[스크랩] 독일차들 중 유일하게 loser 브랜드가 되어 버린 오펠

2년 전 2013년 기사이긴 하지만 독일차 브랜드 중 유일하게 시장점유율이 줄고 "loser" 취급을 받는 브랜드가 GM이 소유한 Opel입니다.

1970~80년대에 대우가 오펠의 Rekord, Kadett를 들여와 한 때 한국에서 나름 잘 팔렸고 1994년 Star TV에서 번쩍거리는 오펠 광고를봤던 기억도 나는데, 2008-2009년 모회사 GM이 파산 신청을 하고 오펠을 카나다의 자동차 부품업체 Magna에 파네 마네 하다가 브랜드 이미지가 추락했습니다.

독일의 브랜딩 전공 대학교수가 "[Opel] doesn't stand for social status anymore,"라고 말했으니 전에는 그래도 브랜드 이미지가 좋았던 것 같습니다.

 

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324348504578608931345618830

As GM's Opel Shrinks, Ford Catches Lift in Europe

U.S. Auto Maker's Fortunes Diverge as European Car Market Slides 6.3% in June

By FRIEDRICH GEIGER and  MATTHEW CURTIN

Updated July 16, 2013 9:07 a.m. ET

Ford Motor Co. 's European sales are on the mend while General Motors Co. 's continue to shrink faster than the region's auto market, according to the latest new-car registration data.

Ford vehicle registrations in June rose 6.9% from a year earlier, compared with a 7.2% combined decline for GM's Adam Opel and Vauxhall brand registrations and the 6.3% contraction in Europe as a whole, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. The association collects data on new passenger-car registrations in the European Union plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

GM's Chevrolet brand, a small player in Europe, dragged down the parent's overall business, with registrations off 23% for the month.

Opel's share of the European car market is hovering around record lows, underscoring how Europe's incumbent mass-market car makers continue to struggle amid a multiyear slump in demand for new cars in the region. The market share of Opel and U.K. sister brand Vauxhall stood at 6.8% in the first half, below their 6.9% share at the end of 2012, representing a steady decline from more than 10% in the years before 2002.

The Ford turnaround is recent. Its new registrations were down 9.9% for the first half, worse than the 6.8% decline at Opel, with GM's brands still outselling Ford. Both trailed the region's market leaders, Volkswagen AG , PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Renault SA .

Overall, the European car market in the first half contracted 6.7% from a year earlier to 6.4 million cars.

Ford is benefiting from reduced inventories earlier in the year and from its exposure to the U.K., the auto maker's biggest European market, where car sales continue to buck the broader European decline. The pound's relative strength against the euro and the payouts that British consumers have received from British banks and insurers for their marketing of financial products have British demand for new cars up 13% in June and 10% for the first half.

Ford executives credit new models, including the B-Max, a small utility vehicle, and a redesigned Kuga utility vehicle for helping to boost the company's sales faster than the overall market. Ford has moved to increase production capability for the Kuga to 100,000 vehicles from 75,000 vehicles annually, said Stephen Odell, president of Ford's European operations.

Asked whether Ford can continue to buck the downdraft, Mr. Odell said: "I don't think we can defy gravity, but I feel very good about where we are in Europe in terms of new products and our inventory levels."

In contrast, demand in Opel's main market, Germany, has fallen sharply this year, with registrations down 4.7% in June and off 8.1% in the first half.

The auto maker is also struggling to revive consumer interest in its cars, which suffer from an image problem compared with rival German brands such as Audi, BMW , and Mercedes-Benz.

Opel reckons it is on a cusp of a turnaround thanks to new models which it says are gaining traction with consumers as it has beefed up its marketing efforts in Germany and other countries. Opel spent €25 million ($32.7 million) on advertising for the Adam, a new compact car, alone, topping spending for all models industrywide, according to data compiled by research firm Nielsen.Opel also is confident sales of its new Mokka small SUV will benefit from the consumer appetite for crossover vehicles.

"Opel/Vauxhall consolidates its position as third-largest car brand in Europe in the first half of 2013 and stabilized its market share. This is a clear proof for the success of our ongoing model offensive—in a very difficult market environment," said Opel spokesman Ulrich Weber, on the registration data.

Making Opel cars desirable again is crucial to GM's turnaround plan given it aims to invest $2.5 billion in new models by 2015. The auto maker ranked 18th out of 25 major brands in the latest Germany vehicle ownership satisfaction study by consultants J.D. Power.

"The brand got rather a loser image in recent years," said Andreas Baetzgen, professor for corporate communications and branding at Stuttgart Media University. The uncertainty surrounding GM's rescue by the U.S. government in aftermath of the financial crisis, GM's reversal of an original plan to sell Opel, and the closure of Bochum have contributed to the problem.

"[Opel] doesn't stand for social status anymore," Mr. Baetzgen said.

Opel has launched measures to widen the appeal of its cars.

Opel has appointed new marketing chief Tina Muller, formerly with German consumer-goods group Henkel AG . Due to start next month, Ms. Muller will be Opel's first board-level chief of marketing strategy.

Opel increased advertising spending by 1% in Germany in the first half of the year while the industry's total expenses fell. Opel has also invested in soccer, sponsoring a number of soccer clubs such as Germany's Borussia Dortmund, the Netherlands' Feyenoord Rotterdam and Turkey's Galatasaray Istanbul.

Still, the tough overall trading environment makes Opel's task that much more difficult.

"The automotive industry isn't yet out of the crisis," said Quynh-Nhu Huynh, ACEA's director of economics and statistics. "Another 6% monthly decline [in new registrations] is alarming."

Meanwhile, GM is trying to position its Chevrolet lineup in Europe as a value offering alongside Opel's more premium-priced vehicles. But GM has also said it doesn't want Chevrolet to be viewed as an entry-level brand. GM has said it wants to raise Chevrolet's profile around the world and turn it into a strong global brand. GM recently named Opel board member Thomas Sedran to run Chevrolet in Europe, replacing Susan Docherty, who is leaving the company in September.

Ford and Opel have said they are heading for heavy losses in Europe this year. Peugeot and Fiat SpA of Italy, heavily exposed to France, Italy and other Southern European markets where sales have collapsed, are also losing money in the region with factories running well below full capacity.

—Nico Schmidt and Marietta Cauchi contributed to this article.

Write to Friedrich Geiger at friedrich.geiger@wsj.com and Matthew Curtin at matthew.curtin@dowjones.com

 

1969년 대형 Diplomat

(미국차스러운 스타일)

  

1978년 대형 Senator

(그릴 떼다가 레코드에 붙여

대우 로얄 살롱으로 판매)

1984년 소형 Kadett

(대우 르망)

 

1987년 대형 Senator

  

1994년 중형 Omega

(미국 Cadillac Catera)

 

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