J.D. Power: Opel ADAM and Opel Insignia most dependable cars in class

• Study on vehicle dependability: Opel top in city cars and mid-size segment
• Auto Test Winner 2017: Opel Ampera-e biggest “Technical Innovation”

Joint awards ceremony: Auto Test winners and the results of the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey have been announced jointly since 2008.

Champion of personalization and dependability: Opel ADAM tops its class in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.

The J.D. Power market researchers are an institution when it comes to quality and customer satisfaction. In the biggest automobile customer satisfaction survey in Germany, the VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study), car owners were asked about the quality and reliability of their one to three-year-old vehicles. Drivers of the Opel ADAM and Opel Insignia gave their cars excellent ratings – the best in their segments. At the joint awards ceremony with the trade magazine Auto Test yesterday evening in Cologne, Opel Vice President Quality Elvira Tölkes accepted the trophies for the victorious duo. 

Best in class: In the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study owners gave the Opel Insignia the highest marks for cars in the midsize segment.

In addition, Jürgen Keller, Opel Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales Germany also collected another prize: the Opel Ampera-e, with its electric range of 520 kilometers (according to the New European Driving Cycle) is Auto Test Winner 2017. The electric car received the award for best “Technical Innovation” of the year.

At the awards ceremony in Cologne, Elvira Tölkes said, “We place very high value on the quality of our cars delivered to our customers. In addition, the J.D. Power study shows that Opel also sets high standards in terms of reliability and durability across the entire portfolio from the chic urban car Opel ADAM to the Opel Insignia. So we are delighted to have received both of these awards.”

“Beyond high quality, what also distinguishes Opel is that we make future technologies accessible to so many people. Good examples of this are the personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar as well as the current market launch of the revolutionary electric vehicle Opel Ampera-e. Our electric car is a true range champion, without a doubt a major innovation and thus a worthy Auto Test winner 2017,” added Jürgen Keller.

This year J.D. Power surveyed 14,000 people about their experiences with their car in online interviews. The study’s questions are grouped into the categories quality/dependability, appearance and running costs. All responses result in a ranking in which the brand or model with the lowest number of faults emerges as the winner. J.D. Power analyzed a total of 71 car models.

Auto Test winners and the results of the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey have been announced jointly since 2008.

!NEW! American Ambassador Visits Opel Eisenach Plant

• Plant Director Elvira Tölkes welcomes Ambassador John B. Emerson for informational visit
• Tour of flexible manufacturing facilities for Opel ADAM and Corsa

Visit to the Eisenach production area: Plant Director Elvira Tölkes, US-Ambassador John B. Emerson and US Consul General Scott R. Riedmann (from left).

The ambassador of the United States of America, John B. Emerson, visited the Opel plant in Eisenach today, where the successful small cars Corsa and ADAM are built. He was welcomed by Plant Director Elvira Tölkes: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to present our modern and extremely flexible plant to the ambassador.”

Meeting in Eisenach: Plant Director Elvira Tölkes, US-Ambassador John B. Emerson and US Consul General Scott R. Riedmann (from left) with the Opel Corsa E.

“I am pleased that General Motors is fully committed to Opel. This is also underscored by the strong economic ties between the USA and Germany. Here in the Eisenach plant, tradition and innovation come together. I was particularly impressed with the seemingly countless possibilities to individualize the vehicles – something like that is only successful with qualified employees and highest precision,” said Emerson, who was accompanied by U.S. Consul General Scott R. Riedmann.

Elvira Tölkes explained to the guests the important role that the Eisenach plant plays in Opel’s small car strategy. “Opel is the only manufacturer that not only developed two small cars in Germany, but that also builds them here. This gives our plant excellent prospects for the future and is also an acknowledgement of the employees who set standards in quality and productivity here in Eisenach.”  Due to high demand, a third shift will be added in Eisenach mid-year, for which more than 400 new employees will be hired.

The vehicles from Eisenach are an important part of Opel’s product offensive: to 2018 the brand will introduce 27 new cars and 17 new engines to the market. Thanks to its renewed portfolio, Opel aims to increase market share in Germany to ten percent by 2022 and to eight percent in Europe.