!NEW! Production Start for All-New Opel Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer

• More than €500 million investment in production preparation
• Opel Insignia Grand Sport in abalone white stars at employee event
• Opel CEO Dr. Neumann praises work so far and emphasizes importance of All-New Opel Insignia

All systems go: Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Plant Manager Michael Lewald, Deputy Chairman of the Works Council Uwe Baum (from left to right) and the Rüsselsheim team celebrate the start of regular production of All-New Opel Insignia.

A new era begins today at Opel’s home plant in Rüsselsheim; the first Opel Insignia Grand Sport produced to customer order officially rolled off the assembly line on Tuesday. “We have been looking forward to today for a long time; our new flagship has finally arrived. This is an important day for Opel and Rüsselsheim,” said Opel CEO, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann during the celebrations for the start of production of the second generation Opel Insignia. We invested more than €500 million just to prepare for the production of our new flagship.” An Insignia Grand Sport in abalone white with 170 hp 2.0 liter diesel engine stood in the spotlight at the end of the production line.

Deputy Works Council Chairman, Uwe Baum said: “The team here in Rüsselsheim has once again demonstrated that they can deliver smooth production start-ups enabling great cars to leave the assembly line. The Works Council is especially grateful to them today, because the new Opel Insignia is an important part of the future for Opel, which would not be possible without the input of these colleagues.”

Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann also praised the work of the whole team in the Rüsselsheim plant and added: “The new Opel flagship is a core element of our product offensive, which will reach a new peak with seven new models this year alone.”

Plant Manager, Michael Lewald thanked his workforce for their great efforts in successfully preparing and executing the start of production during the last months. “Our team did another great job and superbly executed this highly complex production-start. I am proud of our new flagship and the performance of the Rüsselsheim team.”

Production-start for Opel flagship: All-New Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer (right).

The order books for the new Opel Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer opened on February 16. The first three production cars are destined for Poland, Denmark and Germany. The new Opel flagship just made its official world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The car will be in dealer showrooms this summer.

Dr. Neumann is confident that the new edition of the Opel flagship will continue the success of its predecessor. Nine hundred and forty thousand (940,000) units of the first generation Opel Insignia – The 2009 European Car Of The Year – have been sold in total, making it the fourth best-selling Opel model.

Based on an all-new vehicle structure, the new Insignia is up to 200 kilograms lighter than its predecessor as well as lower and more spacious inside. The design is athletic yet elegant. One of the technology highlights is the intelligent all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring – torque distribution to individual wheels within milliseconds. The new Insignia also offers a host of driver assistance systems that contribute to safety and make driving more comfortable and relaxing, such as the second-generation IntelliLux LED Matrix headlights, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and active lane assist.

!NEW! Opel Opens New Global Propulsion Systems Center

• Seven-floor testing and development building for propulsion systems of the future
• €210 million investment at Rüsselsheim headquarters

Opel has invested €210 million in the complex of the new Global Propulsion Systems Center in Rüsselsheim. More than 800 people work here.

Only two years after the groundbreaking ceremony the new, ultra-modern Global Propulsion Systems Center at Opel’s Rüsselsheim headquarters is ready to go into service. Volker Bouffier, Prime Minister of the federal state of Hesse, who took the opportunity to take a close look at the impressive building complex, attended the official inauguration ceremony.

Hesse’s Prime Minister Volker Bouffier presents the “Hessian Lion” to Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Global Propulsion Systems Center in Rüsselsheim.

More than 800 engineers and technicians will develop the propulsion systems of the future in the complex with a surface area of around 36,000 square meters. The complex not only has a technology center and office space but also 45 latest generation test dynamometers.

Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier and Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann put the first test dynamometer for propulsion systems into operation.

The €210 million invested in the new Global Propulsion Systems Center is the biggest single investment in buildings in Rüsselsheim since the inauguration of the new production plant in 2002.

“The future will quite literally be shaped in the new Global Propulsion Systems Center. Rüsselsheim is one of the most important centers of innovation in our state and it has become an internationally competence center, especially in the mobility sector. Products, concepts and solutions that are used around the glove are developed here. This importance is once emphasized by the new center. The investment made by Opel is a clear commitment to Rüsselsheim and I am happy that the company will continue to shape the future from here. Opel is a key part of Hesse and a piece of Hessian identity,” said Prime Minister Volker Bouffier.

Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann and Uwe Baum, Deputy Chairman of the Opel Works Council, welcomed Prime Minister Bouffier. Dan Nicholson, GM Vice President Global Propulsion Systems was also present to greet the guests.

“The new development center will make our work even faster and even more efficient. It not only strengthens Opel but also Rüsselsheim and the entire GM development network. Opel and its parent company General Motors want to remain one of the pioneers of clean propulsion systems as seen with the new groundbreaking Ampera-e electric car,” emphasized Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann.

“This new center is a very important strategic investment. We will develop the propulsion systems of the future here by using ultra-modern tools and a total of 45 new dynamometers. GM decided to build this center in Rüsselsheim for good reason. It is a sign of appreciation for the performance and the know-how of our highly-qualified Opel engineers. The global network makes GM and Opel especially strong,” said Dan Nicholson.

Uwe Baum, Deputy Chairman of the Opel Works Council, added: “This investment is an important step for the future and proof of the growth and employment opportunities at Opel. The center for propulsion systems will help us secure work places and competences at the development center, as already agreed in the ITDC labor contract. Today is a good day for Opel and for Rüsselsheim.

This new construction is part of the €230 million investment in new testing and development facilities at the International Technical Development Center (ITDC) and at the Development Center in Rodgau-Dudenhofen announced two years ago, with most of the total amount being invested in Rüsselsheim.

The facility is integrated in the global development system of GM Global Propulsion Systems. The output can be optimally evaluated and implemented thanks to the internationally standardized testing procedures and software.

New High-tech Visual Technologies for Opel Design Center

• Groundbreaking ceremony for investment of €11 million
• Extended design center to be completed by June 2017

First step of a new era: Uwe Baum, Deputy Chairman of the Works Council, Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Vice President Design Mark Adams and Richard Bolz, Director Design Operations Europe, (from left to right) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Visualization Center.

Opel is continuing to invest in its design capacities. The Design Center of the Rüsselsheim headquarters will be extended for €11 million. Ultra-modern visual and communication technologies will allow even better and more effective work once it is completed in June 2017.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the development and modification took place on Tuesday with Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann in attendance. Mark Adams, Vice President Design and Uwe Baum, Deputy Chairman of the Opel Works Council, also took to the shovels.

Preview of the future: Vice President Design Mark Adams (right) gives Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann (left) and Uwe Baum, Deputy Chairman of the Works Council (second from right), an insight into the possibilities offered by the new Visualization Center.

“Outstanding design has always been one of the key factors of the Opel brand,” said Dr. Neumann. “The development of the Design Center will give our creative minds new possibilities. That will help us take the next step in our model offensive. It will also further strengthen the position of the Rüsselsheim Design Center as the European lynchpin in global development.”

Uwe Baum added: “I am delighted that the next building project in Rüsselsheim has started. This new investment is further proof that Opel is back. The construction will also provide the essential space for the more than 80 new employees recently hired by the European Design Center.”

Virtual Reality projection equipment, complex video conferencing systems along with ultra-modern network concept will allow the employees in the extended Design Center to make decisions quicker than before.

“The ultra-modern facilities will enable various technologies and techniques – from the clay model to virtual reality or augmented reality models – to be connected and compared to each other, allowing Opel to set standards in this sector internationally,” said Mark Adams, Vice President Design.

This investment is the second significant design investment made recently. Previously the company created a high-speed milling center for €5 million.

Extending the design capacities is a further step in the implementation of Opel’s large-scale model offensive. By 2020, the company will bring 29 new vehicles to market. The next highlight is the new Astra Sports Tourer, which will be delivered from April.

What Opel designers are capable of can currently be admired at the Geneva Motor Show. The Opel GT Concept is currently celebrating its world premiere there and grabbing the headlines. This trendsetting sportscar expresses the continuous innovative strength of Opel – breathtaking in its shape, reduced to the bare essentials, pure passion. The thoroughbred athlete with a front mid-engine and rear-wheel drive takes Opel’s sculptural design philosophy to the next level.