Opel unveils 40-40-20 strategy - International Trends - product mix to be 40 percent traditional 40 percent innovative and 20 percent niche - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, April, 2002 by Andrea Wielgat

General Motors Europe and its Opel Division are looking outside their norm when it comes to future products and company strategy.

In the not too distant past 80 percent of the company's vehicles were considered traditional body styles sedans station wagons and hatchbacks.

But a couple of years ago the company learned something with the introduction of the popular, highly-desired but out-of-the box Zafira and Speedster. That lesson? In Europe, innovation and niche products sell.

Now GM Europe and Opel are overhauling how they design vehicles.

In the near future Opel's new product mix will take on a new shape. The ratio will change to 40 percent traditional 40 percent innovative and 20 percent niche.

"It's all about Opel," says Carl-Peter Forster, chairman and managing director of Opel. "Fresh thinking for better cars."

And it's more than just talk. Even with financial problems darkening its balance sheet, Opel is set to invest some $8.7 billion from its own financial base to new products during the next five years. That translates into a new product every six months.

First off the block is the new Vectra sedan. Set to go on sale in staggered launches throughout Europe this spring, the vehicle will complete with the Ford Mondeo and Renault Laguna (See page 33 for product details.)

"The new Vectra is a car with both senses and sense," says Lowell Paddock, General Motor Europe, director, portfolio planning.

Next is the Vectra GTS due in dealerships during the summer. This sports sedan has a 221hp, 3.2L V-6, making it the most powerful Vectra in Opel history. The vehicle will undoubtedly increase Opel's presence among high-performance seeking sedan buyers.

In early 2003, further Opel innovation finally comes to market with the Vectra Signum. First shown as a concept at the 1997 Frankfurt auto show, the company will create a new segment with his notchback that, according to Opel, is an entirely new concept in automobile architecture it will be the next Zafira monospace, Paddock says.

"It's wheelbase, which is considerably longer than that of the Vectra sedan, is the basis for this versatility and for the generous amount of passenger space available," Forster says.

Both the Signum and Vectra station wagon, which is due to market late next year, share the same wheelbase. But the Signum has a larger backseat while the station wagon has more cargo space. The two also have different body shapes.

What's next? lt's the Concept M, shown at this year's Geneva auto show. This monocab van can fit four passengers and is powered by a 1.6L 150 hp natural-gas turbo engine, Opel says. It is expected to enter production in the near future.

"We know the key is product," says Michael J. Burns, president, GM Europe, "We're starting to show just what we're capable of."