision of the brand. We wanted to visualize efficiency that could also be realized from the point of view of engineering. The idea was for it not to convey heaviness but also not fragility. That is how the original sketch of the lady and the dog was born. (Engler pulls out a poster showing the car next to a lady and a greyhound.) This greyhound is just skin and bone, is incredibly agile, and at the same time looks elegant. That is perfect. Also, this woman, she’s got a 70s, 80s look on the one hand, but is also modern and cool. That was it, that was a full story. Together we developed the idea for another two years. A show car is not the work of just one person. It is a team effort, involving 70 or 80 people.

Dream car: The Monza Concept will sustainably influence the design of upcoming Opel models.

Getting back to the greyhound, over and again we read that animals are the inspiration for car designs. Do designers visit the zoo regularly in their free time ?

ENGLER: I don’t think that our people hang out at the zoo. Although, George, there is that story about the manta ray …

GALLION: That was in 1969. In response to the Ford Capri, we designed a prototype for a coupé in the space of four weeks. Predator names were ‘in’ at the time. We wanted to name it manta and use the shape of the fish as the emblem. But nobody could tell us what this fish looked like at all. Nobody but Jacques Cousteau, the marine biologist. So I went to see him in Paris to get photos of the manta ray. And well, the fish wasn’t all that beautiful in the end. So then we gave it a more elegant look in the design.

ENGLER: Examples from the animal world are appreciated simply because they mean something to everyone. When I talk about a cheetah or a greyhound in conversation, everyone has an image in their mind straight away.

Elegant design paired with ultra-modern efficiency on four wheels: The visionary Monza Concept shows what Opel drivers can expect in future. Its formal tension and lightness remind of a beautiful greyhound.

Opel Monza: that means, a sports coupé with a lot of space inside. What parallels can be drawn between the Opel Monza A and the Opel Monza Concept ?

ENGLER: Opel Monza Concept stands on its own. However, there are certain intentional references to the Opel Monza A, for example, the implied air ducts of the C pillar. The duct along the roofline reflects functionality which is what Opel stands for. This makes it a high-value four seater that makes no compromises. That’s why we call it a sports break and not a sports coupé. The generous sculpted glass – another reference – brings lightness and also gives it a more slender appearance. Otherwise, Opel Monza A is just a namesake, a reference. While we had it with us in the studio, we didn’t do a retro design, and we didn’t cook or rehash any old ideas. George and his team never looked back either.

How much of the Opel Monza Concept’s design will be incorporated into new Opel models ?

ENGLER: Like all Opels, the Monza Concept vehicle is the embodiment of our basic messages – sculpted design and German engineering skill. But it develops the topic, the design philosophy further, pushes it to the next level – by placing the emphasis on extremely strong proportions. Simple lines are therefore sufficient in other areas. Just like a beautifully grown Christmas tree. That’s sculpted design. And it’s evident in the Astra GTC: The lateral, fully pulled sheet metal completes the stage performance.

Is it often the case that you have to sacrifice a brilliant design idea for functional or technical specifications ?

ENGLER: No, not if you develop the idea from the beginning together with colleagues from the engineering and marketing departments.

GALLION: I’ve never tried to do anything that wasn’t technically feasible. But if the engineers said to me, “no, we cannot tilt this component another degree,” then I’d say, “Ok, then just try half a degree more.”

By the way, what cars do you have in your private garage ? 
Mr. Gallion, you arrived today in Opel Meriva …

GALLION: Yes, that’s my fourth already! The door design of the Opel Meriva B is very practical, particularly when I have my five-year-old grandchild with me. And the blue Opel Aero GT, at Opel Classic, that’s mine also.

ENGLER: I’m pursuing a special project at the moment. My son and I are turning an Opel GT into a rally vehicle, which we want to use for racing. When it’s finished, I’ll come over to your place and we can do some laps.

GALLION: It’s a deal! 

In brief: The designers and their concept cars

Friedhelm Engler

Born in 1963, the Director of Advanced Design at GM Europe studied design at the University of Pforzheim for three years, before moving to Tokyo to work as a product designer. At Opel, he began as a transport designer, was later head designer on the Meriva A and the Astra H, then Director of Design for Global Compact Car Architecture. Until 2010, he managed the design department of the PATAC development center in Shanghai. As Director, he was responsible for show cars and studies, including RAK e, RAD e, and the Monza Concept.

George Gallion

Born in the U.S. in 1937, he joined GM in Detroit after having studied industrial design in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1969, he moved to Opel and became Deputy Design Director. Many Opel / Vauxhalls carry his signature, from the Manta A to Monza to his latest projects, the Signum and Movano. He retired in 2002 and lives with his wife in the Taunus mountain range in Germany.

Opel Monza A1/A2

First Sketch: The design for the Opel Monza A. The large coupé celebrates in 1977 its world premiere at the IAA in Frankfurt.

Opel Monza A1 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in 1977. The three-door coupé of the new top model, Senator, was ideal for everyday use with its four seats. The Monza was powered by six-cylinder engines with 2.5- to 3.0-liter cubic capacity. The Monza A2 replaced it at the end of 1982. In 1983, the top GSE line featured digital display instruments for the first time. Production of the coupé ended in 1986, but today it is fast becoming a cult classic.

Opel Monza Concept

  The visionary Monza Concept shows what Opel drivers can expect in future.

It combines the silhouette of a sports break with the line of a coupé, and gull-wing doors with functionality. Highly modern instruments and infotainment displays using LED projection technology are indicative of O / V’s plan for sweeping integration. As for the drive system, the modular design ensures the highest degree of flexibility. A 1.0 turbo engine is connected to the electric drive system of the design study, with more combinations possible.

!NEW! Trendsetter in Lighting Technology: Opel AFL+ and LED Matrix Light

• Safety for all: High-tech lighting system AFL+ in Opel models from Insignia to Mokka 
• Illuminating: New LED light generation makes glare-free high beams the standard
• Brightening: First electric car headlamps went into series production 100 years ago 

The visionary Monza Concept with its characteristic silhouette and countless different LED technologies shows what the motorist can expect from Opel in future.

100 years of electric headlamps

To see and be seen is absolutely vital – especially now, when daylight hours have become shorter and drivers spend more time on the road in the dark. Advanced lighting technology dramatically increases road traffic safety and Opel is a trendsetter in this area, with state-of-the-art headlamp systems such its highly praised AFL+ (Adaptive Forward Lighting). The Rüsselsheim automaker also makes these systems available in smaller vehicle classes and thus affordable for all drivers.

It’s not only the visionary Monza Concept car, with its characteristic silhouette and numerous different LED technologies, that shows what drivers can expect from Opel in the future. Opel engineers are already going a step further: they are now developing and preparing for the introduction of what is called LED Matrix light. This Opel automotive lighting system of the future turns night into day for drivers without dazzling other road users. It enables drivers to react more quickly and thus prevent impending accidents.

The road to such advanced safety lighting has been a long one. 100 years ago, Bosch first shed light on the darkness of road traffic with the introduction of electric headlamps. Since then, GM and Opel have been at the forefront of the development of trendsetting headlamp systems, actively contributing to ever-increasing safety in road traffic.

Achieving more together: AFL+ and the Opel Eye front camera

The newest generation of AFL+, together with the further developed, higher performance Opel Eye front camera, features up to ten lighting functions and is available in a wide range of Opel vehicles. The sub-compact Mokka SUV and the Astra family boast this highly-praised modern safety lighting, as does the mid-size Cascada convertible, the Zafira Tourer compact van and the new Insignia. This innovative system dramatically increases active safety while reducing night-time driving stress. The variable xenon headlamp beam automatically adapts to diverse driving situations, road and weather conditions with variable light distribution provided for city driving, pedestrian areas, country roads, highways and adverse weather. In addition, AFL+ includes functions such as dynamic curve light, cornering light and energy-saving LED daytime running lights. The direction and intensity of the light beam is adjusted according to the steering angle and vehicle speed. Also part of AFL+, high beam light assistant automatically switches the headlamps to low beam when the forward-facing camera, integrated in the interior mirror mounting, recognizes the headlamps or tail lights of other vehicles. Furthermore, a special Light and Visibility Pack includes automatic low beam lighting with tunnel recognition and a rain sensor.

Bright as day: The LED Matrix light system

One step ahead: With Opel’s LED matrix light system glare-free lighting is standard and adjusts automatically and continuously to every traffic situation. 

Engineers at Opel’s International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim are now working on their next-generation lighting system for upcoming Opel vehicles. This is again a feature that has hitherto been reserved for vehicles in the luxury class. LED matrix light provides glare-free, high beam lighting which is automatically and constantly adapted for varying traffic situations. In this way, the LED matrix light functions like AFL+ with the Opel Eye front camera. When light sources are detected from oncoming or preceding traffic, individual LEDs in the relevant zone are deactivated, while the rest of the road remains brightly illuminated.

“Right now we are intensively testing this new system in our prototypes,” says Ingolf Schneider, Supervisor Lighting Technology at Opel. Its distinct advantages have also been confirmed in a study conducted by the Department of Lighting Technology at the Technical University of Darmstadt. The study shows that at driving speeds of 80 km/h, objects at the side of the road can be detected around 1.3 seconds faster with the matrix light than with conventional xenon low beam lighting. “This is a good 30 meter difference,” says Schneider. “That almost equals the braking distance required to come to a standstill from 100 km/h.” The matrix light concept will be gradually rolled out across Opel’s car lines in the next few years.

Shedding light on darkness: From Carbide lamps to Adaptive driving light

Dim lighting: With the first cars, just like the Opel patent motorcar, the Lutzmann System, the main objective was not to light up the street, but rather to be able to be seen by other drivers.

But the road to achieving optimal night vision for car drivers was a long one for engineers. What is today taken for granted in road traffic was simply unimaginable over 100 years ago, when lanterns with candles were carried in front of cars. The intention was not to illuminate the road, but rather to be seen by other road users. Later acetylene and carbide lamps cast their dim light on often unpaved roads. It wasn’t until 1913, when Bosch invented the electric headlamp, that light was truly brought into the darkness of road traffic. The Bosch automotive lighting system comprised headlamps, a generator, a battery and a regulator, replacing high-maintenance and dangerous gas lights. The concept used a generator to produce electricity which was stored in the battery and then transmitted to the headlamps. This system laid the foundation on which lighting technology continued to be developed over the coming decades.

For many years, Opel has been a trailblazer in offering state-of-the-art technologies which provide real value for a large customer base. So it was no surprise when Opel became the first automaker to introduce dynamic curve light and 90-degree cornering light with the innovative AFL system in the mid-size class in 2003. The following year 2004, the Opel Astra became the first compact car with adaptive Bi-Xenon lights (include curve light and cornering light), and in 2006 the brand further democratized safety technology when it made Bi-Halogen curve and cornering light available in the minivan and small car segments for the first time in the Meriva and Corsa.

In 2008, the next lighting system generation, AFL+, made its debut with the launch of the Insignia, setting a new standard in the automotive industry. The variable Xenon headlamp light beam distribution adjusts to the road profile, driving speed and prevailing road conditions. The system upgrades offer numerous automatic lighting functions and include LED daytime running lights which require considerably less electrical power, reducing vehicle fuel consumption compared to the use of conventional low beam headlamps. Opel has won the Allianz Deutschland AG “Genius 2010” award as well as the Euro NCAP Advanced Award from the independent consumer organization Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) for its safety lighting system.

Overview of Opel safety lighting system AFL+ functions:
In addition to signature Opel wing-shaped LED daytime running lights for optimal “be seen” lighting, AFL+ offers the following functions so nothing is left in the dark:

·         Pedestrian Area Light is activated automatically at driving speeds between five and 30 km/h. The function adjusts the cone of light for both headlamps by eight degrees toward each roadside. With this light, pedestrians and children playing next to the road – who often cannot properly judge the speed of an approaching vehicle – can be seen earlier.

·         At speeds under 50 km/h, Town Light provides a wider, symmetrical beam with reduced range, helping drivers see pedestrians at the roadside better. The Town Light’s beam intensity is less than the normal low beam because of the presence of additional light sources such as street lamps.

·         Country Road Light provides a brighter and wider light cone to both sides of the road than a conventional low beam. This helps drivers see potential hazards, such as animals, at the sides of the road earlier. It is activated between 50 and 100 km/h, projecting the light beam 70 meters ahead.

·         Highway Light intensifies and slightly raises the headlamp beam when there is no risk of blinding oncoming traffic and the smoother road surface causes fewer vehicle body movements. Its light cone creates a 140 meter long beam, improving illumination of the left-hand roadside while increasing lighting power from 35 to 38 watts to noticeably improve visibility. Highway Light activates automatically above 100 km/h, but only when the steering angle sensor indicates that the road’s curve radii do not match those of a country road.

·         Adverse Weather Light is activated when the rain sensor detects a certain amount of moisture on the windshield, or the wipers are switched on and off in rapid succession. The light output is then distributed asymmetrically: The right headlamp beam intensity increases from 35 to 38 watts so the driver can see lane markings better. The left headlamp beam decreases from 35 to 32 watts and is shortened slightly to reduce the risk of blinding oncoming drivers, which often happens on wet, reflective road surfaces.

·         High Beam Light provides maximum headlamp beam output and range. It does not activate asymmetrically, but rather optimally illuminates the full width of the road. The headlamps brighten from 35 to 38 watts.

·         High Beam Light Assistant offers a considerable safety advantage when driving at night. The Assistant automatically activates the High Beam Light for better road illumination and improved visibility. The Opel Eye camera recognizes the headlamps or tail lights of other vehicles and automatically switches the headlamps to low beam to prevent blinding other road users.  

·         Dynamic Curve Light ensures improved illumination around bends by swiveling the bi-xenon headlamps up to 15 degrees right and left of the vehicle into the oncoming curve. The Curve Light angle is determined by the car’s speed and steering angle. When combined with the adaptive FlexRide chassis’ Sport mode, AFL+ responds even more quickly.

·         Static Cornering Light is activated at speeds below 40 km/h, or when reverse gear is engaged. It illuminates an area to the right or left of the vehicle up to a 90 degree angle, improving visibility when maneuvering in poorly lit areas, such as dark driveways.

·         Intelligent Light Ranging (ILR) uses the front camera to seamlessly adjust the headlamp low beam distance up to 350 meters for glare-free illumination.