IAA 2001: Speech Carl-Peter Forster
Carl-Peter Forster
Chairman and Managing Director Adam Opel AG
International Frankfurt Motor Show
September 11, 2001
Spoken word takes precedence
Ladies and gentlemen,
You have just seen a frog that does not need a kiss to turn into a prince
At least, that is the opinion of young people between the ages of 14 and 20, who have seen and evaluated our Frogster concept car. We care about what tomorrow's car buyers think. And the kids think our sporty cabrio cum pick-up is "sexy, crazy, cool". – those are their words, not mine! The Frogster represents the creativity of our engineers and designers, and it is visible proof that practical cars can be anything but boring.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Frankfurt motor show and our press conference. We are just a stone's throw away from Opel's Rüsselsheim headquarters. As many of you will know, Opel started production in Rüsselsheim almost 140 years ago and it is in Rüsselsheim that the most modern car manufacturing plant in Europe is currently nearing completion – the result of a 1.5 billion mark investment.
At the all-new plant we will produce the all-new Vectra. Production will begin – right on time – in January 2001. The Vectra will be on show to the public in a few months time when it celebrates it world premiere at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show. The Vectra plays a key role in the renewal of our product range. It has what it takes to re-establish itself at the top of the mid-size segment in Europe. Everything fits: It looks great, it offers the highest levels of safety, comfort and quality, and it's really rewarding to drive.
Since the previous IAA, only two years ago, we have successfully introduced new core products such as the Corsa, which now is the No. 1 seller in its segment in Germany, just as its predecessor was since 1994. We have brought to market exciting and sporty niche models such as the Agila, the Astra Coupé, the Astra Cabrio and the Speedster. And we are not finished yet: The all-new Combo Tour celebrates its the world premiere here at the Frankfurt Motor Show – adding another exceptionally versatile vehicle to our line-up. In the interior, the Combo Tour offers plenty of space for five and all kinds of luggage. It has two sliding doors as standard, making it very easy to enter and exit.
We are the first German manufacturer to offer our customers a multi-functional leisure and family vehicle of this kind. After the Zafira and the Agila we are again the first to pioneer a new market segment.
And that is by no means everything. Opel will renew the whole core Opel passenger car program within the next five years. In addition, we are planning to introduce a host of innovative, segment-defining products and variants, which will eventually make up 50 percent of our portfolio entries."
And in addition to our passenger car offensive, we now have the most modern and the most varied range of light commercial vehicles in Europe. We are about to launch the commercial version of the Combo Tour I mentioned earlier in November. Our new Vivaro entered the market earlier this year and here at the show we have prepared "Concept V", a study demonstrating how we envisage a luxurious, high-tech mini-bus – with six leather seats, parquet flooring and state-of-the-art infotainment systems including everything from an Internet-enabled PC to a Sony Playstation.
A car that fascinates our customers – and us – in a very different way is the Astra Eco 4. It offers customers everything they would expect from a compact class car with remarkable fuel economy into the bargain: it consumes only 4.4 liters of diesel per 100 km.
Here in Frankfurt, we are continuing this success story with the Corsa Eco. With emissions of only 120 gm CO2 per 100 kilometers, it is the most economical gasoline-engined car ever built by Opel. It achieves this remarkable performance with a 1.0-liter engine combined with our innovative 'Easytronic` automated manual gearbox. With this five-liter automobile, ladies and gentlemen, we have proven once again that environmentally friendly mobility is not a luxury.
Our Eco models represent one aspect of our three-pronged approach to reducing CO2 emissions; their success is based on minimizing the consumption of conventional gasoline or diesel cars.
Our second approach involves the use of alternative fuels. This summer we introduced the first CNG – compressed natural gas – vehicle in our range, the Zafira 1.6 CNG. Its advantages include significantly lower cost of ownership as well as lower emissions without having to give up any of the Zafira's variability or its driving characteristics.
Today, cars like this are a reality. Our third approach – the volume production of fuel cell automobiles – takes us a little further into the future. Opel and GM run an ambitious research and development program with the aim of developing fuel cell vehicles for volume production. As proven by our Zafira-based HydroGen3 study, Opel is among the front-runners here, too. Only a few months ago, HydroGen1 set 15 international records in high-temperature tests carried out in the Arizona desert.
In the near future, Opel will also become even more attractive for customers who are more interested in sheer driving enjoyment than economy. Under the acronym OPC – which stands for "Opel Performance Center" – we will offer a wider range of models to customers who enjoy sporty driving. We have a perfect example on the stand here in Frankfurt. With its 192-hp, 2.0-liter turbo engine, the Zafira OPC races onto the market this fall as the fastest van in Europe. Its top speed of 220 km/h is not the only highlight. The Zafira OPC features a luxurious interior and a comprehensive safety package.
As further evidence of our sporting aspirations, the Zafira OPC is flanked on the stand in Hall 8 by OPC prototypes of the Astra station wagon and the Astra Cabrio, all in a striking 'Linea Rossa' design. These studies were inspired by the Astra Coupé OPC X-Treme which was shown first at the last Geneva Motor Show and is here in Frankfurt, too. This remarkable street car has caused quite an uproar, especially among those of you, ladies and gentlemen, who have already had an opportunity to drive this extreme Opel.
Let's move on to a car with a very different kind of appeal: our Signum² concept car. We have positioned it in the center of our stand for a very good reason: On the one hand, it represents Opel's new brand profile, and on the other hand, it points toward accents and solutions that will characterize future Opel models. Our designers' goal was to create a synthesis of great styling, a high degree of comfort and convenience, and exceptional variability. It combines the elegance of a coupé with the practicality of a station wagon. The most striking features on board Signum² include:
- easy-entry swivel-seats at the front
- an ingenious system of sliding storage boxes
- rear seats that convert into a load area cover
- the very latest in in-car communications systems and – believe it or not, even an espresso machine.
In an article written by one of your colleagues I read: "If Signum² represents the future of Opel, please build it soon!"
I can understand your impatience. I feel exactly the same. When I joined the company, I learnt quickly that Opel is a very special brand, with an especially loyal clientele and network of dealerships. And with a workforce that is extremely keen to see their dedication and creativity lead to the kind of success that we all desire.
That is what the Olympia project – which is both on our minds and on the minds of the public – is all about. We have to remove all the obstacles in our path – some of which we have created for ourselves. However. with all the recent talk of Olympia, some important facts about Opel have been overlooked:
For instance, the fact that all the companies linked together through General Motors in Europe are already very well positioned. Over the coming months and years we will build on this strong position, for instance in the field of engines and transmissions, to the advantage of our products and our customers. Let me make it quite clear: I expect Olympia to give our technologies and products the impetus they need for the future. The first fruits of our work are here in Frankfurt for you to see. Our new in-car Internet system – we call it Opel C@rWeb – offers customers data transfer at up to five times the speed of other solutions as well as a range of personalized services and a special browser. It will be available in a broad range of Opel cars at the beginning of next year. C@rWeb focuses on assisting the driver. Information like traffic news or route guidance is prepared in a special format, making it easier to retrieve and use while driving.
Modern infotainment and in particular the Internet are important to us at Opel, both as in-car features and as customer relations tools. Our new strategic alliance with AOL is a major step forward. The integration of our comprehensive Internet presence on the AOL platform began just a few days ago.
We have been key players on the Internet since 1996 and our Opel.de site has just won another award as the best car manufacturer's site in Germany. With our WebK@uf site, we were the first German volume manufacturer to offer customers a choice of vehicles to order via the Internet. You can rest assured, it will not be long before we have additional services for our customers on the Internet.
New products and technologies are one thing. But let's not forget what we have already achieved. Today, Opel already has a lot to offer its customers. All our cars have the technology – and the quality – to challenge any competitor in the comparative surveys conducted by the trade media. Tests have proven it again and again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to sum up with six key points:
1. Today, Opel already has a varied and highly competitive line-up.
2. In the next five years we will renew our core products and add a selection of innovative new models to our range.
3. The defining Opel strengths are driving dynamics, in-car communications and exceptional variability.
4. We will continue to focus on developing
environmentally compatible vehicles at competitive prices.
5. Our Signum² concept car points the way ahead in terms of design language and product philosophy.
6. The Frogster is a vision of the car for the next generation of Opel customers: it is fresh, very original – and still very practical.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is going to take a lot of hard work for everyone at Opel before we are back where we belong in every area of our business. As you know, Opel has been building automobiles for more than 100 years. And I hope you were able to sense here that we still enjoy what we are doing.
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