Numerous Guests of Honour at Open Door Day: Opel Celebrates 125 Years of Automotive Production in Rüsselsheim

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein, Stellantis Chairman John Elkann and Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in attendance
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “Generations of employees have made Opel the great brand it is today: an automobile company on the path to electromobility. This is exemplary.”
• Preview of the future grEEn-campus, the sustainable construction project for the location
• Open Door Day with numerous attractions including public premieres of the new Opel Grandland and the new Opel Frontera

Opel celebrated 125 years of automotive production at its headquarters in Rüsselsheim today. The motto of the festivities was “Forever forward since 1899”. The guests of honour at the ceremony in the Adam Opel Haus included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Hesse Boris Rhein as well as Stellantis Chairman John Elkann, CEO Carlos Tavares and Xavier Chéreau, Stellantis Chief Human Resources & Transformation Officer and Opel Supervisory Board Chairman. Together with Opel CEO Florian Huettl, they visited, among other things, the production plant where the best-selling Opel Astra in all drive variants and the DS4 from its sister brand DS Automobiles are manufactured.

“Today is a great day for Opel and for our hometown of Rüsselsheim. I was very pleased about the visit by the German Chancellor, the Prime Minister of Hesse and all the other guests. During the day, we could share the sound business model of Opel and our bold electrification strategy. We will be the first German brand to offer a battery-electric version of each model in our portfolio this year still. With 125 years of experience in automobile manufacturing, we and our employees are proudly pursuing the path of electrification with conviction. We are also continuing to invest in the wellbeing of our employees with the new carbon neutral grEEn-campus that will be built here in Rüsselsheim,” said Opel CEO Florian Huettl.

“125 years of automobile manufacturing in Rüsselsheim – this is a significant and impressive story. Ever since cars have played a role in our society, work has been done here day after day to make them even better. Generations of employees have made Opel the great brand it is today: an automobile company on the path to electromobility. You are once again facing the future – fearlessly and full of confidence. This is exemplary,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Boris Rhein, Prime Minister of Hesse said: “The success of the automotive industry is of strategic importance for Germany and Hesse. We therefore support the industry in transforming its production. For us, autonomous driving, hybrid technology, lightweight construction as well as drive and battery technology are key technologies that need to be promoted. Openness to technology rather than scepticism of progress is what brings us forward. I warmly congratulate Opel on 125 years of automotive production, innovation and driving pleasure.”

The ceremony from the Adam Opel Haus with all speakers will be available as a recording from the afternoon.     

Preview of the future grEEn-campus project

During the tour, Stellantis Chief Human Resources & Transformation Officer and Opel Supervisory Board Chairman Xavier Chéreau also presented the plans for the grEEn-campus project, the future Stellantis Germany headquarters and new global Opel headquarters on Mainzer Straße in Rüsselsheim. The new modern, efficient and urban company headquarters will make a decisive contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the Rüsselsheim location. The building’s entire electricity needs will be covered by energy from a photovoltaic system on the roof. The approximately 7,000 panels will enable supply without the use of fossil fuels and climate-neutral operation of the entire office complex. Thanks to systems for using rainwater, water consumption will be reduced, efficient heat pump technology ensures sustainable air conditioning within the building and the greening of building components will improve biodiversity. All consumption is to be recorded using modern software so that the new complex can continually be improved.

A contemporary and motivating working environment will be created for the employees from administration, design, research & development and sales. The new complex will be characterised by bright office areas with lots of daylight and high-quality materials. A landscape park with numerous green areas will offer space for breaks and exchange. An extensive charging infrastructure around the grEEn-campus will enable electric vehicles to be charged during working hours – in line with the company’s electrification strategy.

Public premieres for new Grandland and new Frontera

The all-new Opel Frontera and Opel Grandland were presented to the public for the first time today. With the two newcomers, Opel will offer at least one battery-electric version of each model in its portfolio this year still. From 2025, every new Opel introduced in Europe will purely be battery electric. In addition, Opel once again confirms its brand promise of making electric mobility and innovative technologies accessible to a broad range of buyers. In Germany, the Frontera Hybrid¹ will be available from around €24,000 and the Frontera Electric¹ from around €29,000 (RPE including VAT).

Open Door Day with exciting programme

Opel offered several thousand visitors a varied supporting programme around the Adam Opel Haus at the Open Door Day. The German brand presented an anniversary exhibition with automotive milestones from the last 125 years. To mark its 60^th anniversary, the Opel Design Center also opened its doors and presented groundbreaking concept cars from past and present. Interested visitors were also given the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of production in the plant. Rally fans had the exclusive chance to ride along in the Opel Corsa Rally Electric while young and old could test the Rocks Electric, which can be driven by anybody over the age of 15 with the respective licence². The Kids Corner offered the best entertainment for the youngest guests, where, among other things, there was a pedal car course that invited them to take part in exciting laps.

^[1] Model not yet available.>

^[2] AM-class driving licence in Germany. Applies to four-wheeled light motor vehicles with a rated continuous/utilised power not exceeding 6 kW, with no more than two seats and a maximum speed not exceeding 45 km/h.>