The new Experimental concept car presented yesterday in Turin by Opel represents the future of mobility according to the German brand. A future in which electrification will play a decisive role: the Russelsheim manufacturer already boasts a total of 15 electrified models in its range, and has announced not only that by the end of 2024 every car will be available with at least a 100% electric version , but also that from 2025 every car that will be launched will be alone 100% battery electric.
Epochal transformation
“The automotive sector is currently in its own transformation phase more important ever, given that we are moving from heat engines to electric mobility, with the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality – said Florian Huettl, CEO of Opel, who spoke at the press conference presenting the new concept car – In recent years we have faced a series of events which have not helped us: the pandemic has had a very profound impact on our world, even the political system is less stable, inflation has had its impact, then there is the increase in the cost of energy. These are all factors that create problems for the process of change we are witnessing.”
Change of trend
But this did not slow down Opel, which over the course of three years worked arduously to transform its production sites, especially in Germany, investing in factories and batteries with the aim of adapting as quickly as possible to the electrification model that he is adopting. A transformation that has had a certain impact not only on production, but also on all other sectors, as explained by Huettl himself: “Speaking of tech, today software is much more important than hardware. As for design, however, the advent of artificial intelligence has allowed us to accelerate development times and reduce costs. If we then think about the sales model, the digitalisation has taken over and we have taken this change together with the needs of our customers to modify our sales channels. Let's look at Italy: over 20% of our cars are already sold completely online. Finally there is the change that has involved our European dealer network, which was more than 80% single-brand until recently: today, however, over 50% of dealers in the EU and 75% in Italy are multi-brand brand, an important advantage also on an economic level”.
Multi-energy platform
In short, according to the CEO of Opel it is a fact that electrification and digitalisation are the two trends driving today's change in the sector. Which will not lead the company to focus solely on electric vehicles: Huettl reiterated how Opel is also investing in hydrogen, and is today one of the few manufacturers that can boast of offering this solution to its customers. The ability to let your audience choose the engine solution best suited to their needs plays a vital role thanks to the multi-energy platform, which allows the brand to manage thermal, hybrid and fully electric engines at the same time. “The advantages are enormous in terms of flexibility in the face of demand that increases differently depending on segment, market and diet”says Huettl.
What's new for 2024
What to expect from Opel for 2024? First of all, the German car manufacturer itself has an expectation, or rather a hope: that the electricity market grows, “and in Italy there is this need, given that the more the electricity market grows the better the situation is for Opel”, explains the CEO of the Blitz brand. Furthermore, there are some new features cooking, one above all the launch of two new models. “The first is an SUV that we will place at the center of the market, it will be fully electric and will consist of the first Opel to have the new Blitz, while the second will be a restyling of the Grandland SUV, will be produced in Eisenach and will use the new STLA Medium platform from Stellantis , thanks to which we will have significantly higher levels of autonomy compared to what we find on the market today – explains Huettl – These are two very important launches that will complete the first phase of electrification of our brand.”
#Opel #Huettl #I39ll #electric #future #FormulaPassion
