Opel is a German automotive manufacturer and brand headquartered in Rüsselsheim, Hesse, Germany. The organization is a fully-owned subsidiary of General Motors and designs, engineers, manufactures, and distributes vehicles under the Opel brand, including passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), and vehicle parts across Europe and parts of Africa. Some vehicles developed by Opel are sold under the Vauxhall brand in the United Kingdom, under the Buick brand in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China, as well as the Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand.
Rich History
Opel has a very rich history, tracing its roots back to 1862 when it was founded by Adam Opel as a manufacturer of sewing machines. In 1886, Opel made began producing its first bicycles and made manufactured its first automobile in 1899.
Acquisition By General Motors
In 1929, Opel became a public limited company, known as Aktiengesellschaft, or AG, in German. General Motors acquired a majority stake in the organization later on that year, and in 1931 assumed complete control. Today, Adam Opel AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors Company.
It continues to be a share-limited company (Aktiengesellschaft), but its shares are not publicly listed. Adam Opel AG is also the parent company of several other GM organizations in Europe, including General Motors UK Limited (publicly known as Vauxhall) along with other General Motors subsidiaries in Europe.
