Adam Opel GmbH
Type	Private company, subsidiary of General Motors Europe (GM Europe), (GM Europe is a subsidiary of the multinational General Motors)
Founded	1863
Headquarters	Rüsselsheim, Germany
Key people	Hans Demant, CEO
Industry	Automotive
Products	Automobile
Owner	General Motors Corporation
Website	Opel.com

Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as Opel) is a German automaker, part of General Motors. The term privately held company refers to ownership of a business company in two different ways first referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations and second General Motors Europe (often abbreviated to GM Europe) is responsible for the operation of General Motors Corporation businesses in Europe. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rüsselsheim is the largest town in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over Property, which may be an object, land/real estate, Intellectual property General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung ( GmbH) is a type of legal entity very common in Germany (where it was created in 1892 Austria General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. The company was founded on 21 January 1863, and began making automobiles in 1899. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Opel was acquired by General Motors Corporation in 1929 and continues as a subsidiary. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. ^[1] Opel is part of GM Europe, and is GM's largest European brand, and with Vauxhall Motors in the UK, forms GM's core European business. General Motors Europe (often abbreviated to GM Europe) is responsible for the operation of General Motors Corporation businesses in Europe. Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[2]

Early history

The company was founded on 21 January 1863 by Adam Opel, and at first made household goods, and was a major maker of sewing machines. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Adam Opel ( May 9, 1837 - September 8, 1895) was the founder of the German car -maker Opel. A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch Fabric or other material together with Thread. The founder died in 1895, with his company the leader in European sewing machines sales and producing over 2,000 bicycles yearly. The bicycle, cycle, or bike is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind They made their first cars in 1898 having bought the rights to the Lutzmann and sold then as Opel-Lutzmann. However, two years later, following the dissolution of the partnership, Opel's son signed a licensing agreement with Automobiles Darracq S.A. of France to manufacture vehicles under the brand name "Opel-Darracq". Automobiles Darracq SA was a French motor vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The vehicles were Opel bodies mounted on a Darracq chassis, powered by a 2-cylinder engine.

In 1906 they started to make cars to their own design which they had first shown in 1902 at the Hamburg Motor Show and from 1907 stopped making the Opel-Darracqs. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany An auto show, or motorshow, is a public exhibition of current Automobile models debuts Concept cars or out-of-production classics

In 1911 the factory was virtually destroyed by fire and a new one was built with more up to date machinery and the manufacture of sewing machines dropped. Production now consisted of bicycles, cars and motorcycles. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. By 1913 they were the largest car maker in Germany.

General Motors takeover

In March 1929 General Motors bought 80% of the company increasing this to 100% in 1931. The Opel family gained $33. 3 million dollars from the transaction.

Events

• 1862 – Adam Opel begins building and selling sewing-machines.
• 1863 – Opel established as a full-fledged business; hires its first employees. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee.
• 1886 – Bicycle production started; Opel eventually becomes Europe's largest bicycle maker.
• 1899 – Opel introduces its first automobile (the "Patent Motor Car") and its first utility vehicle.
• 1902 – Designs first shown at the Hamburg Motor Show.
• 1907 – Opel-Darracq shuts down.
• 1911 – Fire destroys much of the Rüsselsheim factory. Sewing-machine production ends with the one-millionth unit.
• 1913 – Opel is the largest automobile company in Germany.
• 1924 – Installation by Opel in Rüsselsheim of Germany's first car production line.
• 1929 – General Motors, impressed by Opel's modern production facilities, buys 80% of the company in March.
• 1929 – Fritz von Opel flies the first manned rocket (a rocketplane). Fritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel, ( May 4 1899 - April 8 1971) was the only child
• 1937 – Bicycle production ends.
• 1931 – General Motors increases ownership to 100%.
• 1940 – Nazi regime seizes control of Opel factories, ends all civilian production. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German
• 1942 – General Motors writes off Opel as a complete loss.
• 1944 – Rüsselsheim and Brandenburg plants badly damaged by Allied bombing. Brandenburg an der Havel is a Town in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. Allied bombing refers mostly to Strategic bombing during World War II, as conducted by the Allies of World War II.
• 1945 – Soviets seize Kadett production assets as war reparations.
• 1946 – First post-war 'Blitz' truck built.
• 1947 – Passenger car production resumes with the Olympia model.
• 1948 – General Motors reasserts control over surviving Opel assets.
• 1968 – Opel GT introduced. The Opel GT is a two-seat Sports car introduced in 1968 by Opel, a German possession of General Motors.
• 1971 – Opel launched in Asia.
• 2005 – Started cooperation with Saturn Corporation. Saturn is a division of the General Motors Corporation and a brand of Automobiles It was established on January 7, 1985.
• 2006 – Opel Japan shuts down in December.

Opel worldwide

Many cars sold by General Motors worldwide are Opel designs, including such models as the Corsa, Astra, Vectra and Omega. The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced by General Motors' European Subsidiary Opel since 1982 and has also been sold under a variety See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries The Opel Vectra is a Large family car produced primarily by Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as "Opel" the German subsidiary of General There was also an Oldsmobile Omega, an unrelated vehicle that was produced during the 1970s and 1980s The Opel Omega was an Executive car Opel models are also sold under other GM brand names, such as Vauxhall in the UK, Holden in Australia, Saturn or Pontiac in North America, and Chevrolet in Latin America. Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Saturn is a division of the General Motors Corporation and a brand of Automobiles It was established on January 7, 1985. Pontiac is a Brand of Automobiles produced by General Motors that has been sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM Its Zafira people carrier was sold in Japan badged as a Subaru Traviq, while the Omega was briefly sold in the US as the Cadillac Catera. The Opel Zafira is a Compact MPV produced by KPK and Opel a General Motors subsidiary A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle (abbreviated MPV) people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle (shortened For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Opel Zafira is a Compact MPV produced by KPK and Opel a General Motors subsidiary The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Cadillac Catera was a Mid-sized automobile that was largely a rebadged version of the Opel Omega MV6 made in Rüsselsheim Other models sold in the US, but slightly modified, include the Saturn L-Series, Chevrolet Malibu and Cobalt. The Saturn L-Series was a line of Automobiles sold by General Motors ' Saturn Marque. The Chevrolet Malibu (named after Malibu California) is a Mid-size car produced in the United States by General Motors. The Chevrolet Cobalt is a Compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year The majority of future Saturn models are expected to be either identical, like the Saturn Astra and Sky, or closely based, like the Aura and 2008 Saturn Vue, to European Opels. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries The Saturn Sky is the first ever Sports car from the Saturn Marque of American automaker General Motors. The Saturn Aura is a Mid-size car produced under the Saturn brand of American automaker General Motors. The Saturn Vue is a compact Crossover SUV from General Motors ' Saturn Marque, and was Saturn's top-selling model in the United The Pontiac LeMans (1989-1994), which was the first car produced by Daewoo in South Korea for export to North America, was based on the Opel Kadett E (now Astra). The Pontiac LeMans was a model name applied to compact and intermediate-sized Automobiles offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 GM Daewoo Auto & Technology ( GM Daewoo or GMDAT) was first established as National Motor in 1937 in Bupyeong-gu Incheon, South Korea. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The Opel Kadett is a Small family car produced by the German automaker Opel between 1937 and 1940 then from 1962 to 1992

1950s Opel Olympia Record

Opels appeared under their own name in the USA from 1958 to 1975, when they were sold through Buick dealers as captive imports. Buick (ˈbjuːɪk is a Marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, and Captive import is an Automobile Marketing term denoting a foreign-built vehicle that is sold and serviced by a domestic manufacturer through its own dealer The best-selling Opel models in the US were the 1964-1972 Opel Kadett, the 1971-1975 Opel Manta, and the now-classic 1968-1973 Opel GT. The Opel Kadett is a Small family car produced by the German automaker Opel between 1937 and 1940 then from 1962 to 1992 The Opel Manta was a rear-wheel-drive sports Coupé motor vehicle built by Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, from 1970 to 1988 The Opel GT is a two-seat Sports car introduced in 1968 by Opel, a German possession of General Motors. ^{[3] [4]} (The name "Opel" was also applied from 1976 to 1980 on vehicles manufactured by Isuzu (similar to the "Isuzu I-mark"), but mechanically those were entirely different cars). ( is a Japanese car commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo.

Opel was long General Motors' strongest marque in Japan, with sales peaking at 38,000 in 1996. However, the brand has diminished in the decade since, and will reportedly be withdrawn by the end of 2006 with just 1,800 sales there in 2005.

Opel in Europe

Opel is the main GM brand name in Europe except in the UK, where GM's other European subsidiary, Vauxhall Motors, still uses its own "Vauxhall" brand name. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Vauxhall's models were completely different designs from those of Opel, until the 1970s. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Opel name largely disappeared from the UK in 1981 after Vauxhall and Opel dealerships were merged, with only the Manta and the Monza (the coupe version of the Senator) being sold as Opels, until they were discontinued in 1988 and 1987 respectively. The Opel Manta was a rear-wheel-drive sports Coupé motor vehicle built by Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, from 1970 to 1988 The Opel Senator was a large motor car, two generations of which were sold in Europe by the German General Motors subsidiary Opel Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)

Vauxhall began adopting Opel's names for its models, with the exception of 'Kadett' which was replaced by Astra, already used by Vauxhall, in 1991. In other right hand drive markets in Europe like Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, the main GM brand name is now Opel, and for many years, Opel's Ireland brand sponsored the Republic's football team, using the slogan Ireland's Number One Supporter. Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the Road. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered A slogan is a memorable Motto or Phrase used in a Political, commercial, Religious and other context as a repetitive expression of However, many Vauxhall cars, imported second hand from the UK, are still sold in Ireland as a parallel import. A parallel import is a non- Counterfeit product imported from another country without the permission of the Intellectual property owner A parallel import is a non- Counterfeit product imported from another country without the permission of the Intellectual property owner Opel was also the main sponsor of FC Bayern München for some times, not only a club with a high profile but also an important marketing ploy for the company in the heartland of BMW - indeed, the Olympiastadion is directly overlooked by the BMW headquarters. FC Bayern München is a German Sports club based in Munich, Bavaria (München Bayern ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916

Some have suggested that the Vauxhall name should be dropped in the UK in favour of Opel, thereby harmonising GM's marketing strategy across Europe. However, Vauxhall has rejected this, on the grounds that its brand is well known, and fleet buyers, who are its main customer base, insisted that Opel models be rebadged as Vauxhalls. Opel also provides design and engineering to the American Saturn marque, similar to the Vauxhall situation in the UK. Saturn is a division of the General Motors Corporation and a brand of Automobiles It was established on January 7, 1985.

An Opel Factory in Bochum

The company headquarters are located in Rüsselsheim, and it has plants in Bochum and Eisenach and Kaiserslautern as well as in Belgium, Spain, Poland and Hungary. Bochum (ˈboːχʊm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Rüsselsheim is the largest town in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. Bochum (ˈboːχʊm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park (kaɪzɐsˈlaʊtɐn is a City in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland State of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Rheinland-Pfalz) at The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Opel cars are also made in Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in the United Kingdom. Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and cargo port in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England, situated in the south of the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In October 2004 employees went on strike for six days due to the threat of 12,000 job losses. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. The threat was due to the unprofitable European markets because of low customer demand. The strike had a major impact on production.

In 2005, the new Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid appeared. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle

In 2006, the Azambuja, Portugal factory shut down and the production of the Opel Combo transferred to Zaragoza, Spain. Azambuja ( pron ɐzɐ̃'buʒɐ is a Portuguese municipality in the District of Lisbon, in the historical region of Ribatejo (the Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Combo is a Panel van and Leisure activity vehicle from General Motors, which is branded as Opel, Vauxhall Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community and former Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The move prompted a national boycott movement and caused the Portuguese Government to sue General Motors. In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy

General Motors announced in April 2008 that they would invest EUR9 billion by 2012 in a bid to stop the market share erosion of the Opel brand in Europe. Approximately EUR6. 5 billion is to be dedicated for the development of new models and engines, with plants in Ruesselsheim, Bochum, and Kaiserslautern slated to be modernized. ^[5]

Opel Logo

The lightning bolt on the Opel badging is a reference to the famous Opel Blitz truck. The German word 'Blitz' means lightning or flash. The logo was originally a Zeppelin, which became more stylized, and as the Zepellin became less popular as a form of transport, the logo was changed. There is also a noticeable similarity between the winged Zeppelin and the lightning logo. ^[6]

Starting with the Opel Insignia, the Blitz logo will be updated. The Opel Insignia is a Mid-size car that will replace the Opel Vectra. The border that is circling the ligtning bolt will be wider to incorporate the Opel name, and the surfaces will be more spherical to give the logo a three-dimensional look. [1]

Highlights

• Safetec is a warp resistant passenger compartment. Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as Opel) is a German automaker part of General Motors. Constructs built into the front and back absorb the energy of low speed collisions. A collision is an isolated event in which two or more bodies (colliding bodies exert relatively strong forces on each other for a relatively short time Sturdy metal doors complete the system.

modal 2007

Gallery

Opel 1,8 Liter Serie 18 B Cabriolet 1931	Opel 1,8 Liter Serie 18 B 4-Door Limousine 1931	Opel Standard Special Coach 1935	Opel 2 Liter 4-Door Limousine
Opel 2 Liter Pullman-Limousine 1936	Opel P4 Limousine	Opel Kadett Limousine 1937	Opel Olympia Cabrio-Limousine 1937
Opel Kadett Limousine 1938	Opel Olympia De Luxe 2-Door Limousine 1939	Opel Olympia De Luxe 4-Door Limousine 1939	Opel Kapitän Cabriolet 1939
Opel Kapitän De Luxe 4-Door Limousine 1939	Opel Rekord Cabrio-Limousine 1955	Opel Kapitän R 1955	Opel Bus
Opel Rekord 2-Door Sedan 1958	Opel Kapitän P 1959	Opel Rekord 1700 2-Door Sedan 1961	Opel Rekord 1700 2-Dörrars Sedan 1962
Opel Rekord 2-Door Sedan 1966	Opel Rekord C, 1. The Opel Kadett is a Small family car produced by the German automaker Opel between 1937 and 1940 then from 1962 to 1992 The Opel Olympia is a Small family car produced by the German automaker Opel from 1935 to 1940 from 1947 to 1953 and again from 1967 to 1970 The Opel Kadett is a Small family car produced by the German automaker Opel between 1937 and 1940 then from 1962 to 1992 The Opel Rekord is a Family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General The Opel Kapitän was a car made in several different generations by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1938 to 1970 The Opel Rekord is a Family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General The Opel Kapitän was a car made in several different generations by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1938 to 1970 The Opel Rekord is a Family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General The Opel Rekord is a Family car which was built in several generations by the German car manufacturer Opel, latterly a subsidiary of General 7 L, 4-Door Sedan 1968	Opel Commodore Coupé 1969	Opel Diplomat Coupé

See also

References

External links

• Opel.com Opel corporate website
• GMworkersblog (engl. /other lang. )
• Opel at the Open Directory Project
• Glossary of Opel Technology and Innovations
• Opel.de Opel Germany (German)
• Opel Opel Cars (German)
• Opel.mobi Opel Mobile (German)
• AstraForum Romania - Opel Astra Forum/Fansite (Romanian)
• Opel Forum - Opel Cars Service for You/Fansite (Polish)
• Opel crash