From Lothar Gries, tagesschau.de As early as 2017, soon after the takeover by PSA, there was an abundance of office space at the Opel headquarters. Because the French subjected the deficit German manufacturer to a strict austerity course that lost thousands of jobs. The emptiness was short-lived, however. Soon after the takeover, the German headquarters for the Peugeot, Citroën and DS brands moved from Cologne to Rüsselsheim. It has now been announced that the German subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is moving to the Opel premises. The car company Stellantis, which was founded in January, wants to control its business in Germany from there. While the office space is being brought to new life, the question remains of what place Opel will still have in the future, in the world’s fourth-largest car company, which comprises 14 brands. It is still too early to answer this question. But there is good news: The planned battery production at the Opel plant in Kaiserslautern is secured. As Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares announced at today’s general meeting, production should start at the end of 2025, two years after the start of a similar plant in France. “The supply of batteries will be strategically crucial,” said Tavares. According to earlier statements by Opel boss Michael Lohscheller, 2000 jobs will be created in Kaiserslautern. Nevertheless, there is great uncertainty among the Opel workforce. Because experts fear that the brand will face the same fate in the medium term as the former German TV manufacturers Grundig or Telefunken: The brands still exist, but they have long been backed by owners from Turkey, where the devices are also manufactured.

Experts fear new job cuts

Opel has already had to close one of its four plants in Germany (Bochum). And the company’s market share has shrunk significantly in recent years. In the best of times, 1.5 million vehicles were sold annually, last year it was only 630,000, including those from the British sister brand Vauxhall. After all, Opel is back in the black – an important turnaround after years of losses. But Stellantis must continue to be trimmed for returns. Five billion euros should be saved annually – three quarters of that by the end of 2024. To do this, as many identical parts as possible would have to be used for as many models as possible, says car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. He therefore fears further job cuts. Frank Schwope, industry observer at Norddeutsche Landesbank, is also convinced that only by reducing the enormous overcapacities in the entire group can it be prevented that Stellantis does not become Atlantis.

Is the “Made in Germany” quality sufficient?

Insiders therefore suspect that production in individual factories could be discontinued – for example at the Eisenach site, where the Grandland X urban off-road vehicle is being built. The main plant in Rüsselsheim could be downgraded to an assembly site for various Stellantis brands. In addition to the Opel flagship Insignia, a DS vehicle, the DS 4 from Citroen, will soon be built there. In an interview with the magazine “Capital”, Opel boss Lohscheller refers to the quality of the vehicles “Made in Germany”. As the only German brand in the group, this helps people perceive it. The engineers also succeeded in building a “real Opel” from the Corsa and Mokka models, despite the uniform platform. Someone “who feels this way, looks this way and drives this way”.

Opel also wants to sell cars in China

Lohscheller also hopes to finally be able to sell Opel vehicles in China. Like many other brands of the Stellantis Group, the brand with the lightning bolt is hardly represented there. China is the largest car market in the world. CEO Tavares recently spoke of a disappointing performance in the People’s Republic, which must improve. This is exactly where Lohscheller sees an opportunity. “I have the great hope that we will find a way that Opel comes to China because it is the largest car market in the world,” he said in an interview with the magazine “Capital”. A decision has not yet been made as to how and whether Opel will be involved in the planned China strategy.

Does the “heart” of Opel have to keep bleeding?

The question of the development center in Rüsselsheim, often referred to as the “heart” of Opel, has also not been resolved. Even now, of the 7,000 highly qualified employees, only 4,500 are left after a partial sale. Still too much, experts believe, because both PSA and FCA each employ a good 18,000 engineers in development. Expert Dudenhöffer therefore considers at least a third of the 36,000 jobs obsolete, because no car company needs four large development centers in the USA, Turin, Paris and Rüsselsheim, the expert said in an interview with the dpa news agency. Opel boss Lohscheller answers evasively when asked about the future of the Rüsselsheim development center. In a large corporation there is always internal competition, he said in mid-March. That triggers a lot of motivation and energy. He repeated almost defiantly: “Our development center is and will remain the heart of the Opel brand”.

Coffee has long been a minor matter at the traditional roaster Tchibo. The more than 11,000 employees of the Hamburg-based company worldwide sell everything you need or not, from tea towels to bed linen and garden hoses. Now the group of companies is entering the e-car business. There will soon be the Tesla 3 in white, black or silver or the latest electric vehicle from Fiat – can be ordered online and at a fixed price.

Tchibo offers the car as a car subscription – a kind of all-round carefree package between leasing and car sharing that includes everything except electricity. When the term is over, you simply return the car. The model is particularly interesting for all those who want to try out e-mobility first. Tchibo has also sold small cars of the Smart or Opel Adam type in the past.

The ADAC cooperates with Opel

The coffee giant isn’t the only retailer putting out feelers for the lucrative auto market. The discounter Lidl already had Fiat models, Edeka sold puntos from the Italian brand, and the Westphalian department store chain Marktkauf offered Kias and Daewoos discounts of up to 40 percent. Because of the fierce competition and falling profits, German retailers are always coming up with new ideas and selling everything that is not nailed down. Now the commercial part of the ADAC wants to get involved in the market: In a cooperation with Opel, different models are to be brought to the people in the future.

The retail industry is in a turmoil. Above all, the Association of German Opel Dealers (VDOH), which is already constantly at odds with the manufacturer, sees the cooperation between the automobile club and Opel with eagle eyes – its members are still allowed to deliver the new cars, but otherwise the business passes them by . However, the Opel dealers emphasize that this is a time-limited campaign. Anything else “would also violate the manufacturer’s obligation under the dealer contract,” said Uwe Heymann from the VDOH.

Car market has been competitive for years

The supremacy of classic car dealers has been shrinking for years – especially since the European Commission opened the markets in autumn 2002. Until then, the dealers had quasi regional monopolies, because the territories when selling were precisely defined. That is history – and the number of newcomers is large. The share of classic dealers in total sales is slowly but steadily declining.

However, this is only partly due to the Tchibos, Lidls and Edekas, whose sales volume is manageable and whose promotions are limited in time. Above all, it is due to the competition from the numerous Internet portals that sell cars completely online. “It started with start-ups that organized Internet sales and made it known,” says expert Karsten Neuberger from the University of Duisburg-Essen. The resulting transparency in the market has developed into a great advantage for customers.

There are now dozens of retailers on the Internet. The total share of these car sales in Germany is still manageable. However, around ten percent of all new car purchases in the private sector are already made over the Internet. This is the result of the current DAT report, a representative survey by Deutsche Automobil Treuhand. On behalf of the automotive industry and in cooperation with the Society for Consumer Research, this company researches market behavior in the sector.

Less of a status symbol than it used to be

There are several reasons for the trend towards online purchases: In times of minimalism and sustainability, the importance of one’s own car is becoming less and less important for more and more people. “The importance of the car is normalizing,” says Stefan Bratzel, head of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch-Gladbach. “Today it is no longer the status symbol that we tinker with at the weekend,” said the car expert. This is especially true for the younger generation: “There the urge to drive has weakened significantly. The emotionality associated with it is nowhere near as it used to be.”

For many people, their own car is becoming a commodity like a washing machine – and that naturally has consequences for sales. According to the most recent DAT report, 41 percent of all respondents can imagine the complete processing of the car purchase over the Internet.

Bargain prices attract online shoppers

It is not uncommon for the lavish discounts that entice customers to shop online. Comparisons and studies by automobile clubs and market research companies show that you almost always save around 1000 euros on average – money that used to end up in the pockets of car dealers. What travel agencies and electronics retailers have been experiencing for years can increasingly also be observed in the car market. “We go to the dealership less. The dealership comes to us more,” said market watcher Bratzel; an unstoppable consequence of digitization.

The only consolation for the dealers: There is a great need for advice, especially with e-cars, the cars have to be regularly serviced and checked – a business that remains for those who have expertise and usually also the appropriate workshops. But the dealers do not want to be fobbed off only with the role of advisor, delivery agent and repairman. Especially not because the manufacturers are imposing ever stricter requirements and building regulations so that everything in the sales halls sparkles and glitters. “These are investments in the millions that can no longer be amortized”, says Antje Woltermann, managing director of the Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry (ZDK).

Manufacturers also rely on online sales

Many retailers feel abandoned by their manufacturers. Because more and more large car manufacturers have discovered direct sales for themselves and are selling their new cars themselves over the Internet to retailers. The starting shot was given by Mercedes, where customers have been able to order the Smart directly since 1999. But VW, Volvo and many others also want to make greater use of this form of distribution in the future. This is cheaper for customers, but the ZDK calls for a statutory safeguard clause. If dealers are obliged by their manufacturers to make massive investments, they should also have a privilege when selling, says Woltermann, referring to Austria, where there are such provisions. “We need a European solution for this,” said the sales expert, who is also the spokesperson for the alliance of European car dealers and repairers.

CAM boss Bratzel also sees it that way, because in the end the manufacturers are dependent on their sales partners. “Fair ways have to be found between car dealers and manufacturers,” says the auto expert. But there will be no going back to the old days. The dealers, like the entire automotive industry, are facing a massive transformation process: “The party with many auto dealers who had a license to print money for a long time is over.”