Overview
- Stellantis said it will shrink Opel’s Rüsselsheim development center by about one third, cutting 650 of 1,650 engineering roles and leaving roughly 1,000 positions.
- The company will convert the site into a Tech Center tied to its global Product Development & Technology network, focusing on driver-assist systems, virtual development, AI tools, battery development and safety, and software modules for the STLA Brain platform.
- The Opel works council said it was notified shortly before staff and media, rejects the one-sided reduction, and demands a fairer split of engineering work across Stellantis, with implementation still subject to the required consultation process.
- Separately, Reuters reported, citing sources, that Stellantis and Chinese partner Leapmotor plan to develop an Opel electric SUV in China with Leapmotor supplying key technology, with production targeted in Zaragoza, Spain, from 2028.
- Rüsselsheim has been in steady decline since PSA’s 2017 takeover, falling from about 7,000 engineers after major cuts in 2019 and later rounds, and union leaders point to new engineering hires in France and Italy as evidence of an uneven burden on the German site.