!NEW! Formula Student: Opel Main Sponsor and Partner of Largest University Racing Series in Europe

• Three-year contract signed with Formula Student Germany
• New “Opel Style Award“ for especially clever design and packaging solutions
• TU Kaiserslautern and THM Gießen join group of Opel teams 

Formula speedster: The racing cars used in the Formula Student are prototypes and are designed, engineered, built and driven by students.

Opel continues intensifying its activities dedicated to promoting young engineers, signing a three-year contract as main sponsor of the international educational motorsport competition Formula Student. Charlie Klein, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, is delighted that Opel is now a sponsor of Europe’s largest student motorsport competition: “With this we make a clear statement regarding our long-term commitment to passionate and talented people. The involvement of many Opel employees in this established student racing series to date has already been a valuable investment in our own future. Now we are going a step further, and in addition to the university teams we promote, we are also sponsoring the entire series. We will also grant the “Opel Style Award“ to the Formula Student teams with especially clever design and packaging solutions, and thereby build a bridge to these traditional Opel strengths.” The winning team can look forward to enjoying an Opel ADAM S as team vehicle for a whole season.

Strong partnership: Charlie Klein, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann and Ludwig Vollrath, Board Member Formula Student Germany, with two monopostos of the student motorsport competition.

Students participating in Formula Student face engineering and manufacturing challenges very similar to those faced by established Opel engineers. Just like for real-life engineers, it is about aligning product attributes, manufacturing methods and economic efficiency. During the season, the team members learn and grow with every new task. This makes the motorsport competition a unique opportunity for all budding engineers to experience and actively contribute to a complete model development cycle within a very short period of time.

„Competing in the Formula Student not only offers students the opportunity to apply and deepen their specialist knowledge, it also gives them the chance to gather management and social skills along with international experience. The Formula Student has become the central educational motorsport competition with its 600 teams from 52 countries. Opel’s commitment strongly supports this orientation,” said Ludwig Vollrath, Board Member Formula Student Germany.

The special appeal of the Formula Student competition is that the teams are responsible for the entire process, just like automobile manufacturers. The racing car they develop must have competitive-level performance in terms of acceleration, braking and handling qualities. Reliability, durability and low-cost production are also aspects that will be judged. The competition takes place under the auspices of the Association of German Engineers VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure).

Thumbs up: Charlie Klein, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, is looking forward to the new Formula Student season with six Opel teams from Darmstadt, Rhein-Main, Hamburg, Deggendorf, Kaiserslautern and Gießen.

Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Charlie Klein outlines the cooperation with the teams supported by Opel: “We provide the students with help and advice. The spectrum of our support ranges from use of the test track at the Opel Test Center Rodgau-Dudenhofen for production of parts and components to advice and guidance from our engineers. We are particularly delighted that from this season, we will welcome two new teams from the TU Kaiserslautern (University of Kaiserslautern) and the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences) to our ranks. With this official support, we also recognize the close relationships to our development center and the Kaiserslautern plant. Our partner teams are excellent ambassadors for our brand.”

Last year, the ninth season of Formula Student brought over 3,600 students in 115 teams from 24 countries to the Hockenheimring. There they were cheered on by more than 5,000 spectators – a record year for the student racing series competition that features the two categories combustion engines and electric propulsion. This year, Formula Student again takes place in Hockenheim from July 30 – August 2. Support of Formula Student also has a long tradition at Opel’s parent company General Motors. In addition to General Motors’ overall engagement within the Formula SAE, particularly its collaboration with the home team from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is of special note. As the teams supported by GM and Opel maintain close contact and assist one another, the Opel Blitz shines next to the GM logo on the hoods of many US racing cars.

The Opel teams in the Formula Student:

TU DART Racing (TU Darmstadt) - http://dart-racing.de
Scuderia Mensa (Hochschule Rhein-Main) - http://www.scuderia-mensa.de
HAWKS Racing (Hochschule Hamburg) -  www.hawksracing.de
Fast Forest (TH Deggendorf) - http://www.fast-forest.de
KaRaT Racing (TU Kaiserslautern) - http://www.karat-racing.de/
THM Motorsport (TH Mittelhessen Gießen) - http://www.thm.de/motorsport/racing/

!NEW! Pure Pleasure: Highly Efficient 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo in the New Opel Astra

• All-aluminum: four-cylinder gasoline unit of the latest engine generation
• Instant throttle response: Dynamic response and ample performance
• Pure high-tech: Direct fuel injection and turbocharging for highest efficiency
• Milestone: Eight millionth engine from Szentgotthárd a 1.4 liter turbo

All-aluminum: Opel 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo with central direct fuel injection will be available in the new Opel Astra in two outputs, 92 kW/125 hp and 110 kW/150 hp.

The full name of the new Opel engine is 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo and it will celebrate its world premiere in the new Opel Astra at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (IAA) in September. The four-cylinder turbocharged unit with central direct fuel injection will be available in two outputs, 92 kW/125 hp and 110 kW/150 hp. This combination links the new all-aluminum engine to the recently introduced 1.0 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo known from Opel ADAM and Corsa. In fact, the new 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine is the big brother of the one-liter, three-cylinder unit that has been praised by the trade press since its introduction in the Opel ADAM ROCKS and the new Corsa generation. Both engines are members of the so-called small gasoline engine family – a group of high-tech engines with three or four cylinders and a displacement below 1.6 liters. They are key players in the biggest engine offensive in Opel’s history which will see 17 new engines brought to market from 2014 to 2018.

Best in class: The new Opel four-cylinder engine purrs like a kitten

A lot of attention was paid to dynamic responsiveness and high performance while curbing fuel consumption during the development phase of the 1.4-liter turbo. The engine delivers maximum torque of up to 245 Nm very early. The maximum power is available between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm – an outstanding torque plateau. Perfect conditions for driving pleasure in combination with efficiency. According to preliminary data, the powerful turbo with Start/Stop will consume a mere 4.9 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers in the combined cycle (114 g/km CO2). The 1.4-liter turbo will therefore be able to outperform even two-liter gasoline engines in all performance characteristics and replace them. The engineers once again paid close attention to low noise levels and vibration behavior during the development of the 1.4 liter turbo – just like they did for the one-liter, three-cylinder unit. The engine block was constructed with resonance reduction in mind, the oil pan split into two, the integration of the cylinder head into the exhaust manifold is noise protected, a sound absorbing cam cover has been designed, the high-pressure injection valves decoupled and the timing chain trimmed for quiet concentricity.

Pure pleasure: Highly efficient 1.4 Liter turbo in the new Opel Astra.

“Our new turbocharged 1.4 liter, four-cylinder engine with central direct injection is part of the newly designer small gasoline engine family and embodies its attributes ‘powerful, efficient and cultivated’. The all-aluminum unit is not only environmentally friendly but also sets new standards in driving comfort,” said Christian Müller, VP GM Powertrain Engineering Europe.

The lightness of being: The new degree of efficiency

Based on its construction, the new 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo adds less weight to the car. The aluminum engine block alone weighs ten kilograms less than the cast-iron block of the current 1.4 liter turbo, making it the perfect match for the new, highly efficient Opel Astra. Apropos efficiency, this is where the 1.4 turbo can really show its technical advantages: to make the engine as light as possible, the crankshaft is hollow cast, the oil pump drive is especially low friction and the oil pump works in two pressure levels accordingly. The entire engine is designed for low friction oils with a viscosity grade of 5W-30. All of these measures ensure fuel efficiency of the highest standard.

While the three-cylinder Opel units are typical representatives of engine downsizing (smaller, lighter, more efficient), the Opel engineers speak of “rightsizing“, i.e. the perfect balance between low load and high load efficiency, when talking about the new 1.4 liter four-cylinder engine.

Milestone engine from Szentgotthárd

The 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo is manufactured in the Opel Flex Plant in Szentgotthárd. And it is already responsible for setting a new milestone for the Hungarian plant. The eight millionth engine from Szentgotthárd left the production line today and it was, of course, an all-aluminum, four-cylinder unit that will make its debut in the new Opel Astra from September.

“We have world class flexible engine plant in Hungary and it plays a key role in our product strategy. Congratulations and a huge thanks to the entire team here – eight million engines is something to be very proud of and I am sure that we will be able to celebrate even more milestones here in the future,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group, who attended the celebrations along with Marc Schiff, Executive Director Manufacturing Opel/Vauxhall Europe, members of the Hungarian government and local officials. 

Highly Efficient 1.4-Liter Turbo: Marc Schiff, Executive Director Manufacturing Opel/Vauxhall Europe, Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group, and Plant Manager Tamás Solt (from left to right) with the new 1.4 Direct Injection Turbo from Szentgotthárd.

!NEW! Vauxhall Announces Pricing For All-New Brit-Built Astra

• All-New Vauxhall Astra in showrooms in October priced from £15,295 OTR
• Up to £2,200 less expensive than the outgoing model
• Class-leading powertrains achieve up to 91.1mpg and as low as 82g/km

All-New Vauxhall Astra 

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra will be in showrooms in October priced from £15,295 on-the-road.

The new model, built at Vauxhall’s manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, is up to £2,200 less expensive than the outgoing model with a simplified range. The new Astra range includes Design, Tech Line, Energy, SRi and Elite, with Nav versions of the SRi and Elite trims also available.

Range highlights include the 1.0 litre three-cylinder Turbo Start/Stop ecoFLEX model priced from £15,995 on-the-road. With an Easytronic five-speed automatic transmission, the same model achieves a class-leading 96g/km CO2 emissions. The range-topping 1.6 litre (200PS) is available in SRi trim priced from £20,435 on-the-road. The diesel offering includes the 1.6 litre ‘Whisper Diesel’ (110PS) Start/Stop ecoFLEX model (prices start at £17,495 on-the-road) that achieves 91.1mpg and class-leading CO2 emissions of 82g/km (provisional).

Each trim level features a high level of standard spec:

Design

Prices start from £15,295 on-the-road, £150 less than outgoing model

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• LED daytime running lights, 6 airbags
• Air conditioning
• R4.0 IntelliLink audio system with digital radio
• 7-inch colour touchscreen, USB & aux in
• Bluetooth connectivity, multi-function trip computer
• Cruise control and steering wheel controls
• Electrically operated front and rear windows  

Tech Line (over Design)

Prices start from £15,995 on-the-road, £775 less than outgoing model

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition
• Leather steering wheel, adjustable front armrest

Energy (over Design)

Prices start from £17,295 on-the-road, £625 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch 10 spoke alloy wheels
• Heated front seats and heated leather steering wheel

SRi (over Design)

Prices start from £17,895 on-the-road, £970 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch five twin-spoke alloy wheels
• Driving Assistance Pack (front camera system)
• OnStar, Sight & Light Pack
• Sports seats, sports switch
• Leather steering wheel
• Front foglamps

SRi Nav (over SRi)

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition 

Elite (over Design)

Prices start from £19,315 on-the-road, £1,960 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch multi spoke alloy wheels
• Leather ergonomic sports front seats with extendable seat cushions, tilt and four-way electrical lumbar adjustment
• Heated front and rear outer seats
• OnStar, Sight & Light Pack
• Electronic climate control
• Front foglamps
• Electrically foldable door mirrors
• Two USB chargers for rear seat passengers

Elite Nav (over Elite)

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition

Downloads: All-New Vauxhall Astra brochure

                     All-New Vauxhall Astra price guide