Editing Opel (section)

===1970–2017===
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Vauxhall and Opel ranges were rationalised into one consistent range across Europe.

The 1973 version of the [[Opel Kadett]] was later rebadged in hatchback, saloon, and estate form as the [[Vauxhall Chevette]] for the UK market, with German factories producing the Opel versions. The [[Opel Ascona]] of this era was sold on the UK market (and made in British and continental factories) as the [[Vauxhall Cavalier]]. Both of these cars had mild styling changes, as did the flagship [[Opel Rekord]] and [[Vauxhall Carlton]] saloon and estate ranges, which went on sale towards the end of the 1970s.

By the 1970s, Opel had emerged as the stronger of GM's two European brands; Vauxhall was the third-best-selling brand in Great Britain after the [[British Motor Corporation]] (later [[British Leyland]]) but made only a modest impact elsewhere. The two companies were direct competitors outside of each other's respective home markets. Still, mirroring US automaker Ford's decision to merge its British and German subsidiaries in the late 1960s, GM followed the same precedent. Opel and Vauxhall had loosely collaborated before, but serious efforts to merge the two companies' operations and product families into one did not start until the 1970s – which had Vauxhall's complete product line replaced by vehicles built on Opel-based platforms – the only exception to the rule being the [[Bedford CF]] panel van. This only solely Vauxhall design was marketed as an Opel on the continent. By the turn of the 1980s, the two brands were, in effect, the same.

Opel's first front-wheel drive car – the new version of the Kadett – entered production in 1979, initially built in Germany and Belgium. It was sold in the UK alongside the stronger-selling Vauxhall version – the [[Vauxhall Astra|Astra]] – which entered UK production in 1981.

During the 1970s, Opel expressed interest in building an additional production facility in [[Spain]] and eventually settled on a location near [[Zaragoza]], intending to develop a new supermini for the 1980s there. The factory opened in 1982, and its first product was the [[Opel Corsa]] (imported to the UK as the [[Vauxhall Nova]] from 1983).

The Ascona switched to front-wheel drive for an all-new General Motors J-Car global model format in 1981, with the Cavalier nameplate continuing for the UK market. The Kadett was revamped again in 1984, and became the company's first winner of the [[European Car of the Year]] accolade. The Rekord's successor, the [[Opel Omega]] (still Vauxhall Carlton in the UK), achieved the same success two years later.

The long-running Ascona nameplate was discontinued in 1988, with its replacement being sold as the [[Opel Vectra|Vectra]], although the UK market version was still sold as the Vauxhall Cavalier. The Opel Manta coupe was also discontinued in 1988, with its Vectra-based successor, the [[Opel Calibra|Calibra]], being launched the following year. Soon afterward, Opel launched a high-performance version of the Omega – the Lotus Omega (Lotus Carlton in the UK) – which featured Lotus-tuned suspension and had a top speed of 175&nbsp;mph.

[[File:Opel Rekord E2 front 20081127.jpg|thumb|Opel Rekord E, mk.2 (1982–1986)]]
Opel's first turbocharged car was the [[Opel Rekord#E|Opel Rekord 2.3 TD]], first shown at [[Geneva Motor Show|Geneva]] in March 1984.<ref name="QR4-84">{{cite magazine |magazine=Quattroruote |title=Autonotizie: Anche la Opel si dà al turbo |trans-title=Car News: Opel too with turbo |language=it |date=April 1984 |volume=29 |issue=342 |location=Milan, Italy |editor-first=Gianni |editor-last=Mazzocchi |page=108}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Opel was considered GM's cash cow, with profit margins similar to Toyota's. Opel's profit helped to offset GM's losses in North America and to fund GM's expansion into Asia.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phelan |first1=Mark |title=Soul searching at GM after selling Opel |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/03/09/soul-searching-gm-after-selling-opel/98933702/ |access-date=11 March 2017 |work=Detroit Free Press |date=9 March 2017}}</ref> 1999 was the last time when Opel was profitable for an entire year after almost 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://qz.com/914573/after-losing-20-billion-over-17-years-general-motors-gm-may-quit-europe-by-selling-opel-and-vauxhall-to-peugeot/ |title=After losing $20&nbsp;billion over 17 dismal years, General Motors may finally quit Europe |first=Jason |last=Karaian |date=18 February 2017 |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref>

The first major Opel launch of the 1990s was the 1991 Astra, which spelled the end for the Kadett nameplate that had debuted more than 50 years earlier. The company also turned to [[Japan]]ese [[Isuzu]] for its first SUV, the [[Isuzu MU|Frontera]], which was also launched in 1991 but produced in Europe despite its Japanese origins. The larger [[Opel Monterey|Monterey]] joined the company's SUV line-up in 1994, but had been dropped from the UK and continental markets by 2000 due to disappointing sales.

At the end of 1992, the company unveiled a completely new Corsa, which, like the original model, was produced at the Zaragoza plant. This car carried the Corsa nameplate on the UK market as a Vauxhall.

A second generation Omega was launched in early 1994. It remained in production for a decade, but when production finished, there was no direct successor due to declining sales of executive saloon models from mainstream brands. A Corsa-based coupe, the [[Opel Tigra|Tigra]], was also launched around this time and lasted in production for six years.

The second generation Opel Vectra was launched in 1995, with the Vectra nameplate now extending to the Vauxhall version in the UK.

The first Opel MPV, the [[Opel Sintra|Sintra]], was launched in Europe in 1996, imported from the US where it was sold as a [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]], but discontinued after three years due to disappointing sales. The Vauxhall-badged UK market version was also slated in motoring surveys for its dismal build quality and reliability.

1997 saw the demise of the Calibra coupe after an eight-year production, with no immediate replacement.

The Opel Astra hatchbacks, saloons, and estate were wholly revamped for 1998 and, within two years, had also spawned coupe and cabriolet versions, as well as a compact MPV, the [[Opel Zafira|Zafira]].

In 1999, Opel unveiled its first sports car, the [[Opel Speedster|Speedster]] (Vauxhall VX220 in the UK). However, it was not a success and was discontinued in 2005. The company moved into the city car market in early 2000 with the [[Opel Agila|Agila]] launch.

The third generation Opel Corsa was launched in 2000, followed by a new version of the Vectra in 2002 and the Astra in 2004.

Three generations of Vectra gave way to the [[Opel Insignia|Insignia]] in 2008, with the new model becoming the company's first European Car of the Year award winner for 22 years.

Following the 2008 global financial crisis and the [[General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization|Chapter 11 reorganization of GM]], on 10 September 2009, GM agreed to sell a 55% stake in Opel to a consortium including [[Magna International|Magna]] group and [[Sberbank]] – with the approval of the German government. The deal was later called off.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carscoops.com/2009/11/gm-decides-to-keep-opel-after-all.html|title=GM Decides to Keep Opel After All, Cancels Sale with Magna|work=Carscoops |date=4 November 2009|access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref>

With ongoing restructuring plans, Opel announced the closure of its [[Antwerp]] plant in [[Belgium]] by the end of 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/24/gm-announces-plans-to-close-opel-antwerp-facility/|title=GM announces plans to close Opel Antwerp facility|first=Michael|last=Harley|date=24 January 2010 |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref>

In 2010, Opel announced that it would invest around [[Euro|€]]11&nbsp;billion in the next five years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aweFLsLewNdE|title=GM's Opel Outlines 11 Billion-Euro Investment as It Seeks Aid|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=9 February 2010|access-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> €1&nbsp;billion of that was designated solely for the development of innovative and fuel-saving engines and transmissions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten/Opel-Betriebsrat-begruesst-Elf-Milliarden-Investition-von-GM-id2523074.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100212052253/http://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten/Opel-Betriebsrat-begruesst-Elf-Milliarden-Investition-von-GM-id2523074.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 February 2010 |title=Autobauer: Opel-Betriebsrat begrüßt Elf-Milliarden-Investition von GM – Nachrichten – DerWesten |language=de |publisher=Derwesten.de |date=9 February 2010 |access-date=30 June 2011 }}</ref>

On 29 February 2012, Opel announced the creation of a major alliance with [[PSA Peugeot Citroen]], resulting in GM taking a 7% share of PSA, becoming PSA's second-largest shareholder after the Peugeot family. The alliance was intended to enable $2&nbsp;billion per year of cost savings through platform sharing, common purchasing, and other economies of scale.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17213021 |title=GM and Peugeot announce alliance |access-date=29 February 2012 |work=BBC News |date=29 February 2012}}</ref> In December 2013, GM sold its 7% interest in PSA for £250&nbsp;million, after plans of cost savings were not as successful.<ref name=BBC14022017/> Opel was said to be among Europe's most aggressive discounters in the market.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Flak|first1=Agnieszka|last2=Cremer|first2=Andreas|title=Autos bosses focus on technology rather than PSA-Opel |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autoshow-geneva-idUSKBN16E0ZZ|access-date=10 March 2017 |work=Reuters |date=7 March 2016}}</ref> GM reported a 2016 loss of US$257&nbsp;million from its European operations.<ref name=BBC14022017>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38969791 |title=Peugeot in talks to buy GM's Vauxhall and Opel business |access-date=14 February 2017 |work=BBC News |date=14 February 2017}}</ref> It is reported that GM has lost about US$20&nbsp;billion in Europe since 1999.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirchfeld|first1=Aaron|last2=Philip|first2=Siddharth|last3=Welch|first3=David|last4=Hammond|first4=Ed|last5=David |first5=Ruth |title=Peugeot Owner PSA Explores Acquisition of GM's Opel Division |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-14/peugeot-owner-said-to-explore-acquisition-of-gm-s-opel-business |access-date=10 March 2017 |agency=Bloomberg |date=14 February 2017}}</ref>

Opel's plant in [[Bochum]] closed in December 2014, after 52 years of activity, due to overcapacity.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dw.com/en/end-of-the-line-for-opel-car-manufacturer-in-bochum/a-18111230 |title=End of the line for Opel car manufacturer in Bochum |date=12 May 2014 |work=Deutsche Welle |access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>

Opel withdrew from China, where it had a network of 22 dealers, in early 2015<ref>{{cite news|title=Carmaker Opel pulls out of China, to build Buicks for parent GM |url= http://dw.com/p/1BXoQ |access-date=25 March 2017 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=28 March 2014}}</ref> after General Motors decided to withdraw its Chevrolet brand from Europe starting in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=General Motors to withdraw Chevrolet brand from Europe |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/business-25237227 |access-date=25 March 2017 |work=BBC |date=5 December 2013}}
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