Opel is in the midst of its full-scale battle plan, appropriately named DRIVE!2022, in a last-ditch effort to turn the brand profitable. The plan was instated back in 2012, and will span ten years to rebuild the troubled marque. Opel has lost $18 billion since 1999, but General Motors CEO, Mary Barra and GM Europe President Karl-Thomas Neumann, hopes to steer the brand out of the red and into the black.
Things are looking brighter, with the possibility of a profit next year, and it’s partly in thanks to the brand’s continued introduction of 27 new models and 17 new engines by the year 2018. The continued introductions are part of Opel’s plan to gain eight percent market share in Europe, which includes cousin Vauxhall in the UK. Currently, the brand sits around 5.8 percent. An increase to eight percent would make Opel the second popular nameplate on the continent.
Opel is being fairly hush on the upcoming vehicles it plans to announce, but the new Corsa and Karl are among the new product renaissance. As far as powertrains go, the brand has introduced new diesel engines for the Insignia mid-size and Mokka compact crossover. The other engines will continue to trickle out as we head towards 2018.
Future strong ties with Holden and Buick may also help make Opel the powerhouse it hopes to be, with the Cascada convertible heading stateside as a Buick, and future Holdens becoming tweaked Opels. For now, we sit back and await the German automaker’s next move with a heightened sense of optimism.
Comments
With the recent announcement of a retreat from the Russian market which could jeopardize their profitability targets I still like the direction Opel/Vauxhall is headed.
They finally have a clear plan, focus and the financial backing from parent GM to make it happen.
Their plans will ultimately benefit Buick on this side of the pond.
Opel makes great cars, but needs to go global–let Buick build their own cars.
GM would be wise to purchase Mazda and mate the company with Opel for real global scale.
The brands share a similar design plus Mazda would be a bargin
The $billions spent to acquire Mazda could be better spent on new chassis, engines and transmissions for the 4 existing domestic brands.
GM could significantly increase it’s sales and reach without acquiring Mazda ‘s debt and overcapacity.
Mazda does not add enough of what’s missing at Opel or GM to justify the cost.
What is the 17TH ranked automaker in the world worth $10-15-20billion?
To much.