Opel

Headquartered in Rüsselsheim, Germany, Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, was founded in 1862 by Adam Opel and began building automobiles in 1899. Opel became a majority-stake subsidiary of General Motors in 1929 and became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1931. During GM’s bankruptcy restructuring in 2010, Opel was earmarked for sale until a last-minute decision to keep the brand. It now offers its vehicles globally excluding in North America and is in the process of increasing collaboration with Buick while moving upmarket to differentiate itself from Chevrolet -- GM’s global mainstream brand.