Opel Achieves Market Share of 10.2 Percent in September in Germany

Opel benefitted from the timely and consistent preparation of the transition to the new WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) test cycle in September: The brand with the Blitz achieved a passenger car market share of 10.2 percent (+ 2.6 percentage points) in Germany in September. This is the highest market share in an individual month since December 2010 and the highest September value since 2006.

New vehicles registered as of September 1, 2018, need to be certified according to the WLTP driving cycle. The procedure delivers fuel consumption data much closer to reality than this was the case for its predecessor, the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). Unlike some competitors, Opel implemented these regulations at an early stage and can offer the entire passenger car portfolio without restrictions or delays.

Furthermore, Opel is already equipped for the new Euro 6d-Temp emissions standard: Currently, the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker offers 127 passenger models that already meet the strict limits of the new standard. It comes into force for all new registrations on September 1, 2019, at the latest.

“We have been preparing for these changes for years and certified our portfolio according to WLTP and Euro 6d-TEMP in good time. We can be proud of that. And now we are benefitting from it. With a view to the discussions on diesel driving bans in Germany, we can clearly say: Whoever buys an Opel now, does not need to fear driving bans,” said Jürgen Keller, Executive Director Sales, Marketing & Aftersales Opel Germany.

Modern Euro 6d TEMP vehicles, regardless of whether they have a petrol or a diesel engine, are not affected by the current discussions on inner-city driving bans.

Opel also benefitted from the extensive availability of WLTP-certified vehicles in other European countries. The brand with the Blitz achieved a market share of almost six percent in Spain while in France the company delivered its best passenger car market share since May 2015 with 4.3 percent. And Opel’s British sister brand Vauxhall also posted strong sales results in September. The combined passenger car and light commercial vehicles market share reached an 18-month high of 8.6 percent (compared to 7.3 percent in September 2017).

Groupe PSA and Punch Powertrain are negotiating terms of a Joint Venture agreement for the Group’s future electrified dual-clutch transmissions

• On September 27, Groupe PSA and Punch Powertrain announce their intention to sign a joint venture agreement, named “Punch Powertrain PSA e-transmissions”, to produce the future generation of the electrified transmission (e-DCT), starting in 2022.

The Metz plant will have an annual production capacity of 600,000 e-DCTs. In preparation for production, Punch Powertrain will carry out industrialization and design of the state-of-the-art production line. 

 electrified Dual-Clutch Transmission (e-DCT)

Informations on the future Joint Venture « Punch Powertrain PSA e-transmissions »:
Headquarters:           Metz (Greater East Region) France
R&D facilities:           Punch Powertrain in Belgium and Netherlands
Production facilites : Groupe PSA – Metz (Moselle) France

Closing of such transaction remains subject to antitrust clearance and employee representative consultation.

This electrified Dual Clutch Transmission (e-DCT) will be:

• Designed and developed in Punch Powertrain research centers in Belgium and the Netherlands
• Manufactured at Groupe PSA’s plant in Metz (Greater East Region), chosen for its cost-efficiency and recognized for its expertise in gearbox production.

With an excellent level of performance, this gearbox will save up to 15% fuel consumption and reduce emissions in the city thanks to the use of ZEV mode in heavy traffic conditions. This e-DCT technology will set the benchmark for dual-clutch transmissions in the passenger car and Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segments.

With its revolutionary design, the e-DCT gearbox with a 48V configuration, will equip Groupe PSA’s future Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles (MHEV).

Opel Demonstrates Cooperative Highly Automated Driving

Opel Test Center hosts final presentation of German research project Ko-HAF

Opel Insignia prototype at the Opel Test Center Rodgau-Dudenhofen.

Opel has successfully demonstrated a future that promises fewer traffic accidents and freedom for the driver to read, write or relax instead of continuously monitoring the car. The automaker is part of Ko-HAF – “Kooperatives hochautomatisiertes Fahren” – a German project researching cooperative highly automated driving, which began in June 2015. The Opel Insignia prototype displayed the functions of cooperative highly automated driving during the presentation of Ko-HAF’s final results at the Opel Test Center Rodgau-Dudenhofen.

What is highly automated driving ? Driver does not have to monitor the journey constantly, but must be able to take the wheel with time to spare if required.

Cooperative highly automated driving systems do not need to be supervised by the driver all the time. Drivers can perform other tasks, but when prompted by the system they must be able to take control of the vehicle within a certain time period. The vehicle must therefore be able to “see” further ahead than possible with its own sensors. In Ko-HAF, vehicles send information about their current road environment, such as construction sites, traffic jams and accidents, to a Safety Server. The information is collected and processed by the Safety Server, so that a precise map is available to vehicles when they request it – like an artificial horizon that delivers a highly detailed preview of the road ahead.

Test vehicle, an Insignia Sports Tourer, is armed with an array of cameras and sensors. In the trunk a battery of computers handles communications, records the vehicle’s location, and calculates driving maneuvers in real time. 

Opel’s role in Ko-HAF focused on the computerized maps and the process of disengaging the car from the automated driving condition, thus returning control to the driver. The engineers from Rüsselsheim designed the architecture, interfaces and protocols of the Safety Server, which were evaluated in the project.

An additional core-task was the development of a self-localization method for the vehicle. Opel designed algorithms for visual mapping and localization which are merged with information from back-end and onboard maps, onboard sensors and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The localization method was validated on the Opel Insignia test car at the Opel Test Center and on the Ko-HAF test route on the motorways around Frankfurt am Main.

Opel’s second area of focus concerned the driver’s actions, so-called non-driving tasks. The company’s engineers developed software and a system of sensors to detect and classify the driver’s actions while the car is driving automatically.