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Author Topic: It's the beginning of the end for Opel  (Read 8192 times)

Steve McF

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It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« on: 23 July 2012, 02:45:52 PM »
It seems the curse of GM is striking again......

Quote
It's the beginning of the end for Opel

Automotive News Europe | July 23, 2012 06:01 CET

We are seeing a one-of-a-kind occurrence in the 126-year history of the automobile: Opel is being consciously and deliberately ruined.

Within the next 10 years, the Opel lightning bolt will no longer be good for anything but affixing to Chevrolets or Chinese-made cars.

The German automaker will no long have its own development or its own production.

Although comparisons between Opel and Rover have come up, they just don't hold water. In BMW, Rover at least had an owner, for a time, that would invest hundreds of millions in new, competitive products.

We are not seeing this from General Motors today. The investment plan drawn up by former Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke wasn't even enough to overcome Hyundai's technological lead, much less Volkswagen's.

GM CEO Dan Akerson has thrown out Stracke so even the dismissed Opel boss' inadequate plan is not likely to be executed.

It is no surprise that Opel development chief Rita Forst was pushed out last week. What would a true chief development engineer with a professional view of technological necessities do at GM? Akerson wants quick financial wins. Expensive plans from development engineers just get in the way.

GM's share price has already fallen below $20. After bankruptcy and nationalization, the company was re-privatized at $33 a share in 2010.

One share in three is still in the hands of the U.S. government. The share price has to be pushed up – at Opel's expense. With Akerson and Stephen Girsky, chair of the Opel supervisory board and interim head of GM Europe, GM has brought investment bankers on board who understand fast money but know nothing about the auto business. They are driving Opel into the wall.

No European automaker can make money right now in Europe with its mass-market business. The attempt to gear Opel for profitability will end in disaster.
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Richard_C

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #1 on: 29 July 2012, 11:15:16 PM »
And I took refuge in Citroen after SAAB, but it looks like PSA have entered an agreement with GM such that the next generation midsize and large Citroen/Peugeots will be built in Opel plants in Germany.  I don' t mind GM failing miserably, but it almost looks like a deliberate attempt to take 'interesting' brands down with it.
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Max Headroom

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #2 on: 29 July 2012, 11:56:07 PM »
Quote from: Richard_C on 29 July 2012, 11:15:16 PM
I don' t mind GM failing miserably, but it almost looks like a deliberate attempt to take 'interesting' brands down with it.

For the past year I have felt it has been like GM saying "Well, if we aren't having it - then nobody else is".
And now it's happening again
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Audax

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #3 on: 30 July 2012, 08:44:25 AM »
Jeez, so I can't go back to Citroen... I guess that leaves just Alfa and Subaru in the interesting and oddball category?
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Max Headroom

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #4 on: 30 July 2012, 09:15:44 AM »
Out of those two, it would have to  be the Alfa for me - based on the long heritage story
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Audax

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #5 on: 30 July 2012, 09:19:55 AM »
I'd like one of both, not sure which order. Probably would have the Alfa first and wait for it to rust or break and then after that 4 week adventure ;) into Alfa ownership buy a Subaru with a view to it being a long term keeper, either a Forester or a Legacy (possibly the Outback). Only downside is that Subaru have typically Japanese seats in them which puts me off many Japanese cars  :(
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Norfolk Jim

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #6 on: 30 July 2012, 11:45:47 AM »
Alfa for me having had an orange - well it went orange - Alfasud Veloce Cloverleaf in my teens. Little bit of inbred Ferrari help................ Wouldn't touch scooby doo's. If half the people owned them knew the noise they make is due to unequal exhaust manifolds or something or other would they still have them for the exhaust note? Last one I road in was a bone shaker and gas guzzler. Drank far more fuel than my aero did............much prefer an EVO
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Richard_C

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #7 on: 30 July 2012, 11:47:34 AM »
For those thinking Alfa/Subaru don't foget that brilliant combination of Japanese and Italian talent, the Alfa Romeo Arna: 1980 Japanese design meets 1980 Italian manufacturing quality ......

Citroen have just dumped the C6, and only a few C5s have the full active suspension so that will surely come to an end soon.   Their DS range is in effect factory customised styling on very conventional engineering.

GM didn't make enough money out of SAAB, although I am sure they did turn in an "end to end" profit by licensing brand and technology from GM USA to SAAB.  They gave SAAB a bit too much freedom to do their own thing with major and minor components so will surely seek stronger central control in future.

 So then we will be down at the Tesco Value car lot and it will be:

"Would you like your metallic silver 2.0 diesel estate with a Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Opel, Citroen or Peugeot Badge sir?  For an extra £10 you can have Talbot, Singer, Hillman, Sunbeam, Panhard, Buick,  ...... etc etc.  Meanwhile down at Asda it will be the same car with a choice of Ford, Volvo, Lincoln ......

Give it a year or few and the likes of Kia and perhaps Hyundai will be the ones to have.  They are no longer 'me-too' manufacturers using cast off platforms.
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CitTone

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #8 on: 30 July 2012, 01:12:26 PM »
Had my kidneys pounded by a ride in a Scooby once. If that's what they are like on motorways, I'd lose all my teeth on the roads around here. Plus it would pass anything on the road except a filling station.

Alfa? And how, pray, would I get a flat-pack kitchen into one of those?
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Audax

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #9 on: 30 July 2012, 01:19:49 PM »
Quote from: Richard_C on 30 July 2012, 11:47:34 AM
Citroen have just dumped the C6, and only a few C5s have the full active suspension so that will surely come to an end soon.   Their DS range is in effect factory customised styling on very conventional engineering.

None of the Citroens have full active suspension to my mind except the Xantia Activa, the difference between that and hydractive was astounding, I did test drive the C5 when it came out and it didn't really bring anything new in the suspension department. Shame to see the C6 discontinued for RHD, although, they are a bit too large for my liking.
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Norfolk Jim

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #10 on: 30 July 2012, 02:32:10 PM »
Tesco now sell windows and doors :)
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Audax

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #11 on: 30 July 2012, 02:46:13 PM »
Quote from: CitTone on 30 July 2012, 01:12:26 PM
Had my kidneys pounded by a ride in a Scooby once. If that's what they are like on motorways, I'd lose all my teeth on the roads around here. Plus it would pass anything on the road except a filling station.

Out of interest which Subaru was it? I just wonder if it was one of the Impreza's with the sport nonsense chucked in? Those that I'm interested in would be the more practical vehicles with mpg figures very similar to what you get from a Saab 9-5 (OK, not very good, I know!)  ;D but I would say that the Impreza is the one I probably wouldn't have. The Legacy is quite similar in many ways to a 9-5 although the older ones have a down market interior, but the newer ones are much better in that regard. They also do a 150hp diesel which does 46mpg with a 0-60 of 8.mutter seconds, that's the one I'd be looking at probably.
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Geoff1951

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #12 on: 30 July 2012, 09:41:16 PM »
Too many posts to quote from!

Richard, Alfa Romeo Arna - yes, a spectacular c0ck-up, and the best practical joke ever played. Wrong on so many fronts.
I had an Alfasud 1500 Ti on a 24 hour test drive, one of the later models with a hatch. Red, torque steer, thirsty, great fun. Can't remember anything else.

Jim, a beautiful car that Cloverleaf.

My local Indy swopped an Impreza for a Honda CRZ, he wanted the experience of a hybrid so he could offer servicing on it. He's ticking off the days until the lease expires. In a year's time. He said I could borrow it any time my 9-5's in for work. Just so it'd be out of his sight.
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CitTone

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #13 on: 30 July 2012, 10:57:32 PM »
Quote from: Audax on 30 July 2012, 02:46:13 PM
Quote from: CitTone on 30 July 2012, 01:12:26 PM
Had my kidneys pounded by a ride in a Scooby once. If that's what they are like on motorways, I'd lose all my teeth on the roads around here. Plus it would pass anything on the road except a filling station.

Out of interest which Subaru was it?

Impreza WRX. Why my colleague at the time selected that as a company car I have no idea. I think he just liked to be at the front of the queue, but always slowed down after that to ensure he had enough fuel to get home.
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Norfolk Jim

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Re: It's the beginning of the end for Opel
« Reply #14 on: 31 July 2012, 08:51:18 AM »
I've had a ride in both the scooby WRX STi CP RSPCA etc and a ride in an Evo FQ and was amazed how much nicer the ride was in the Evo. I kept my gold crown in with the Evo and seats were much nicer. Having said that I'd never attempt a drive of more than around 150 miles in either as I value my teeth and vital organs!

The Alfa Geoff was a lovely drive and pretty to look at and really cut to the chase...................................

I agree Audax that the new legacy diesel looks good but that fuel figure is poor by modern standards. Just look at what a 9-3 TTiD Sportwagon does to the gallon and 0-60
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