!NEW! GM Powertrain Europe creating additional jobs and bringing more high-tech equipment to Turin

Dan Ammann, General Motors President visits GMPT-E site, celebrating 10th anniversary

To mark the 10th anniversary of the foundation of GM Powertrain Europe Turin, GM President Dan Ammann (right) visited the engineering site and announced plans to strengthen the collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino. He was welcomed by Pierpaolo Antonioli, GMPT-E Managing Director.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the foundation of GM Powertrain Europe Turin, GM President Dan Ammann visited the engineering site and announced plans to strengthen the collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino, further expanding the engineering development center.

The letter of intent signed today with the Politecnico and the Regione Piemonte reinforces the research collaboration with the university through the growth of projects carried out by Politecnico and GMPT-E Turin as well as a project for the expansion of the area of GMPT-E in the campus of Politecnico named “Cittadella Politecnica”. The new area will measure approximately 2,500 square meters and construction is expected to start at the beginning of 2016. This new building will be fully dedicated to highly specialized labs, offices and powerful computational machines.

GM Powertrain Europe Turin announced plans to strengthen the collaboration with the Politechnico di Torino. From left: GMPT-E Managing Director Pierpaolo Antonioli, GM President Dan Ammann, Vice President Global Powertrain Dan Nicholson and Vice President Powertrain Europe Christian Müller.

Founded in 2005, GM Powertrain Europe is the center of innovation and development for diesel engines and related electronic control of GM globally and designs propulsion systems for Opel/Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and other GM brands. From design to the study of virtual components or tests on the engine benches – everything takes place in the laboratories and test cells of GM Powertrain Europe in Turin.

The site has grown rapidly since its foundation a decade ago: from a temporary office in 2005 to a state-of-the-art facility in the Politecnico campus. The workforce has also grown from the initial 60 people to approximately 650, expressing a highly qualified and international employment with more than 15 nationalities represented, mostly engineers. In 2015, GM plans to create an additional 60 jobs.  

With its state-of-the-art equipment, GM Powertrain Europe Turin represents a strategic asset for GM globally. In Europe, the engineering center provides Opel vehicles with premium diesel technology, like the 1.6 CDTI engine, the quietest diesel in its class that has earned the nickname ‘Whisper Diesel’.

In North America, GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado will be equipped with the new 2.8 liter diesel engine starting from the second half of 2015. These will be the only diesel in the midsize segment, promising excellent fuel economy and torque for maximum towing capability. Diesel engines of the future which are designed in Turin all share common characteristics: high-tech solutions offering moderate fuel consumption and CO2 emissions also thanks to the control system that is completely developed in-house.

“The Turin engineering center and our entire team here plays an important role in our efforts to lead the industry in product and technology” said Ammann. “The team has developed world-class modern diesel engines providing our customers with outstanding performance and efficiency in a fun-to-drive experience.”

“The growth of GMPT-E has demonstrated the importance of the relationship between the industry and the academia. A full generation of young and brilliant engineers took the opportunity to build their future and their career in one of the largest automotive companies. Their energy and strength helped GM to develop a solid diesel line up,” added Pierpaolo Antonioli, GMPT-E Managing Director.

!NEW! Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visits GM Powertrain Europe

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi today visited the GM Powertrain Europe engineering center in Turin to get an in-depth insight into the latest diesel powertrain innovations. Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Opel Group CEO and General Motors Executive Vice President & President Europe, and Pierpaolo Antonioli, CEO of GMPT-E, informed the Italian Prime Minister about the company’s strategies for further reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Part of the agenda was a visit of a climatic test-cell as well as the Hardware-in-the-Loop Laboratory, and participation in an All-Employee-Meeting.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi participated in an all-employee-meeting during his visit to the GM Powertrain Europe engineering center in Turin.

GM Powertrain Europe is the only center of innovation and development for diesel engines and related electronic control of GM globally and designs propulsion systems for Opel, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick. From design to the study of virtual components or tests on the engine benches – everything takes place in the laboratories and test cells of GM Powertrain Europe in Turin.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi additionally visited one highly dynamic test bench for testing emissions achieved through an investment of 60 million euro. He also met some young engineers for discussions.

With its state-of-the-art equipment, GM Powertrain Europe Turin represents a strategic asset for GM globally. In Europe, the engineering center provides Opel vehicles with premium diesel technology, like the 1.6 CDTI engine, the quietest diesel in its class that has earned the nickname ‘Whisper Diesel’. Diesel engines of the future which are designed in Turin all share common characteristics: high-tech solutions offering moderate fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

“The Turin engineering center and the people working here play an important role in our product offensive. We will bring 27 new models and 17 new engines to the market by 2018. Diesel-powered cars account for more than half the market in Europe, and the engines we develop in Turin meet the highest customer expectations for durability, efficiency and performance”, said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Opel Group President Dr. Karl- Thomas Neumann and CEO of E-GMPT Pierpaolo Antonioli visit Center GMPT-E of Turin

In ten years, GM Powertrain Europe has seen its workforce grow annually by 25 percent, making the center one of the most important employers in the region. To date, the company has approximately 650, highly qualified employees, with an average age of 35 years.

“GM Powertrain Europe has helped to create a generation of technicians and highly qualified managers with international potential. It also generates supply contracts to local companies and engineering services with a volume of more than 170 million euro every year. We are becoming a magnet for other companies that see in us a real opportunity for growth in the area”, Pierpaolo Antonioli said.

!NEW! Serial Production of the newest Opel engine family started in Hungary

·         High performance, low emission engines for the new Opel Corsa and Opel ADAM ROCKS

·         Opel Vice President Joachim Koschnicke unveiled the engine with Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Economy Peter Szijjarto in Szentgotthárd

·         The most modern Opel engine plant now builds three engine families on the same line

Unveiling the newest Opel SGE engine family: Opel Vice President Joachim Koschnicke , Deputy Minister Foreign economic relation, Peter Szijjarto and plant manager Tamas Solt (from left to the right).

The serial production of the new Small Gasoline Engine (SGE) family (1.0 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo) ceremonially started at the newest and most flexible Opel engine plant in Szentgotthárd, Western Hungary in the presence of Joachim Koschnicke, Opel Vice President Government Relations and Public Policy and Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Economy Peter Szijjarto. With this addition, the new engine plant builds three different engine families on the same line offering a wide range of powertrain for the new Opel models.

Unveiling the newest Opel ECOTEC engine family: Opel Vice President Joachim Koschnicke , Deputy Minister Foreign economic relation, Peter Szijjarto and plant manager Tamas Solt (from left to the right)

“The Szentgotthárd Flex plant plays an important role in our product strategy. Between this year and 2018, 27 new Opel models and 17 new engines will hit the market and many of these engine novelties will be built here”, said Joachim Koschnicke, Vice President Government Relations and Public Policy. “We show very clearly that Opel is back. Opel is on the attack. Our model offensive is in full swing, and engines are a very important part of this offensive.”

New Opel ECOTEC 1.0 Direct Injection Turbo

Koschnicke also spoke about the longer term strategy of the company: “We are setting clear targets that stretch all the way to the year 2022. Our first target is to go from being third in the European passenger car market to being second. We aim to achieve this with a market share of 8 percent in Europe and 10 percent in Germany in 2022.”

Hungary is one of the 11 countries where Opel increased market share in the first half of 2014. Opel has not only been the number one brand in three consecutive years on the Hungarian passenger car market but in the first half of this year, the brand could grow its sales in the country by 68 percent. That is more than twice of the average growth of the market and secures an over 13 percent market share and clear number one overall position for Opel in Hungary.

Tamás Solt, Plant Manager and Launch Director of the Flex plant said: “Last year, in our old facility building mainly 1.6 115 hp engines and Flex Plants, we manufactured 354,000 engines and only 15,000 of them were Flex products. In comparison, this year 100,000 of the 400,000 engines will already be Flex engines. Next year, more than the half of the 500,000 engines will be Flex products.”

The new Szentgotthard Flex plant is a 700 million Euro investment with a capacity to build 600,000 engines a year. The technology implemented there makes the plant one of the most flexible automotive manufacturing facilities in the world capable of producing three different engine families on the same line. Opel’s new 1.6 gasoline turbo, 1.6 CDTI turbo diesel and now the new small gasoline engines are built there. All of these engines are characterized by high performance and low emissions, plus outstanding smoothness and very low noise levels.

The one liter turbo engine with 90 and 115 horsepower is just the first member of the small gasoline engine family, which will include many different applications between 1 and 1.4 liter displacement. The three-cylinder engine will have its debut in the ADAM and new ADAM ROCKS – the mini Opel crossover – and it will also be introduced in the Fifth Generation Corsa coming to the markets at the end of this year.

!NEW! Opel Builds Center for Engines of the Future

• Automaker investing 210 million euros in Rüsselsheim
• State-of-the-art facilities to develop and test clean engines
• 43 modern performance test benches available by 2017
• Hesse’s Minister for Economic Affairs Tarek Al-Wazir at groundbreaking ceremony

Opel starts major construction project at its Rüsselsheim headquarters: The company continues its investment offensive, allocating 210 million euros to the construction of a complex of buildings – the tallest seven stories high – on the south-west sector of the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) premises. On a total building surface area of around 36,000 square meters, from 2017 engineers and technicians will develop the powertrains of the future. The new center will also house 43 newest-generation performance test benches.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the major project took place on Monday. Manning the shovels were CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Head of Opel Works Council Dr. Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug, Vice President of the GM Powertrain Division Steven Kiefer, Opel Board Member for Engineering Michael Ableson, and two high-ranking political guests: Hesse’s Minister for Economic Affairs Tarek Al-Wazir and Rüsselsheim’s mayor Patrick Burghardt.

“With this investment we very clearly show: Opel is back. Opel is on the attack,” said Karl-Thomas Neumann. “Our model offensive is in full swing – and engines are a very important part of this offensive.”  

The construction project is part of the investment announced last year that earmarks 230 million euros for new testing and engineering facilities at the ITDC and at the Test Center Rodgau-Dudenhofen. The lion’s share of that, 210 million euros, is being invested in the Rüsselsheim site. The complex will cover an area of around 13,000 square meters south of the railroad tracks and west of Portal 45 in Rüsselsheim, parallel to the Rugbyring. This is the largest building investment in Rüsselsheim since the opening of the new production plant in 2002.

The site is embedded in the engineering network of the GM Powertrain Organization. Due to internationally synchronized test methods and software, findings can be optimally analyzed and implemented. Steven Kiefer, Head of GM Powertrain, said, “For us, Rüsselsheim is the center for the development of small and mid-size gasoline engines. We rely on internationally-networked German engineering and with the construction of this new site, we create optimum working conditions for our experts.” Kiefer continued, “Important new engine generations will be created in Rüsselsheim, including their applications for all markets where GM is present. The new facilities meet globally uniform technical standards and increase the flexibility, development speed and efficiency of the entire group.”

A new building as symbol for the engine offensive

The construction project in Rüsselsheim is a visible sign of the Opel engine offensive. To 2018, Opel will introduce 27 new models and 17 new, economical engines to the market. With the refreshed product portfolio, market share in Europe is to be substantially increased to 8 percent by 2022. Board Member for Engineering Michael Ableson, said, “We are looking at the whole diverse variety of future propulsion technologies that are more economical and environmentally friendly. The combustion engine maintains an important role, as it still has a lot of potential. As one of the pioneers of clean propulsion, it is Opel’s goal to not only undercut the future stringent CO2 barriers, but to also ensure driving fun and best performance at the same time.”

Head of Works Council Schäfer-Klug said: “As employee representatives, from the very beginning we advocated investment in, preservation and expansion of engineering jobs. So I am delighted that we are laying this foundation stone today. It is more proof of growth and job security at Opel.”

Hesse’s Minister of Economic Affairs Tarek Al-Wazir praised Opel‘s commitment to the region: “I am sure that fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of engines will always be important to customers. Therefore the new development center for efficient engines is a smart, climate-friendly investment. I am pleased that Opel invests a three-figure million amount in these future technologies here in the Rhine-Main area”.

And Rüsselheim’s mayor Patrick Burghardt also sees the engine building complex as a sign of a new start for the city: “A new site of this size has not been built here in a long time. Rüsselsheim and Opel – this is not only a long, rich tradition, it is also a clear prospect for the future.” 

!NEW! Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann visits GM Powertrain Europe in Turin

From left to right: Dr. Thomas Johnen, Vice President Powertrain Engineering, Dr. Pierpaolo Antonioli, Managing Director and Global Diesel Sector Executive Director, Dr. Neumann and Professor Marco Gilli, Rector of Politecnico di Torino.

Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, GM Executive Vice President, President Europe and Opel CEO, today visited the General Motors Powertrain Europe Turin campus to meet with the local employees and get in-depth insight into ongoing powertrain developments. He also used the opportunity to meet with the rector of the “Politecnico” university.

Dr. Neumann was hosted by Pierpaolo Antonioli, Managing Director and Global Diesel Sector Executive Director. While he spent considerable time with GM’s local leadership, Dr. Neumann met also with the employees in a dedicated meeting. He toured the facility as well, showing great interest in the test benches, labs and chassis dynamometers. With its state-of-the-art equipment, GM Powertrain Europe Turin represents a strategic asset for GM globally, and in Europe it provides Opel vehicles with premium diesel technology.

Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann and Dr. Thomas Johnen, Vice President Powertrain Engineering, touring the Turin facility together with Dr. Pierpaolo Antonioli, Managing Director and Global Diesel Sector Executive, showing great interest in the test benches, labs and chassis dynamometers.

Dr. Neumann stated: “The GM Powertrain Europe Center in Turin plays a vital role in GM’s global diesel strategy. Diesel-powered cars account for more than half the market in Europe, and our engines developed in Turin must meet the highest customer expectations for durability, efficiency and performance. Our new state-of-the-art 1.6 liter diesel CDTI has already become a benchmark for refinement among mid-size diesels, including those from premium manufacturers.”

In the course of the day, Dr. Neumann met with Professor Marco Gilli, Rector of Politecnico di Torino. Since 2008, GM’s Turin campus has been part of the newly created Cittadella Politecnica (Politecnico Campus), becoming the first private company to be closely integrated on the university premises. Professor Gilli presented the joint activities of Politecnico and GM Powertrain Europe Turin and the collaboration developed in the field of research and education.

Professor Gilli said: “More and more national and multinational companies are turning to selected university centers of excellence to carry out research of common interest. I really appreciate the time and attention Dr. Neumann gave to the University Campus during his visit to the General Motors Development Center. I truly believe that this is a positive example of collaboration between the academic world and the industry that is bearing fruit in terms of research, and it benefits our students and researchers in terms of opportunities and incentives."

At the end of the visit, Pierpaolo Antonioli confirmed: “Dr. Neumann’s visit reinforces the importance of our work within the GM organization in Europe. We are completely committed to continue enhancing our technology to give customers a unique experience when driving Opel and other GM vehicles. I strongly believe that the GM Engineering and Development Center of Turin will keep playing a leading role in research related to stringent regulations on CO2 emissions, without compromising our “fun to drive” proviso.”

Opel/Vauxhall is benefitting from work that has been done by the engineers at the Center. The new 1.6 CDTI engine, the quietest diesel in its class that has earned the nickname “Whisper Diesel”, was developed in Turin. The new engine is already part of the Zafira Tourer and Mervia line-up and will have its premiere in Geneva in the Opel Astra high-volume model range, with stunning fuel consumption figures: 3.7l/100 km combined in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle).