ALTERNATIVE energy
We talk with Noah Robertson, Opel commercial manager, about the ‘Live Elektrisch’ brand in NZ
Given the youthful ads and actors in Opel marketing, has the age of a typical buyer been to your expectation?
To launch Opel, we wanted to convey a ‘New German Energy’ in advertising. This is a conceptual decision, because Opel-the-brand has a fresh, vibrant and energised point of view.
Opel represents a detox and a fresh perspective — however, this is the brand positioning. It’s a statement, not necessarily a portrayal of precisely how the buying audience may look. There is normally a difference in advertising and audience, as you may see in many high-fashion brands, and Opel is no different; we expected our average buying age to be 55, though we have seen some younger buyers, which is great.
There are more than 50 brands in NZ, so why consider Opel?
Opel is the only German brand in NZ that has a completely electrified or low emission range and is mid-market priced. We offer state-of-the-art technology and engineering from the Stellantis global lead R&D centre in Russelsheim, Germany, in combination with exciting futureproof design at prices many can afford.
What has been your most popular model? Is there life left in efficient ICE cars such as Corsa?
Our most popular model has been the Mokka-e, where it’s outsold plenty of established EV offerings in its short run since landing in November last year. Our Corsa is offered in fully electric form but even in ICE with the PureTech engine it’s more efficient than many hybrids, with a 5.2l/100km rating.
We believe these PureTech engines, which still offer sizeable Clean Car Discount rebates, offer our customers a lower price point and hence even more accessibility than our EVs, while still offering very low fuel bills and low emissions.
What have been the hardest things facing Opel’s launch in NZ?
We announced “Opel is coming” back in March 2022 but due to the challenges many were facing with global supply chains and chip shortages, there were several delays and our first boat of 100 Opels ended up arriving in very late October. The challenge was keeping more than 5000 handraisers warm during that time and our nine dealerships content while they waited.
You introduced some UK/ European-style ‘i-Own’ finance schemes around Opel. Are NZers picking these up, or still focusing on car ownership?
The UK has around 80 per cent finance penetration with similar finance types to iOwn, however, in NZ it is much less. We’re still figuring out how to best communicate the many benefits of iOwn as we understand it is a complex product but there is a lot of value in its complexity.
For example, iOwn has no deposit so your trade-in could be used to fund a Wallbox instead. Additionally, iOwn uses the government Clean Car Discount as a repayment so your weeklies are even lower, in fact often lower than customers’ existing petrol or diesel bills.
Lastly, the guaranteed future value component at the end of the term provides options to trade up to a new model, give the car back, or make the last payment and keep the car. This is great for EVs as they are fast-changing products, so having that end-of-term flexibility can provide a lot of peace of mind. iOwn’s simplest benefit though is accessibility; it’s the easiest method of acquiring an EV.
Your initial range has been focused on smaller cars like Corsa and Mokka. How much will it expand?
The all-new Astra and Grandland are arriving at the end of this month, expanding our range and the size of vehicles we offer. The Astra is one of the most awarded new vehicles right now, having won seven Car of The Year awards already. The Grandland is a medium SUV, the biggest segment in NZ, and is packed with so much technology; it’s an exceptional SUV.
WE BELIEVE THESE PURETECH ENGINES, WHICH STILL OFFER SIZEABLE CLEAN CAR DISCOUNT REBATES, OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS A LOWER PRICE POINT AND HENCE EVEN MORE ACCESSIBILITY THAN OUR EVS, WHILE STILL OFFERING VERY LOW FUEL BILLS AND LOW EMISSIONS.
How much are you promoting ‘mobility’ as part of owning an Opel vehicle (i.e. urban transport that doesn’t involve your car)?
That’s a really interesting question as we definitely see an Opel being just one mode of transport for customers. In fact, one of our original TVC concepts was going to show an owner’s morning routine, leaving their urban warehouse-conversion apartment and jumping into a bright green Mokka-e on the street — only to press a button which at first looks like the starter, but is actually the boot release. It ends with them picking an electric skateboard out of the boot and riding off to work. This concept coined our brand tagline “Live Elektrisch” — which means to live with energy, be that attitudinally, or figuratively with your low- emission car, EV or on your electric skateboard/bike.