A recent VIP gathering of Opel’s top officials and several hundred business partners from trade and finance at its Ruesselsheim headquarters outlined the division’s turnaround plan. The thing is that it’s going to take ten years, that is if the title of the plan “Drive Opel 2022″ is to be any indicator. And while that signals a long-term commitment from General Motors that it does indeed plan on keeping and restructuring the arm, it seems change will not happen overnight. Or anytime soon.
Specifics were kept on the down-low, but along with the keynotes of “Drive Opel 2022” came sneak peaks at several future products bound for the European brand. In fact, it was officially noted in the press release that there are currently 23 new or revised vehicles on track for the Opel (and Vauxhall), along with 13 new engines by 2016 — only a four-year span. The product blitzkrieg for the brand is impressive, and we’re confident a handful of those engines and models will make their way to the North American market in some form or another.
Comments
Why on earth do they need 13 engines ?
Over what total sales volume are these THIRTEEN engines going to be distributed?
How many “vehicles per engine” do the other German manufacturers have?
Seriously – these questions really need to be answered. No wonder Opel keeps losing money. Who in the hell is running that place?
Thirteen may sound like a lot, but its really not. VW currently has twice as many in its European offerings.
What we should consider is that most of these are actual derivatives of themselves. For instance, there may be 2 or 3 2.0 liter turbo diesels making different power, even though it’s the same engine with different tunes or different applications…
Don’t worry, reducing complexity is still the underlying strategy:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/08/gm-to-cut-number-of-platforms-engines-in-half-by-2018/
I could understand several engine choices for Europe I have lived in Spain for 2 years in 2000-2002 and gas prices back then were insane. Diesel is a huge part of the automotive scene there. back then most small cars and midsized cars offered small displacement turbo-diesel versions and small gasoline powered engines. with a combination of good fuel economy and plenty of torque, I saw diesel badges on cars every were. besides Most of the Europeans live in What we would consider claustrophobic conditions. in their cities. Small displacement Engines are a must.
Small displacement turbocharged gasoline engines, and small displacement turbo Diesel engines, along with hybrid engines, are all perfect for small city cars 1.3-1.8 liters, for mid sized cars Audi and VW has it right with their 2.0T engines. Choice is good but 13 different types? that’s a lot of money wasted in development even if they are all variants of similar engines….
Well, usually the development increment (financially) is insignificant and doesn’t present high development costs. The engine is the same with different tunes and sometimes different tolerances for output. Each mill will be computer tested, making it the only incremental expense there. But on paper, when all is said and done, it’s not at all expensive. In fact, it’s considered a good practice to do this due to the good use of financial resources in R&D and subsequently in production.
Other than that, I completely agree.
Its not uncommon for a single engine to have versions with multiple displacements, power outputs and now even turbo chargers.
So lets say you had an engine design with 1.3 and 1.6 liter versions each with two different NA outputs and each with one Turbo output. There are six variants right away which may well in this article be the way you get six new engines. Its less obvious in the US where a common engine such as the 350 V8 has variations depending on model its going into from Express van to Corvette. The variations are hidden except to the nerds amoungst us.
Dang it hit enter too soo. As for Models, look at say the Astra. Hatchbacks, both 2 and 4 door. Saloons/Sedans, Estate/Wagons, Convertibles.
“Why on earth do they need 13 engines ?”
Well, they do and will appear not only in Opel/Vauxhall branded cars, but in automobiles of other GM brands, too.