- German, approachable, exciting: Brand concept to showcase fine-tuned Opel values
- New Germanness: Open to the world, ‘menschlich’, people focused
- Bold and pure design: Emotional and confident, clear and intuitive
- Compass to the future: Assured, new front identity with focus on brand emblem
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While Opel is working hard on becoming a highly
efficient automotive company within Groupe PSA as announced by Opel CEO
Michael Lohscheller during the presentation of the PACE! strategic plan
last November, it is also busy strengthening and fine-tuning its
profile. Before the end of the year, a Brand Concept vehicle currently
being created in the design studio will show where Opel is heading to.
“PACE!
is the compass to a sustainable and successful future for Opel”, said
Michael Lohscheller. “In addition to increasing profitability and
efficiency, PACE! includes the strengthening of the Opel brand. I have
therefore given my teams the tasks of sharpening Opel’s profile and
creating a concept car that symbolizes the direction we are headed.”
German,
approachable, exciting – these are the three brand values that are
embedded in the DNA of every Opel model and initiative and will continue
to do so in the future. In recent months, Opel design, marketing and
engineering teams have been finding answers to the question how these
values can be better embodied by the design, the technology, the
substance of the Opel automobiles and the approach the company takes
towards its customers. The team around Vice President Design Mark Adams
has revisited Opel’s design philosophy and intends to apply some
significant fine-tuning when creating the future bestsellers from
Rüsselsheim. A first glimpse of what the future holds and what Opel
models will look like by the mid-2020s has now been revealed – still
hidden under a cover but already showing noteworthy details.
One
element the design team was keen to take to a new level is how modern
new ‘Germanness’ can be expressed in future products, thus sharpening
the brand profile. “New Germanness means that we define ourselves not
only based on traditional German values. Of course, engineering
excellence, technical innovation and outstanding quality remain
important to us. However, modern Germany is much more than this. We are
open to the world, open-minded, and truly care about people – in German,
this attitude is called ‘menschlich’ – human in a word. Our customers,
wherever they live or come from, are our guideline and compass for
everything we do,” explained Adams.
Two fundamental pillars of
Opel’s future design philosophy are directly derived from this
expression of new Germanness: ‘bold’ and ‘pure’. “Opel design is
emotional, sculptural and confident, we create exciting designs that
stand out. We summarised this with the term bold. A second key aspect of
German design is its clarity, intuitiveness and focus. This is captured
in the term pure,” explained Adams. Previous iconic designs from Opel’s
past clearly relate to these qualities.
One of the most stunning examples of this ‘bold’ and ‘pure’ principle is the Opel CD that wowed an international audience when it celebrated its world premiere at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show.
One of the most stunning examples of this ‘bold’ and ‘pure’ principle is the Opel CD that wowed an international audience when it celebrated its world premiere at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show.
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| 1969 Opel CD and 2018 Opel Concept |
These key elements are also clearly
visible in the most recent brainchild of the Rüsselsheim Design Centre –
the critically acclaimed Opel GT Concept. “Strong proportions, simple but
sculptural surfaces, bold graphics, and rare but extremely well executed
details – the 2018 Brand Concept we are preparing continues to develop
the principles we explored with the Opel GT Concept. There is a clear
continuity and consistency in the way we express Opel’s values. However,
we have taken several steps forward and are now setting the structure
for the future face of Opel. This will be articulated around what we
call the Opel Compass,” explained Adams.
The Opel Compass organises the
design elements of Opel’s future face around two strong axes that
intersect the brand emblem – which becomes the focus point more than
ever before. The centre-crease line on the bonnet represents the
vertical axis, which will become bolder and purer in its execution. The
horizontal axis is symbolized by the typical wing-shaped daytime running
light signature, which will continue to be further strengthened and
developed on all future Opel vehicles.
The 2018 Brand Concept, to
be revealed before the end of the year, will be the first vehicle to
showcase the future face of Opel designed according to the principles of
the Opel Compass.
