In Rüsselsheim, those responsible at Opel tend to look in the rear-view mirror when it comes to the future. Such was the case with the new Kompass and Vizor styling, which borrows from the front end of the first Manta, and now honors the GSe abbreviation, once introduced for the Commodore sports sedan and Monza coupe. While the “E” stood for injection on the Monza and Commodore, the current letter sequence means “Grand Sport electric” and is now rolling back into the model range.
The new, old abbreviation does not only appear as an equipment variant, but should rather expand the range as a sub-brand according to the will of Opel marketing. “Within our model series, the GS occupies the sporty position, while only the GSe models offer the top-of-the-line hybrid engines – and special equipment such as the sporty chassis, the frequency-selective shock absorbers or the Alcantara -Performance seats”, says Opel’s Product Marketing Manager Peter Seitz, explaining the positioning of the latest offshoot of the model family. And: “We have bundled so many exclusive technical details that it makes sense to start our own sub-brand to clearly emphasize our unique position”.
In retail, however, the new brand will present itself in a more subtle way. According to Seitz, there are no plans to make an independent appearance at dealerships. “There will be no delimited GSe area at the dealership. We are concentrating on the digital world and will set up our own pages with a specially developed configurator for the GSe vehicles.”
At the same time, with the GSe, Opel is driving a new strengthening of the brand. “We want to merge the topics of sportiness and environmental awareness into one unit, and it is logical that we emphasize these properties in our own brand,” describes Seitz the philosophy behind GSe. “If we were to offer just one engine variant, the topic would be watered down.” In the future, GSe will stand for the sustainable and emotional element in Opel’s range and, according to Seitz, should show that “electricity doesn’t have to be boring and electromobility and driving fun not mutually exclusive”. For Opel, GSe also stands for the sporty orientation of the brand. “Within the model series, the GSe will always be the top model, with equipment details that do not exist in the other variants,” emphasizes the head of product marketing.
The GSe range currently consists of the plug-in hybrid models Astra (five-door) and Astra Sports Tourer as well as the Grandland. In the coming years, however, the GSe department will be further expanded. “We still have a few things up our sleeve,” says peter Seitz, looking meaningfully into the future. Among other things, there might be a GSe offshoot for the fully electric Insignia successor, even if this is not confirmed today by those responsible at Opel. Even following 2028, when Opel will only launch fully electric models in Europe, GSe models can be expected.
The three current models show the wide range of customers that Opel wants to address with the GSe. “With our range of Astra and Grandland, we cover a large part of our clientele who want to combine sporty driving with sustainability,” explains Seitz. (Walther Wuttke/cen)
