Stellantis, a global mobility player with 14 brands including Vauxhall, Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën and Jeep, has announced today it will invest over €130 million in the Eisenach Assembly Plant in Germany, producer of the Opel Grandland compact SUV. This is to add production of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) successor vehicle that will be built on the all-new STLA Medium platform. Production of the new BEV is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2024.
Adding a BEV to Eisenach’s output supports Opel’s bold commitment to a fully electric product lineup by 2028 in Europe. The Opel Grandland currently produced at Eisenach includes also plug-in hybrid variants. This is good news for both the locals and the economy of Eisenach.
Arnaud Deboeuf, Stellantis chief manufacturing officer, said: “Eisenach, our most compact plant in Germany, has demonstrated a strong drive in quality improvements.
“With this allocation of Stellantis’ new fully BEV platform, STLA Medium, Eisenach plant’s highly skilled workforce will continue to improve the cost and the quality of the vehicles they produce to delight our customers.”
Florian Huettl, Opel CEO, said: “We have been building top-quality vehicles here in Thuringia for 31 years and improved our competitiveness continuously. We will stay on this clear path with the electric successor to the Opel Grandland.
“This decision is another important step for Opel on the way to the declared goal of being a purely electric brand in Europe by 2028.”
Opened in September 1992 with the production of the Opel Astra, the Eisenach Assembly Plant is in the state of Thuringia, central Germany. In 2022 the plant celebrated its 30th anniversary with an event that commemorated the production of 3.7 million vehicles.
Xavier Chereau, chairman of the Opel Supervisory Board and Chief Human Resources & Transformation Officer at Stellantis, said: “At Stellantis, ‘We Win Together’ is a core value and this announcement for Eisenach demonstrates that value in action.
“A focus on improving quality and costs from Eisenach management and employees, combined with the input and social dialogue with the German union representatives, help define the future.”
Bodo Ramelow, Thuringia Prime Minister, said: “Thuringia is an automotive location with a great tradition that is currently making the transition to electromobility at top speed.
“Against this background, I am particularly pleased that Opel is playing a decisive role here and will be producing a future-proof model range in Eisenach.”
The Eisenach investment is a key step in meeting the commitments of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan. This is led by deep emission cuts to slash CO2 in half by 2030, benchmarking 2021 metrics, and achieving carbon net zero by 2038 with single-digit percentage compensation of the remaining emissions.
Core targets for Dare Forward 2030 also include 100 per cent of passenger car sales in Europe and 50 per cent of passenger car and light-duty truck sales in the United States to be BEVs by the end of the decade; the ambition of doubling Net Revenues by 2030 (versus 2021) and sustaining double-digit Adjusted Operating Income margins throughout the decade; and the aim to become number one in customer satisfaction for products and services in every market by 2030.
Stellantis is investing more than €30 billion through 2025 in electrification and software to deliver BEVs that meet customer demands.
Back in 2021, Opel announced that the classic Opel Manta is back as the Manta GSe ElektroMOD and will be an electric car. The new Manta is future-proof with its electric powertrain, is emissions-free and will win the hearts of many 70s and 80s drivers.
