!NEW! Opel OnStar: 1.5 Million Customer Interactions for Guardian Angel

• 15 vehicles recovered with help of Opel OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance
• Every second new Opel equipped with OnStar

Opel OnStar has already recorded around 1.5 million interactions with customers who make contact by phone, mobile app or the blue OnStar service button. 

“Having that guardian angel there is just fantastic!” says Charlotte Tyson about OnStar, the personal connectivity and service assistant introduced by Opel in August 2015. Charlotte from England was one of the first drivers in Europe to experience how OnStar automatically reacts in an emergency. Last October she was on the way to one of her friends when she was involved in a head-on collision with another car. As the airbags in her Corsa deployed, vehicle sensors automatically alerted an OnStar advisor – Charlotte’s guardian angel – who notified the emergency services and stayed with her on the phone until they arrived at the scene of the accident.

Automatic crash response is just one of the many innovative features of Opel OnStar, which makes driving more convenient and ensures best connectivity. The unique service with friendly advisors instead of machines also remotely unlocks doors, downloads destinations directly to the vehicle, sends emails on vehicle health and offers a 4G/LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Less than nine months after its launch, Opel OnStar has already recorded around 1.5 million interactions with customers who make contact by phone, mobile app or the blue OnStar service button. Currently every second new Opel delivered features OnStar.

Opel OnStar is available on all Opel passenger cars, from ADAM, KARL, Corsa and Astra, to Meriva, Mokka, Cascada, Zafira Tourer and Insignia. Less than nine months after launch, Opel OnStar has already recorded around 1.5 million customer interactions.

“These unbelievable numbers prove that Opel OnStar is a resounding success! Less than a year after launch, our personal connectivity and service assistant is clearly on its way to becoming the helpful companion every driver of an Opel passenger car wants to have at their side”, exclaims Tina Müller, Chief Marketing Officer Opel Group. “The smartphone generation are ecstatic about the 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot, while services such as automatic Emergency Call Service provide the older generation with the safety and security they long to have when driving.”

Opel OnStar - Emergency Call Service

The most popular service is the myOpel mobile app, which to date customers with smartphones have launched around 700,000 times by. The app’s most popular features so far are remote locking/unlocking of doors, online vehicle location and honking the vehicle’s horn and flashing its lights. Customers can also call up important data such as oil condition or tire pressures, send destinations to the in-car navigation system and manage the car’s embedded Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows up to seven devices to connect in and around the vehicle.

The favorite Opel OnStar service is the myOpel app. To date, customers with smartphones have launched the app 700,000 times. The most popular features: locking/unlocking of doors, vehicle location, honking the horn and flashing the lights.

Since launching last year Opel OnStar has received about 300,000 calls from customers and sent more than 150,000 monthly vehicle diagnostics emails. On the internet, customers have logged into the Opel OnStar page around 300,000 times.

Opel OnStar also assists vehicle owners and police alike in case a vehicle with the system is stolen. Stolen Vehicle Assistance enables Opel OnStar to work closely with police to recover the car quickly and safely and return it to its rightful owner. Ignition Block allows Opel OnStar to send a remote signal to the vehicle that blocks the engine from starting once it has been reported stolen.

Opel OnStar assists vehicle owners and police alike in case a vehicle with the system is stolen. Thanks to Opel OnStar, 15 stolen vehicles have been located and returned to their owners to date – even across borders !

Thanks to Opel OnStar, 15 stolen vehicles have been located and returned to their owners to date – even across borders! Dominik Gamel’s Astra was stolen in Austria. He immediately reported the theft to the Austrian police and Opel OnStar, who located the car in neighboring Hungary. Working with the police in both countries, Opel OnStar helped retrieve the car and return it to its rightful owner within 24 hours. “When my Astra was stolen, I was so upset”, recalls Dominik, “I thought I would never see it again. I’m just so grateful to OnStar for getting it back to me!”

Opel OnStar is available on all Opel passenger cars, from ADAM, KARL, Corsa and Astra to Meriva, Mokka and Cascada and Zafira Tourer and Insignia . The Opel OnStar service is offered to customers in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, and as Vauxhall OnStar in the United Kingdom. An additional 18 countries will follow as of August 2016.

!NEW! Successful race weekend: Opel at 16. Südsteiermark Classic

Last weekend ushered in the southern Styria Classic for already the sixteenth time a domestic classic car season. Around 160 teams from eight nations with their classic cars at the start, among them Opel Austria with five teams, which provided a perfect appearance.

Opel team in Südsteiermark Classic 2016: Opel GT, Opel Ascona A 400, Opel Commodore B GSE, Opel GT, Opel Kadett B

Not only Mag. Alexander Struckl, CEO Opel Austria was pleased with his 90 hp Opel GT from 1969 to contest the classic race, and Peter Christian Küspert, sales director of Opel Group, took the sport the cult model Opel Commodore B GSE challenge. A Opel Ascona Rallye and an Opel Kadett B Coupé Rallye, driven by Peter List, Chairman of Opel Partner teams (with co-pilot Markus Oppel, Sales Manager Opel Austria) thrilled the audience.

Peter List and Markus Oppel with the Opel Kadett B

Achievements for the Opel team

The Opel team can look back on a successful and successful race weekend. Ronny Rockenbauer could reach the first place in the team standings. Alexander Struckl took the 2nd place in class "Postwar" on the 2nd special stage and the 1st place in the SP 9 "Lödersdorf". Peter Christian Küspert emerged victorious in the team competition on the SP 15 "Einöd" forth.

"It is always a special experience to be in the southern Styria Classic with this. The special flair, the mixture of nostalgia and sporting ambition, and not least the wonderful scenery make this race every year so special. This year Südsteiermark Classic was perfectly complemented by the successes of the Opel team, "says Alexander Struckl, CEO Opel Austria.

One of the stops, lead the team well for Autohaus Opel Krammer in Gleisdorf. Longtime Opel dealer presented its business in a new light. Many guests enjoyed the afternoon sun and were visibly impressed by the new look of the traditional company Krammer.

Special Guest Walter Röhrl

A special guest, who is considered one of the most outstanding rally drivers in motor racing history, could be welcomed as a special guest. Synonyms like "Genius on Wheels" and "Rally driver of the century" show how inextricably Walter Röhrl is connected to the motor sport. Opel also has its history with Walter Röhrl. 1973 Röhrl first came to Opel, several victories in the same year could be celebrated. After switching to other brands Röhrl returned 1982 again back to Opel. The Opel Ascona 400 he won then his second Monte win.

Showpieces from the years 1909 to 1973

The range of exceptional classic cars in southern Styria Classic is remarkable. In the individual periods, the first ranges from about 1908-1935, the last of 1967-1972, vintage fans get their money. The oldest model, with a driver of Liechtenstein was launched was a "Lion Peugeot Racing voiturette" from 1909.

The southern Styria Classic - Every year a special race

The southern Styria Classic enthusiastic again this year participants and spectators alike. It is and remains a synonym for sports, scenic uniqueness, sociability and culinary enjoyment. Enthusiastic driver and front passenger, exceptional vintage, the blend of nostalgia and sporting ambition make Südsteiermark Classic one of the three most important classic car events in Austria. Starting and finishing in Gamlitz the classic car season has been also opened in 2016 in Austria.

Opel Statement on Federal Ministry of Transport Report

Opel welcomes the clarity provided by the report of the German government. The report confirms that our tested cars do not have any devices that recognize whether a vehicle is undergoing an exhaust Emissions Test. The report from the UK government, published yesterday, also proves this.

This is in line with our expectation as we always stated that Opel does not have any devices that recognize whether a vehicle is undergoing an exhaust emissions test. Our software was never designed to cheat or deceive. We meet applicable emissions standards.

Both reports suggest the well-known and well-understood differences between the performance of vehicles in the current lab-based emissions test, which is in urgent need of reform, and in road test conditions. The introduction of RDE testing next year begins to address these differences, although there is work to be done to address boundary conditions relevant to that testing.

Opel is actively engaged in the discussion on RDE. We strongly believe that the industry has to regain trust by increasing the transparency with customers and authorities; and we have taken definitive steps in this direction already last year. As announced on December 15, 2015 and explained in more detail on March 29, 2016, Opel will start an initiative to improve NOx emissions of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) diesel applications in new vehicles in August. Our offensive also includes a voluntary customer satisfaction field action that will involve Euro 6 SCR vehicles that are already on the road in Europe. This activity will start in June 2016.

This is a voluntary and first early intermediate step towards RDE. Our voluntary action is aligned with the German Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA).