00:00Will the new concept car change everything?
00:05Opel is one of Europe's largest car makers and among the oldest car manufacturers in the world.
00:11One more time.
00:13All of its models are also produced in an e-variant.
00:17Opel made losses for 19 years, but recently it began turning a profit again.
00:21It has manufacturing sites in several European countries and 15,000 employees in Germany alone.
00:27Can Opel make the transformation to a 100% e-car producer?
00:32Let's check it out.
00:37I'm at Opel headquarters near Frankfurt.
00:40More than 8,000 people work here.
00:42Beginning in 2024, the company plans to manufacture all of its models in a battery electric variant.
00:49And I'm even allowed to try my hand on the assembly line.
00:54It's harder than you might think.
00:56So what does it mean for the workers who have to assemble the Opel Astra as a hybrid,
01:01a combustion model and as a battery electric version depending on what happens to be up next?
01:10Here on the line, the electric motor arrives almost fully assembled.
01:14We do most of the assembly of the combustion engines.
01:17So the process is different, but it also gives us more variety in our work.
01:23Opel began turning a profit again in 2018.
01:27That's also because they are now a subsidiary of Stellantis and can benefit from new synergies.
01:33A visit to the company's museum collection.
01:36For more than a century, Opel kept nearly every part of the manufacturing process firmly in its own hands,
01:43including research and experiments like this race car with rocket propulsion from 1928.
01:49Then there are bestsellers like this 2 million Opel Kapitän with real gold-plated trim.
01:56And a doctor's car. So can we go for a spin in it?
02:01How about to show you the Opel doctor's car from 1901?
02:06Yeah, I would really like to see that.
02:08You can crank it up if you want.
02:10Okay, let's try.
02:12But it has to be done by hand.
02:20One more time.
02:26There we are.
02:31The name of the car came about because around 1909 it was popular with doctors
02:36who drove it to pay host calls to their patients.
02:40The top speed is between 50 and 60 kilometers an hour.
02:43That was quite fast for 1909.
02:50Opel also carried out many experiments with electric vehicles.
02:55Like this twin-concept car dating from 1992.
02:59It has two propulsion modules.
03:02One is electric, the other is a combustion engine,
03:06which can be attached to the rear of the car depending on what's needed.
03:12But e-cars didn't really take off back then.
03:15That's changed.
03:16There are charging stations now and a proper e-car market.
03:20Last year Opel sold some 90,000 electric vehicles.
03:25Opel's restructuring also meant reducing its workforce
03:29and becoming a subsidiary of Stellantis,
03:32which also includes the brands Fiat and Peugeot.
03:35It's the world's fourth largest automaker with 14 brands in its lineup.
03:40And now the CEO is planning to switch production entirely to e-cars,
03:45which will run on green energy.
03:48We'll lead the automotive industry and achieve carbon net zero by 2038.
03:57We pay a visit to another Opel factory in Eisenach, Germany.
04:01To support the e-mobility switch,
04:03Stellantis plans to invest in the plant and all the brands
04:07that tune off 50 billion euros over the next decade.
04:12The purpose is of course to create synergies that can be used between the brands,
04:18while at the same time giving all the possibilities to the brands
04:22to make a car that suits what they want to do with the brands.
04:26Opel builds its cars on these platforms.
04:29And then each model gets its own design.
04:32This plant is already using them.
04:34Stellantis is a partner in joint ventures, including two battery factories,
04:39one in France and another in preparation in Germany,
04:43which will one day supply batteries to 1.2 million e-cars a year.
04:51We share battery technology, we share certain structural elements.
04:57But then you see for Opel it is very important that we convey to our customers
05:02the traditional German driving values, which mean a robust driving position,
05:08a robust road holding, direct steering.
05:10And all of this is possible to create while still maintaining certain synergies.
05:16For some years now, Opel has offered a warranty
05:19for repair and replacement of ailing batteries in its electric vehicles.
05:23Used batteries are returned to this battery refurbishment center,
05:27where they are repaired and returned.
05:31So do Opel's designers still have room for input?
05:35I'm meeting with Opel's chief designer Florian Theis.
05:40Nice to meet you.
05:42We are kind of in the most secret area of Opel.
05:46Why do you have to work secretly here?
05:49Yeah, so warm welcome from my side, first of all.
05:51Thank you.
05:52Well, it's obviously what we are doing here is for the next 10 up to 15 years from now.
05:58And we don't want to show the rest of the world everything we're doing.
06:01So it needs to stay kind of secret.
06:04But, as we will show you in a second,
06:06we got concept cars that show a bit of an outlook where we want to go.
06:09Yes, if you want, we can take off the cover.
06:15The concept car has a signature sound,
06:17an idea they are planning to incorporate into new models.
06:21We call it painting with light.
06:23You can create your own whole look and feel just with light.
06:29So, let's go.
06:42The experimental.
06:44Concept cars are first made out of a modeling material.
06:47I'm going to try my hand on shaping the fender.
06:51So if I want to change for… just put a new line here.
06:55These little tools.
06:58You can just try.
06:59I'll try.
07:00Okay.
07:05Now I destroyed your whole work.
07:07Perfect. You can start as a modeler.
07:09Thank you. I destroyed it all.
07:11And these are the first models inspired by the concept car.
07:18The SUV Grandland in the e-version.
07:20By 2028, Opel plans to have gone full electric.
07:24The funding for this switch has already been secured.
07:27That's one of the benefits of being a Stellantis subsidiary.
07:30One of the world's most profitable car makers.
07:33This Astra electric is listed for 42,000 euros.
07:36Now it's up to the customers to decide whether to get on board.
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