A break in the assembly line: prizegiving in Rüsselsheim

Night-shift workers, with their tee-shirts emblazoned with the Car of the Year logo, stopped for a while their activity in the assembly line of Opel Insignia in Rüsselsheim complex to be protagonists of a prizegiving ceremony of unprecedented ambience. Opel/GM Europe executives and CotY Jury members were of course all there, surrounded by units of the award-winning model in different phases of completion in this emblematic factory where Opel car brand was born one century ago. Business as usual but with an original and emotive touch, thanks to the good cooperation of GM and ‘Autocar’, the oganizing publication for 2009 edition of CotY award. The event went appropriately on in an old dispatching facility of Rüsselsheim where classic Opel of different ages, well cared for, flourish now.

Earlier in the day, the General Assembly of the Jury elected a new president, Swede’s Hakan Matson. Ray Hutton, greeted by all members for his dedication and excellent work for Car of the Year, stepped aside after 30 years in the Jury, 12 as an unforgettable President.

Statement by Steve Cropley, Executive Vice president of Car of the Year Jury

Dear Insignia team members,
On behalf of all my colleagues in the Car of the Year organisation, I want to congratulate you very warmly on your key role in helping the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia win our 2009 award, the wold’s most pretigious new car accolade. The standard set by this year’s contenders was higher than ever, and the decision was one the most difficult I can remember –which is why the Insignia’s well-deserved victory was so very close.

My colleagues on the CotY jury are especially pleased to know that our award will be put to such good use in 2009. Everyone knows that current car market conditions are extremely tough, but that a Car of the Year award can help make an important difference to a car’s sales prospects. We very much hope that buyers will continue to recognise the Insignia’s market-leading strengths, as we did, and give your car good market reception it richly deserves.

Finally, let me congratulate you further on the fine quality standards you have been achieving right across the GM Europe range. My colleagues and I know a little of the new products some of you are already working on, and we look forward to assessing them for Car of the Year in due course. Perhaps you can win gain soon! In the meantime, congratulations again, and keep up the good work.

Speech by Ray Hutton, President of Car of the Year Jury

This is the first time in the 46-year history of Car of the Year that the trophy has been presented where the winning car is made, in the company of the people who make it. It is particularly appropriate that the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia should be honoured here in Russelsheim.

The Car of the Year is an international award, elected by a jury of 59 men and women representing 23 European countries. And this is an international place: I understand that 48 countries are represented in the Opel workforce.

Ray Hutton (left) gives way to Hakan Matson as new President of the Jury.

What you have done here is produce a car that took on the world’s best - and won. The Car of the Year jury considers cars of all types, sizes and prices. This year, there was a list of 37 eligible cars, launched in the last 12 months.

Over the years the winners have most often been small, economical cars from the main part of the market. For a bigger and more expensive model to succeed it needs to be something exceptional. When casting their votes, jury members remarked on the big step forward that Insignia represents for Opel – a leap in design, in quality, and innovation.

We all know that this is a difficult time for the motor industry. Sales are down in most of the world’s markets and your parent company in the United States has had to face unparalleled economic difficulties.

Of course, things will improve and car sales will pick up again. I don’t know when that will be, or whether we have yet reached the bottom of the downward curve. But when the good times roll again, those companies with the best products will be the first to benefit.

At the Detroit Motor Show just two weeks ago, General Motors chairman Rick Wagoner was proud to announce to an American audience that the Insignia, designed and developed in Europe, is the Car of the Year.

This afternoon here in Russelsheim I am proud to present the Car of the Year trophy to Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, and Hans Demant, managing director of Adam Opel AG.

Normally at this point we applaud the company’s bosses but this time we are able to congratulate all of you, the men and women who made the Insignia Car of the Year 2009.

Statement by Carl-Peter Foster, President of GM Europe

Dear Opel Insignia Team, dear Employees,
No one knows better than you how much effort, commitment and passion went into the new Opel/Vauxhall Insignia. It’s nice when this is recognized within the company -and I hope that our managers and executives were able to clearly communicate this to you. This accomplishment really becomes a huge success when it is publicly acknowledged. The ‘Car of the Year’ European award is the highest honor that a new vehicle model can be granted. The jury composed of 59 of the most important motor journalists in Europe confirmed that our Insignia is the best new car in the market.

Today the international jury will join us as we are awarded this important prize in our plant in Rüsselsheim. All of you Insignia team members have played an important role in this success: technical engineering, design, production, communication and all other areas that contributed to this winning product. And the outstanding work of the Insignia project has paid off: in an intensely competitive market, we have pulled out just ahead of the pack. This of course means that even a little less effort on our part would kave led to a very different result.

Enjoy the success that we have achieved with the Insignia, and let’s tackle the next project with the same dedication –because there’s a ‘Car of the Year’ award in 2010 too. We can and we want to achieve this success again. Once again, thank you and good luck!