Although an Opel relaunch in the United States seems more certain than ever next decade, similar plans in Australia are nearly inexistent.
That’s the word from Emmanuel Delay, Operational Director for PSA Groupe in the India-Pacific region, who told Motoring in a report published Monday that “we definitely do not feel urgency to bring Opel back to Australia.”
Opel launched in Australia under General Motors ownership in 2012, but GM quickly discontinued the brand after lackluster sales. Less than one year later, GM pulled Opel out of Oz after selling just 1,530 vehicles.
Part of the reason an Opel return to Australia isn’t in the near future revolves around GM’s non-compete clause. While Holden sells vehicles manufactured by Opel with GM architecture, powertrains and technology—like the Holden Astra and ZB Commodore—PSA Groupe cannot sell the same car with an Opel badge.
Delay acknowledged the situation and said, “Obviously it makes no sense to take these exact same cars and badge them with an Opel badge and try to sell them [here] under the Opel brand.”
PSA brass has said it wants to return to the U.S. market by 2026, and Opel seems like a leading candidate for such plans. However, there have been no final decisions on the matter. If and when Opel does reach America, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see any traces of its former GM ownership.
Comment
Opel is present in the United States through the BUICK brand, the Buick Cascada is actually the Opel Cascada with the name Buick, the same is true of the Buick Regal/Opel Insignia