!NEW! Charlie Klein and Carsten Wreth to strengthen Opel Group Top Management Team

The Opel Group continues to strengthen its top management team. Effective January 1, 2015, Charlie Klein (54) currently Executive Chief Engineer, Vans, Light Commercial Vehicles and Alliance Programs, is appointed Vice President Vehicle Engineering, Europe. Charlie Klein will replace Mike Ableson who is moving back to the US and will become Vice President of Global Product Planning and Program Management at General Motors. Charlie Klein will report to Ken Kelzer, Vice President, Global Vehicle Components and Subsystems and to Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, GM Executive Vice President and Head of the Opel Group. He will also replace Mike Ableson as a Member of the Board for Adam Opel AG.

Charlie Klein, Vice President Vehicle Engineering Europe

Dr. Neumann: “We welcome Charlie Klein to the Opel Group top management team. He has been in charge of successful alliance projects with Renault and PSA in recent years, and we believe he is the right person to lead the more than 6,000 engineers at the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) in Rüsselsheim. At the same time, I would like to thank Mike Ableson who put his stamp on the engineering work here in a relatively short time and played a significant role in the ongoing Opel/Vauxhall product offensive.”

To further support Opel’s comeback, effective January 1, 2015, Carsten Wreth (49) will join the company in a newly created position as Vice President, Customer Experience Europe. Wreth comes from Telefonica Global Services and will report to Peter Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales and member of the Board, Opel Group.

Carsten Wreth, Vice President Customer Experience Europe

Küspert: “Carsten brings in 15 years of experience of putting the customer at the heart of everything the company does. He will play a pivotal role in making our organization even more customer focused.”

Carsten Wreth was born in 1965 and has a degree in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. 

!NEW! Things Continue to Look up: 300,000 Orders for the Opel Mokka SUV

• Bestseller: SUV is becoming a real customer favorite
• Segment leader: most sold car in its segment in Europe in August
• Squeaky clean: available with new, frugal 1.6-liter Euro 6 Turbo Diesel from early 2015

With whisper diesel from 2015: From next year, the Opel Mokka will be available with the new 1.6-liter Turbo Diesel

“Things are really looking up for Opel,” said Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp when he drove the Mokka for the first time. Obviously, that is not just true for the company but also for the Mokka. In the two years since being brought to market, the sub-compact SUV has been ordered 300,000 times. Mokka sales even stepped up a gear in recent times. The latest 100,000 orders were recorded in the last seven months. In August, the Opel bestseller even managed to outsell any other car in its segment in Europe. The Mokka is the third most sold car in the Opel rankings behind Corsa and Astra but ahead of Insignia and Zafira.

Currently, the sub-compact SUV segment is the fastest growing in the automobile industry. Compared to last year, registration figures in Europe have almost doubled. Opel Mokka has become a bestseller without regard to national borders. The two-time All-wheel Drive Car of the Year winner leads its segment in Germany with almost 24 percent, in Austria with around 22 percent and in Finland with 27 percent. Throughout Europe, the Mokka achieved a segment share of 15 percent from January to August 2014 and ranks third.

SUV bestseller: Opel Mokka has already been ordered 300,000 times

“The Mokka interprets our definition of an exciting model with ultra-modern technology at affordable prices perfectly,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group. “We are delighted with our bestseller amongst the compact SUVs. It is a guarantee for success and an important part of our model offensive. Next, it will be available with the 1.6 CDTI whisper diesel. That will definitely give the Mokka even more momentum.”

Refinement par excellence: New 1.6 CDTI

Opel Mokka SUV does not just impress with its stylish appearance, modern all-wheel drive and generous spaciousness – from early 2015, it will also be available with the 100 kW/136 hp 1.6 CDTI turbo diesel. Already dubbed the ‘whisper diesel’, the extremely compact four-cylinder unit will replace the current 1.7-liter diesel in the Mokka line-up. It gives more power and torque – up six hp and 20 Nm, respectively – from a smaller displacement, as well as significantly lower fuel consumption. The lively 1.6 CDTI is part of a new family of Opel all-aluminum diesel engines. 320 Nm of torque, from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and a top speed of 191 km/h are figures that highlight driving fun. The whisper diesel is also extremely economical and kinder to the environment: with the standard Start/Stop system, the 1.6 CDTI Mokka consumes just 4.1 l/100 km over the combined cycle while emitting only 109 g/km CO2. This is almost 0.5 l/100 km less fuel and 11 g/km less CO2 than the predecessor 1.7-liter version. This new diesel engine complies with the stringent Euro 6 emissions standard. 

Improved running smoothness, more power, better fuel efficiency: With the new 100 kW/136 hp turbo diesel, the Opel Mokka boasts a fuel consumption of only 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers 

!NEW! Opel Mokka SUV rolls off the production line in Zaragoza

• Spanish King Felipe VI guest of honor at official start of production
• Investment secures around 5,700 jobs at the Spanish plant
• Already more than 275,000 orders for the successful sub-compact SUV

The first Opel Mokka SUV from Zaragoza: King Felipe VI of Spain (on left) with Michael Lohscheller, CFO Opel Group was the guest of honor. 

The successful subcompact SUV Opel Mokka is now manufactured in Europe: Today, Opel celebrated the official start of production in Zaragoza, Spain. Guest of honor at the ceremony was the Spanish King Felipe VI.

Big day for the Spanish plant in Zaragoza: King Felipe VI was present and even signed the first Opel Mokka SUV to roll off the production line. On the right: Michael Lohscheller, CFO Opel Group

“Today is a good day for us. Producing the Mokka in Zaragoza helps us to better utilize our capacities in Europe and to serve our customers more quickly,” says Michael Lohscheller, Chief Financial Officer of the Opel Group. “Demand for the Mokka remains huge: we have received more than 275,000 orders since its market launch in the summer of 2012. This has made the SUV our third most important model within just two years. The Mokka embodies the appeal of our newest models and our brand’s comeback.”

The first Opel Mokka from Zaragoza: King Felipe VI of Spain (on left) with Michael Lohscheller, CFO Opel Group was the guest of honor. 

In total, Opel plans to invest nearly 210 million Euros this year in the important Spanish manufacturing site. Last year 168 million Euros were invested. To make the Zaragoza plant ready for the Mokka production Opel invested 80 million in the initial phase. Since the opening of the plant in 1982 the investment totaled more than 4.3 billion Euros.

King Felipe VI of Spain was the guest of honor at the start of production of the Mokka in Zaragoza, here he is being shown around by Michael Lohscheller, CFO Opel Group (on right).

Manufacturing the sub-compact SUV in Spain will secure the around 5,700 jobs in the plant there. In addition to the Opel Mokka SUV, the Opel Corsa and Opel Meriva models are also built in Zaragoza. With the fifth generation of the Opel Corsa there will be another important production start this year.

The Zaragoza plant readied itself for the Opel Mokka’s start of production in record time. After all, it was just one year ago that the decision to produce the car in Europe was announced.

The challenges this posed were mastered thanks to excellent international collaboration within General Motors. Up until now, the Opel Mokka was produced solely in South Korea.

Manufacturing will start with CKD (Completely Knocked Down) parts kits from Korea, and then the amount of locally produced parts will be increased step by step in the coming years. “Producing the Mokka here is in line with our company philosophy to build cars where we sell them,” explains Michael Lohscheller. “This year, around 20,000 Opel Mokka will roll off the assembly line in Zaragoza. Next year this number will increase considerably”.

The Opel Mokka is now a European: Today, Opel celebrated the official start of production of its successful subcompact SUV in Zaragoza, Spain.

The Opel Mokka has been a real success right from its introduction. The stylish SUV has won over experts and customers alike. In both 2013 and 2014, readers of the automotive magazine Auto Bild voted the Opel Mokka “All-wheel Drive Car of the Year” in the category “Off-road vehicles and SUVs under 25,000 euros”.

“Opel Mokka is a key part of our large model offensive,” says Lohscheller. “To 2018, we will introduce 27 new cars and 17 new engines as we grow our market share step by step.”