A Opel Grandland GSE becomes the Opel 75 millionth

A brand with 160 years of history, 120 years building cars, has to keep celebrating the great milestones of its history. And after selling millions of a bestselling car such as the Opel Corsa, a model that is marking its first 40 years, this very week it has reached another of those milestones. The car that brings the total to 75 million units built by the brand has just rolled off the assembly line in Eisenach, in Thuringia.

Beyond what that figure means, it should be noted that this car reaching this milestone is an electrified vehicle. It is a Opel Grandland GSe, an SUV equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the trend that is growing around the world and that represents the immediate future of the industry.

Features of the Opel 75 millionth

This model that has just left the Eisenach assembly plant features a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors, one on each axle, which allow the vehicle to achieve a combined output of 221 kW, the equivalent of 300 CV. Fuel consumption is rated at 1.3 litres per 100 km and pollutant emissions at 31-29 grams/km.

This allows it to have an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 235 km/h, which drops to 135 km/h when driven in electric mode. This model has optimised the steering and suspension. For the latter, firmer springs and dampers with KONI FSD (Frequency Selective Damping) technology have been used.

This improves not only the car’s agility but also the comfort of its occupants. All of this has resulted in a plug-in hybrid vehicle that incorporates all the technology found across the rest of the GSe range. This designation has become the hallmark of electrified vehicles under the German badge, and several models already carry it.

From the 1 millionth car to the 75 million

The 1 millionth vehicle arrived in 1940. This honour went to a Opel Kapitän that received special treatment. Among other things, all the chrome decorative elements were covered in 24-carat gold to give it a spectacular look. The Opel 10 millionth rolled off the assembly line in 1971. On this occasion it was a Opel Rekord C Caravan.

The Opel 20 millionth arrived in 1983 and was a Opel Senator CD. A few years later came the 25 millionth car, an Opel Omega A Caravan, which was the brand’s flagship from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. In 1990 an Opel Omega left the factory that became the 50 millionth unit to be sold.

Now, just over 75 million cars have been produced by Opel, and this leads us to wonder which model will have the honour of becoming the 100 millionth car built by the brand. Will it take long to arrive?