Opel celebrates 125 years of automobile manufacturing

Opel celebrated 125 years of automobile manufacturing at its headquarters in Rüsselsheim today. Among the guests of honor at the ceremony in the Adam Opel Haus were German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Minister President of the State of Hesse Boris Rhein as well as Chairman John Elkann from Stellantis, CEO Carlos Tavares and Xavier Chéreau, Chief Human Resources & Transformation Officer and Chairman of the Opel Supervisory Board. Together with Opel CEO Florian Huettl, they visited the production plant where the best-selling Opel Astra in all drive variants and the DS4 from sister brand DS Automobiles are manufactured.

"125 years of automotive engineering in Rüsselsheim - that is a great and impressive story," said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "Ever since cars have played a role in our society, people have been working here day after day to make them even better. Generations of employees have made Opel the great brand it is today: an automotive company on the road to electromobility."

"Today is a great day for Opel and the Rüsselsheim site," said Opel CEO Florian Huettl. "We will be the first German brand to offer a battery-electric variant for every model in our portfolio before the end of this year. With 125 years of experience in automotive engineering, we are pursuing the path of electrification with our employees with full conviction. And with the new climate-neutral grEEn-campus that will be built here in Rüsselsheim, we are investing further in the well-being of our employees."

During the tour, Opel Supervisory Board Chairman Xavier Chéreau presented the plans for the future Stellantis Germany headquarters and new global Opel headquarters on Mainzer Strasse in Rüsselsheim. The entire electricity requirement and climate-neutral operation of the entire office complex is to be covered by energy from a photovoltaic system with around 7,000 panels on the roof.

In addition, the completely newly developed Opel Frontera and Grandland models made their public debut today. With these two newcomers, the Rüsselsheim-based company is fulfilling its promise to offer at least one all-electric variant in every model series this year. From next year, every new Opel presented in Europe will be exclusively battery-electric. In Germany, the Frontera Hybrid will be available from around 24,000 euros and the Frontera Electric from around 29,000 euros.

Several thousand visitors enjoyed a supporting program around the Adam Opel Haus, including an anniversary exhibition of the brand's automotive milestones, factory tours, demo drives with the Opel Corsa Rally Electric and the Rocks Electric city electric vehicle for young people aged 15 and over. (aum)