At Last: “Hessentag” 2017 Begins in Rüsselsheim and at Opel

• Up to 30,000 visitors: “Hessentag” train gives rides through Opel plant
• Maiden-trip: Minister of State Wintermeyer and Opel CEO Dr. Neumann on board
• Future vision: Mobility conference with Prime Minister Bouffier on June 13

Rüsselsheim.  The big day has arrived! “Hessentag” – the oldest and biggest state festival in Germany – opened today in Rüsselsheim and at Opel. The Minister of State of Hesse, Axel Wintermeyer and Opel CEO, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann opened the festival by taking part in the maiden trip of the “Hessentag” train. During the next ten days, the train will transport up to 30,000 visitors around the Opel plant premises.

“The whole region has been working for a long time on the ‘Hessentag’ – and so have we here at Opel. Now we are looking forward to lots of great events and interested visitors, who should enjoy getting to know as much as possible about Opel” said Dr. Neumann. “Opel is an important part of Rüsselsheim. The ‘Hessentag’ is a fantastic opportunity for us to present Opel as a forward-looking and innovative carmaker with a long tradition, which is deeply rooted in the region.”

The Minister of State of Hesse, Axel Wintermeyer is also glad that the festival is now getting underway. “At long last the wait is over! We are really looking forward to the ‘Hessentag’, which would not have been possible without Opel. With the areas that Opel is providing for concerts and the state exhibition, the ‘Hessentag’ is this year presenting itself in an especially urban and industrial atmosphere.”

Opel is supporting the city of Rüsselsheim in many ways with the “Hessentag”. The company is making available a total of about 200,000 meters² of buildings and surfaces, in order to accommodate the more than 1,500 planned events. For example, the big “Hessentag” Arena, with space for up to 32,000 visitors, has been erected on the company carpark at Adam Opel Haus. Rüsselsheim is expecting more than one million visitors during the ten-day event.

One of the Opel highlights is the “Hessentag” train, which visitors can ride free of charge on every day of the event. The tours offer information and insights into production at a modern automobile plant. The highlight is a visit to the Opel Classic workshop where numerous gems from more than 150 years of company and automotive history can be admired.

The Mainzer Strasse and the K48 Opel buildings will be another focal point of the “Hessentag”. In this 1,300-m² area with its unique and traditional industrial atmosphere, Opel will present itself as an innovative automobile manufacturer. In addition to connectivity and design, part of the brand world in K48 is about the current model range featuring the new Insignia flagship and the Ampera-e electric range champion. The GT Concept and the Monza Concept, two design studies which attracted a lot of attention in the last few years, can also be seen here. A playground for children, an Opel café and music DJs will provide additional entertainment in K48.

A varied program with well-known artists will take place in the “K48 Music Hall”. A special event in K48 will be the “OPELxWIRED future.mobility” conference, which Opel and the innovation magazine WIRED are staging together on June 13. Current and future industrial developments will come under the microscope at the one-day conference. Important automotive trends such as connected cars, electric mobility and automated driving will be at the top of the agenda. The speakers include Dr. Karl- Thomas Neumann, Opel’s Chief Marketing Officer, Tina Müller, Opel brand ambassador, Jürgen Klopp, the Prime Minster of Hesse, Volker Bouffier and Hessian Minister of Economy and Transport, Tarek Al-Wazir.

The Opel showroom at the “Hessentag” will be the M118 building on Mainzer Strasse, where the company will display its current model range. Numerous advisors with attractive offers will be there for potential customers. One of the highlights is sure to be the new Insignia flagship, developed and produced in Rüsselsheim. Another star will be the Ampera-e electric car with its pioneering range of 520 kilometers (New European Driving Cycle). The MyOpel web portal, the Opel Bank and the Opel Customer Information Center will also present themselves at M118.

Opel Motorsport will greet “Hessentag” visitors at Tor 55, where the brand’s current motorsport line will be on display – the Astra TCR, ADAM Rallye Cup and the ADAM R2 from the Junior European Rally Championship. In addition to information about Driver Training from Opel and the OPC performance brand there will also be a race-car simulator and – on June 15-18 – the opportunity for a lap of the handling course in the Opel Race Taxi.

There will also be displays of the latest driver assistance systems at M55. Visitors can experience as co-drivers simulated emergency braking maneuvers for preceding vehicles and pedestrians in the newest Opel models.

Visitors interested in a career at Opel will find information and numerous helpful advisors at the M100 Training Center.

Contact

Michael Göntgens
Group Manager Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 6142/7-72 279
Mobile: +49 160 48 28 317
michael.goentgens@opel.com

Nico Schmidt
Assistant Manager Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 6142/7-78 325
Mobile: +49 151 21 54 53 87
nico.schmidt@opel.com