Opel has just recovered, as the traditional brand is to be sold. Rainer Manthey feels connected to the manufacturer for more than 50 years – now his love is put to the test.
Tuesday, 21.02.2017
10:52
In the garage of Rainer Manthey there are four cars, “three Manta and one Opel Adam”. The 56-year-old is the author of the “Opel-Fibel – Das Fanbuch”. It’s hard times for Opel fans again: The parent company GM wants to get rid of their daughter brand from Rüsselsheim, a sale to the French manufacturer PSA is likely. Manthey overtook the messagewhen he was driving his Opel Adam. “After that, I switched off the radio once.”
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Manthey, where does your love for the Opel brand come from?
Rainer Manthey: First of family tradition – my father drove an Opel Rekord P2. With this car my general interest in cars was awakened. When I bought my first own car, it was clear to me: It must be an Opel, because I still had the slogan “Opel, the Reliable” in the head. Of course, something went wrong with the cars, but they could be repaired easily and with cheap spare parts.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which Opel became her first car?
Manthey: A Manta A, built in 1972. I especially liked the great design, combined with the advantages of reliable Opel technology. I still have the car today.
Opel Manta A
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Does he remind you of the golden times of the brand?
Manthey: Yes. They began as early as the mid-fifties, when mass mobilization began. Opel manufactured and developed its models in Germany, the brand was considered down to earth and the cars as robust. Nevertheless, the status symbols were: Who earned a bit more money, drove no more VW Beetle, but an Opel.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: When did it go downhill?
Manthey: After the oil crisis in the early 1970s. At Opel, the development of compact vehicles with front-wheel drive was spoiled. At the smaller cars with rigid axle rear, engine forward and drive behind was detained far too long. The Cadet D was the first Opel with front-wheel drive. But he came only five years after the VW Golf on the market. In the lower middle class Ascona C came in 1981 with front-wheel drive. At this time, the second generation of the VW Passat was already in development! Only with the Corsa A could Opel from 1982 in the small car segment make good ground. The Opel with front wheel drive were good cars, but neither qualitatively nor technologically really the Bringer. Except for the Corsa you could tell that Opel was under pressure.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which competitors made it better then?
Manthey: VW was much further ahead with the Polo, Golf and Passat models in the mid-1970s. Even the Italian brands Fiat and Alfa Romeo and the French with Peugeot, Renault, Citroën and Simca were at the time of Opel’s introduction of front-wheel drive long ago with modern compact cars on the market. Even England mixed in with Mini and Morris. Added to this was the suspenders image, which Opel was able to finally put off late.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have to explain!
Manthey: Opel stuck to the Biedere from the economic miracle. The cars were handy, but stuffy. The design of most models evoked no emotion at all. Exceptions were the Opel GT and the Manta A. The Manta B, which came on the market in 1975, I did not like at all. Later, models such as the Calibra or Monza should provide for a sporty image. But that did not work. And it was not until the mid-eighties that Opel was able to keep up with its competitors in engine technology and, for example, introduced a regulated catalytic converter for all model series. In the upper class, the train was already gone. In 1977, at first the captain, admiral and diplomat were buried. Their successor Senator and Monza were indeed constructed at par, but could not score points in the upper class. With the Omega series it was finally clear that one was present only in the upper middle class.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: For what is Opel today?
Manthey: I think: for innovative cars. Of the Astra has, for example, received a whole new design. In other models, the company also proves courage. This is different from VW, where often only small retouches are made on the cars and they thereby look stale. Also the advertising campaigns of Marketing Manager Tina Müller helped to dust off Opel. The “re-parking in the head” has actually arrived at the customer.
To person
Rainer Manthey
Opel expert and author Rainer Manthey, 56. He has been publishing the “Manta A newspaper” for more than 30 years.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What was your first reaction when you heard about the sales plans?
Manthey: Most of all, I was back about the bad style of GM annoyed.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What do you mean?
Manthey: Because, for example, Opel boss Karl-Thomas Neumann late was informed about the plans. That was typical again, already at the Closure of the factory in Bochum GM overruled the concerns of all Opelaner. But from a strategic point of view, I can understand GM’s willingness to sell.
compass opinion
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why?
Manthey: For the group in Europe, the drops sucked, they can not earn more money there. With Chevrolet they have already almost completely withdrawn and the brands Vauxhall, Camaro and Cadillac are not really working either. Since Opel for GM is also just a block on the leg. Opel has been making losses for 17 years, most recently caused by the disappearance of the Russian market and Brexit in the UK. In addition, the high percentage of self-registrations at Opel has been ruinous for years.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What will become of Opel, if the sale PSA actually comes about?
Manthey: Of course there will be factory closures in Eisenach and Kaiserslautern. PSA will also make use of the synergy effects in terms of development, technological orientation and production. But I believe that the Opel brand remains. For a Frenchman will not buy an Opel, as a German will buy no PSA product – at least in the volume range. But Opel’s products will not differ much from the cars of Peugeot and Citroën. They basically do not do it anymore today because the two new SUVs from Opel are derivatives of PSA. And that is exactly what the German customer will not be able to do in the long run. Opel itself will not recover from the sale, but merged into the PSA Group.
Renault Zoe and Opel Ampera-e
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your love for the brand would be put to the test. Could you become unfaithful?
Manthey: Yes. If the liaison between Opel and PSA produces cars that no longer inspire and convince me, I’m probably off the flag. Of course, I remain faithful to my old Opel forever.