We’ve already shared with you how PSA-owned Opel turned around and made a profit only one year after being sold by General Motors, plus how the company actually did it. Now we’re sharing Opel’s plans to ditch GM platforms altogether in order to meet stringent European emissions standards.
Opel Astra is based on GM’s D2 platform
At the end of 2018, Opel’s emissions were still much higher than the PSA Group’s other brands – Peugeot and Citroen. If Opel didn’t meet the CO2 targets set by the EU for the 2020 and 2021 model years, it would be fined 2.65 billion euros. In other words, the Opel vehicle portfolio would have to reduce its emissions more than 25 percent, or 30g/km.
Opel Insignia ride on GM’s E2 architecture
Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller, claims that the automaker is set to reach the strict rules one by one, purging the lineup of vehicles based on heavier GM architectures that, on some models, have languished for a decade or more, while releasing full electric and plug-in hybrid variants of its bestselling vehicles. Before the PSA-led initiative, Opel’s average fleet weight was 1,345 kilos, compared to 1,204 kg for Citroen and 1,245 kg for Peugeot.
Opel Grandland X rides on a PSA architecture
Vehicles like the current Opel Corsa and Mokka will ride on PSA’s light CMP architecture. The Adam, Cascada convertible, Karl and Zafira will all be phased out. The only GM-based cars that will remain by the end of this year will be the Astra, which rides on the GM D2 platform, and the Insignia, which rides on the GM E2 platform. Both architectures are modern and lightweight.
For its part, Opel has plans to overhaul the Astra in 2022, incorporating a plug-in hybrid derivative, but plans have not been shared as it relates to replacing the Insignia, which remains Opel’s range-topping model to this day and is sold in the U.S. and Canada as the Buick Regal.
Opel Crossland X rides on a PSA architecture
To note, the Insignia was completely revamped two years ago as the final product of the GM-Opel partnership before The General sold the German subsidiary. Hence, it’s probably safe to assume that the current Insignia will remain in the lineup for a few years yet.
New Opel Corsa rides on a PSA architecture
Opel does claim that by 2024, every vehicle within its lineup will offer some form of electrified powertrain option. The Corsa will be made available as a full-electric model next spring, a plug-in Grandland X is just around the corner, and the next Mokka X will be sold as a hybrid.
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Comments
Keep giving us Opel news!!!
I see now why GM was in a rush to dump Opel. GM grossly mismanaged and neglected the brand.
Why wasn’t GM getting ready for tight emissions standards for Opel like Ford was? Did they plan to pay two billion a year in fines?
Probably!
The new modular kits could have been a great solution. Importing re-badged Buick and Chevy crossovers until 2020 would have made them competitive in the hot segment while buying time.
Barra said Opel and GM only shared 20% of products which was untrue. Insignia, Astra, Karl/Spark, Mokka, any midsized CUV & even Corsa as a re-badge for Chevy.
PSA will do great with Opel.
Stringent European emission standards are a problem for all those companies selling vehicles into the EU markets. The expense will be billions of Euros for each company.
GM must have had good insight with regard to their decision to pull out of Europe ahead of these tighter emission regulations.
If It sounds too good to be true… i don’t believe that they made an actual billion dollar profit, also, what car company out there isn’t slimming down on platforms?
Also, GM stated that they were leaving the EU because of emissions? So how could you have been “misled” about their intentions?
Simple answer, PSA got Opel at a bargain price and obviously doesn’ t have GM’s gigantic overhead structure…ergo instant profit.
GM has not been as responsive as Ford , or Toyota for that matter in creating worldwide product platforms that can be sold in all markets worldwide.
Frankly, GM has never had adequate volume anywhere Europe to justify the commitment required to meet stringent emission standards.
Similarly PSA, Renault and Fiat have all departed the US with their “tail between their legs” over emissions and other expenses which constrained the effective or profitable sale of vehicles here in the US with very limited volumns.
The Adam (Spark) and Karl (Trax) were supplied by GM Korea, that agreement will cease. The Astra is actually the oldest vehicle in the Opel fleet.
– Now we’re sharing Opel’s plans to ditch GM platforms altogether in order to meet stringent European emissions standards.
Well that’s not really true.
The GM engines are able to meet the new standards – which are most about particulates – without a dpf filter because they are not high compression engines like the PSA engines.
The new engines for the Astra just coming are Opel engines, not PSA engines. And the 1.6L/2.0L turbo-petrol MGE engines will continue in the Insignia for the forseeable future.
derek – The Vauxhall/Opel Adam is not made by GM Korea, it is built at Eisenach in Germany. The Viva/Karl is made by GM Korea and related to the Chevrolet Spark, not the Trax.
It’s not true, that the standards are about particles, we’re talking co2 emission or fuel efficiency here. The bar has been set to 95g/km which equals >58mpg for gasoline engines.