Off over to Opel’s tech centre at Dudenhofen (in the forest south east of Frankfurt) to see and try some of the new engines and gearboxes in the works.

I’m not too familiar with the current range – there was nothing much to gripe about with the petrol engines in the Astra GTCs I drove maybe a year ago – but colleagues on the jaunt said the notchy gearboxes and ancient diesels sure needed work.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Certainly, the new manual gearboxes felt good to use, precise lever action, minimal lever and clutch pedal vibration though I had a bit of trouble getting one into the 5-6 plane. But then I prefer, and drive, automatic.

Speaking of which, we also got to drive the latest eight-speed automatic – from Aisin, not ZF, and five-speed automated manual, learn about Opel’s future transmission strategy, and I got a first look at, and go in, the Adam city car, prompting a trip down memory lane due to its colours.

Still with Opel, it looks like the Bochum plant will close earlier than originally planned after unions rejected proposals that would have kept the gates unchained until around 2016. More here and here.

There was more transmission news from GM on the other side of the Atlantic – for the third time in a decade, it is to work with arch rival Ford on new automatics – nine and 10-speed. It’s clear the method – do the expensive work together to develop common parts and then build your own transmissions in your own plants – has worked well for both automakers.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

We also had some new analysis on in-car connectivity you might find worth a look.

Have a nice weekend.

Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com