Back from the test drive, Tobias Gärtner walks around the body and runs his fingers along the embossed GRANDLAND lettering on the rear: “Absolutely impressive – a beautiful car!” is his verdict. “And so dynamic and agile!” adds his daughter Zoe from the driver’s seat. The younger sister Lea and mother Nicole, who sat in the back, rave about the “great seats and an incredible amount of space.”
It’s not just the Gärtner family that is completely enthusiastic about the new Grandland – the professional opinion makers are also full of praise: “It will be a hit” is the headline of Auto Bild, while the editor of auto, motor, sport is impressed by “a lot of comfort and well thought-out details.” 400 Journalists from 25 countries were guests at the dynamic media event at the headquarters in October. And in the best Opel style, the employees can also enjoy the original setup of the media event at the end – true to the motto “By employees for employees”.
“No fewer than 220 components in the new Grandland come from Kaiserslautern.”
– Lauterer colleague Anja Buhles –
MADE IN GERMANY The body parts come from the Rüsselsheim pressing plant; the Grandland is manufactured exclusively in Eisenach.
SUPPORT FROM KAISERSLAUTERN The Rhineland-Palatinate factory also contributes many components: “The reinforcement of the roof frame, for example, but also many invisible components come from Lautern,” explains Anja Buhles.
TRAVEL IN STYLE Lauter colleague Tim Buhles enjoys the interior. A highlight: “The pixel box in the center console, in which the smartphone is safely stored during inductive charging.”
READY FOR TEST DRIVES The Grandland Electric comes with a 157 kW (213 hp) electric motor and 345 Newton meters of torque. If you prefer a smooth transition to e-mobility, choose the hybrid version.
“I love these events,” says Eva Garcia Sanz. The sales director brought her friend Janka Patrovicova with her and they take a seat in front of the stage in the N50. There is plenty of information at the so-called media briefing. You will find out that the newcomer is 17 centimeters longer than its predecessor and that the interior contains more than 500 kilograms of recycled and regenerative raw materials. The lighting engineers present the refinements of the 51,200 light points of the “Intelli-Lux Pixel Matrix HD” light in the darkened workshop room. Night turns into day. Spontaneous applause breaks out.
“Wow – it has power!” During the subsequent test drive, Janka decided on the fully electric version. The instant torque of 345 Newton meters only disturbs her for a short time. After a few meters, the dentist confidently steers the Grandland along the country road and comes to the conclusion: “I would like it – very much!”
“The new Grandland fills our three demands – Detox, Modern German and Greenovation – with life.”
– Opel chief designer Richard Shaw –
GO GRAND Opel chief designer Richard Shaw has translated the design philosophy into an SUV: “The Grandland impresses with its bold and clear styling.”
FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY On stage at the media briefing is the Opel Experimental, the design study whose details and features are now going into series production in the Grandland.
SHARK ALERT! There are several sharks in the interior of the Grandland – one lurking by the rear view camera.
READY FOR MORE The new top SUV “Made in Germany” can now be ordered – in three electrified drive types.
“FILLS ME WITH PROUD” As senior interior designer, Victor Uribe Chacon contributed to the design of the interior.
And as always, when Opel employees come across a new model with a flash, no detail remains undiscovered. The fleet in front of the N50 is inspected extensively, the Golden Retriever is placed in the trunk, the back seat is folded down to explore the maximum loading volume of 1,641 liters. “A washing machine can easily fit in there,” says Oliver Aurich, while behind the wheel his son Jannik can’t get enough of the Intelli-Seat’s massage function. Meanwhile, Carolin Bochen has fallen in love with the head-up display, Andreas Mirbach is longing for a solar eclipse or, alternatively, the sunset: “I definitely have to experience the new lighting technology in the dark – the presentation by the lighting colleagues was more than impressive.”
Animal passengers on board
Colleagues Anja Buhles and her son Tim came especially from Kaiserslautern. “After all, there are 220 of our components in the Grandland,” says Anja Buhles, “here, for example, the reinforcement of the roof frame comes from the Lauter factory.” And then of course there are the sharks, which are traditionally explored in the interior of Opel models must. A group of colleagues spontaneously got together to track down the animal passengers. “Here – I have one,” comes from the stern. In fact: there is a shark on the rear view camera. Five more fish are hidden in the interior, reveals PR manager Carina Elsinger. Her tip to all shark hunters: “Look around the center console.” But nothing more is revealed.
Tip to all shark hunters: “Look around the center console.”
– PR Manager Carina Elsinger–
“WOW – IT HAS POWER!” The instant torque of 345 Newton meters makes an impression. For Janka Patrovicova it is her first time behind the wheel of a battery-electric car.
HAPPY FACES Colleague Eva Garcia Sanz (left) loves the employee event. “Getting to know the new Grandland exclusively and up close – that’s something.”
GREAT OPPORTUNITY The IT specialist Oliver Aurich came accompanied by his son Jannik. Both appreciate the opportunity to exclusively test new products.
FROM EMPLOYEES FOR EMPLOYEES Carolin Bochen and Andreas Bochen also took the opportunity to test drive the new Grandland before everyone else.
“ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSIVE” Tobias Gärtner from the Software X team brought his wife and two daughters to the employee day.
As senior interior designer, Victor Uribe Chacon helped design the interior of the new Grandland. “Now seeing the finished vehicle fills me with pride.” He shows his family the many storage options in the interior, points out the center console, which can be cooled if desired, and explains the consistent alignment with the Opel Compass with horizontal and vertical lines. “Every arrangement, the materials, the proportions – it is a meticulously balanced work of art,” he explains. The goal: “To offer customers an incomparable experience in the interior – with a lot of comfort.” His family thinks: Mission successful.
Pleasant dose of assistance
Lucienne Sachs, Selin Keunig and Kristin Müller have just returned from the test drive in the Grandland Electric, color Impact Copper Metallic. You can see beaming faces. At the invitation of the “Women of Stellantis”, the three came to the headquarters today, where they are currently completing their Hesse technical college. The joint project of all technical universities in Hesse enables young women to get to know everyday working life in various technical professions. For three months, the interns at Opel immerse themselves in the world of automobile manufacturing. And they do this extensively and conscientiously at the employee event.
“There’s a lot of high-tech in the Grandland – and it’s packaged in a pleasant way.”
– Lucienne Sachs, intern Hessen-Technikum –
LOTS OF LIGHT, NO CHROME For the first time, a production model has the illuminated Opel logo. This means that Opel has one of the hippest brand logos, finds n-tv.
MORE SAFETY IN THE DARK Carsten Neitzke from the Rüsselsheim lighting team is pleased with the positive feedback from journalists and colleagues.
“There’s a lot of high-tech in here” Lucienne Sachs and Kristin Müller give their statements about the new Grandland.
NEW ARCHITECTURE The STLA medium platform enables a locally emission-free range of up to around 700 kilometers.
GREENOVATION The fabrics of the seats, door panels and dashboards are made from recycled materials.
“There’s so much high-tech in here,” says Lucienne Sachs, “and it’s nicely packaged.” She likes the central display, the intuitive operation and the control buttons: “It’s got everything I need together.” Not too much, not too much little, just right. “You feel supported and not bullied by the assistance systems,” Kristin Müller adds her impressions of the test drive, while Selin Kunig extensively inspects the light signature of the illuminated Opel flash in the 3D Vizor and the red glowing Opel lettering at the rear. “This is definitely my highlight!” The interns already know that this is the innovative “Edge Light” technology from their station with the team of Rüsselsheim lighting engineers. The first appearance of the Grandland – it makes a strong statement. Or as n-tv puts it: “With the striking red illuminated letters, the Opel Grandland may currently have one of the hippest brand logos.”
October 2024
Photos: Opel/Dani Heyne