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Opel to close German plant in 2016, fears continued Euro slump

George Kennedy — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Europe, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials, Opel

The European financial crisis has claimed another victim, as Opel has stated that it is going to close its Bochum, Germany facility. The closure is set to occur in 2016, when the current Opel Zafira minivan ends its production run. According to Automotive News Europe, parent company General Motors is looking to minimize the impact to the 3,300-strong workforce by adapting the plant to focus on component and distribution efforts.

According to the report, GM believes the economy in Europe will not recover until 2014, and that this move was unavoidable. GM expects losses of between $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion from its Opel and Vauxhall brands in Europe. To try and stem the hemorrhaging, Opel is forced to lay off 2,600 employees, resulting in a $300 million spending cut. Another $500 million in cost cutting is excepted between from to 2013, through 2015 as part of a plan called Drive Opel 2022. The decade-long plan is rooted in cost-cutting, reorganization, and re-focusing products and marketing. As part of this plan, Opel will launch 23 new models between now and 2016.

Still, the plant closure comes as a blow to many Opel employees, and the labor union has hopes to save the Bochum facility. Unions, as well as the German Government, expect General Motors to compensate those who lose their jobs in this closure with appropriate severance packages. GM Europe stated that it is trying to move component production to the Ruhr Valley region, where the Bochum factory is located. It will be able to save some jobs through this effort, though certainly not all 3,300.

Opel to close German plant in 2016, fears continued Euro slump originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Opel Zafira Tourer seats 7, returns up to 44 mpg

Eric Loveday — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Minivan/Van, Opel, Vauxhall, Diesel

Barely altered from the concept that wowed crowds at the Geneva Motor Show is the 2012 Zafira Tourer revealed by Opel in Frankfurt.

The Zafira Tourer is still a sleek, seven-passenger MPV and perhaps one of only a few lookers in its class. Priced at £21,000 in its most basic guise, the 2012 Zafira Tourer undercuts even the cheapest Ford S-Max by more than £1,200.

All Tourer models come well equipped, with air-conditioning, cruise control, six airbags and active headrests as standard. The Zafira's Flex7 seating arrangement has evolved and, at the press of a button, adjusts seating to accommodate four, five or seven passengers.

Engine choices include a turbo'd 1.4-liter gasser, a 2.0-liter CDTi diesel, including a ecoFlex version, and a 1.8-liter gasoline burner. With its most frugal engine - the 2.0-liter ecoFLEX diesel - the Zafira Tourer emits only 119 grams per kilometer of CO2, roughly equal to 44 miles per gallon U.S.

Opel says the Zafira Tourer's order books will open on November 1 and that deliveries will commence early next year. See the sleek MPV for yourself in the attached high-res image gallery and get the details in the official release after the jump.

Continue reading 2012 Opel Zafira Tourer seats 7, returns up to 44 mpg

2012 Opel Zafira Tourer seats 7, returns up to 44 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel reveals production Zafira Tourer [w/video]

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Minivan/Van, Europe, Opel, Diesel

2012 Opel Zafira Tourer - Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2012 Opel Zafira Tourer has broken cover ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show debut. Sporting what Opel calls a blend of "functionality and wellness," Opel hopes the Zafira will land at the top of the MPV heap.

To that end, Opel has weighed the people mover down with features and made its interior extremely adaptable. According to Opel, the third-row seats still fold flat to the car's floor, but now work in concert with second-row seats that can be folded and moved around the cabin at will. The second row now features three independent seats, as opposed to a bench, and each seat can slide back and forth over a total of 210 millimeters.

Underneath the Zafira's sleeker, redesigned skin, the car's wheelbase and track width have both grown by a few inches to make people hauling a more comfortable, more stable and safer operation. The suspension has been reworked, too, to be lighter and less intrusive, giving the Tourer more interior space.

Sending power through the improved chassis are three 2.0-liter CDTI diesel options. The four-cylinder diesel mills come in 110-, 130- and 165-horsepower options. If you must have a gas powerplant, the Zafira carries either a 120-hp, 1.4-liter ECOTEC four banger or a 140-hp version of the same powerplant. No matter what engine you choose, you can have either a six-speed stick or six-speed automatic. To hear all the goods straight from the horse's mouth, check out Opel's press release after the jump, where you'll also find a video.

Continue reading Opel reveals production Zafira Tourer [w/video]

Opel reveals production Zafira Tourer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 May 2011 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Opel Zafira looks ready to move the people

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivan/Van, Opel

Spy Shots: Opel Zafira - Click above for high-res image gallery

This time, you are not looking at a hologram. Our spy photographers have caught this camo-clad Opel Zafira out moving people. Vauxhall has already hinted at its version of the Zafira via the Tourer Concept, and a production version is expected to hit dealer showrooms in the first half of 2012.

The seven-passenger people mover is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Inside, the Zafira will feature reconfigurable seating so that four can ride in spacious comfort, five can go on a journey together, or seven can be shuttled around.

Though the camouflage is covering them up, we can see the bottom-half of the aggressively stylish boomerang headlights peeking out. The overall package of this European staple appears to have stayed true to the concept shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Given how production-ready the car appears, we expect it to break cover very soon.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Opel Zafira

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Opel Zafira looks ready to move the people originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vauxhall Zafira Tourer concept rocks up ahead of Geneva

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Vauxhall

Vauxhall Zafira Tourer Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Opel reached into the future to tease its Zafira Tourer Concept. Vauxhall, on the other hand, is sticking with tradtional photography for its own iteration of the compact people mover. The sleek, seven-passenger Zafira Tourer Concept is set to make its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show this week.

Vauxhall uses terms like "relaxing lounge" and "automobile oasis" to desribe the interior design of the Zafira Tourer. Its Flex7 seating arrangement is set up to seat seven passengers, or five if you desire extra cargo space. A press of a button adds a third seating arrangment, which turns the Zafira into a spacious four-seater.

Outside, the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer Concept features sweeping body lines and boomerang-style forward lighting. The front glass sweeps back into the panoramic roof allowing plenty of light to enter the cabin.

Power is provided by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As it's officially a concept, there's no word yet on what type of mileage the people mover can achieve, but the Zafira Tourer is equipped with start/ttop technology to aid in the quest for great fuel economy figures. Either way, we expect a production version of this car to hit the world's markets shortly.

Gallery: Vauxhall Zafira Tourer Concept

[Source: Vauxhall]

Continue reading Vauxhall Zafira Tourer concept rocks up ahead of Geneva

Vauxhall Zafira Tourer concept rocks up ahead of Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel teases Zafira Tourer concept via hologram

Noah Joseph — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Opel, Vauxhall

Opel Zafira Tourer Concept - Click above for high-res image

We've seen lots of ways for an automaker to unveil a new car. They can do it online, at a special event, at an auto show. They can show us sketches and spy shots, they can give us a full array of photos, or they can make it all a big surprise when they pull back the sheet live in person. But this has got to be a new one: Opel has given us our first look at its latest concept car via hologram.

Well, not quite. It's not like we're looking at the hologram right now. What we're looking at is a picture of a hologram, ostensibly generated by an iPad held by Opel/Vauxhall's design chief Mark Adams. But that's not the point: the point is that GM's European and British subsidiaries will be unveiling this new concept next week in Geneva, and we won't need a hologram or an iPad to see it.

The show car is called the Zafira Tourer Concept, and serves as a preview for the next generation of minivan based on the Corsa. It's one of several new debuts for Opel at the European expo, joining the production Ampera (the overseas version of the Chevy Volt) and facelifted versions of both the Antara crossover and Corsa hatchback. We'll be on hand to see them up close and personal, but for now we've placed the press release after the jump for all those interested.

[Source: Vauxhall]

Continue reading Opel teases Zafira Tourer concept via hologram

Opel teases Zafira Tourer concept via hologram originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors cleans up at What Car? 'Going Green' Awards

Chris Paukert — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Sedan, Europe, Green, GM, Saab

The EuroGeneral has some new awards for its display case, courtesy What Car? magazine's 'Going Green Awards.' The automaker's Swedish outpost, Saab, claimed both executive categories with their diesel 9-3 and BioPower 9-5. The former claimed the 'Compact Executive Car' category in 1.9 TiD trim, and the latter's 2.0t model picked up the greenest 'Executive/Luxury' category. Not to be left out, the Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTi took What Car laurels for the most verdant peoplemover, and the company's sporty Tigra picked up the 'Greenest Open Top Car' award.

[Sources: CarPages UK and Saab]

General Motors cleans up at What Car? 'Going Green' Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Mar 2006 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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