Click for more information.
Opel said today in Rüsselsheim that it is changing the format of its owner’s manuals from paper to digital starting immediately. From now on, in all new Opel cars, such as the Mokka, Grandland or new Astra and their electrified variants, there will be a concise booklet instead of a volume hundreds of pages long – as legally required in Germany. The so-called Quick Guide has a QR code so customers can quickly access the digital detailed owner’s manual for their car. Printed manuals will continue to be available for purchase from an Opel dealer.
“For Opel, responsibility is not only about becoming an all-electric brand by 2028. Responsibility also means conserving all resources related to the automobile, including the owner’s manual put in every car,” said Opel Germany Sales Director Stefan Moldaner.
“We call this ‘greenovation.’ The new digital format and printed Quick Guide save paper and raw material; and it is also user-friendly in the best sense. All this makes our claim of ‘greenovation’ holistic,” Moldaner said.
The folder containing the manuals for each Opel model and the infotainment system is currently made of environmentally friendly material. Previously, that added up to around 500 pages per car. The total now amounts to about 100 pages with Quick Guide and Service booklet, an 80% saving of paper. Extrapolated to the vehicle and the corresponding production of owner’s manuals, the print requirement at Opel alone is thus reduced by hundreds of millions of pages per year.
Opel claims the accessibility and handling of the owner’s manual becomes more practical thanks to the Quick Guide and QR code. Simply scan the code and the detailed information is available online, anytime and anywhere. Everything works via computer, tablet or smartphone. Also, the link to the manual will soon be contained in the “myOpel app.” Short tutorial videos that can be played on the infotainment screen in models such as the new Opel Astra with tips (or is that legal warnings?) on how individual driver assistance systems work. “This makes fetching the manual and tedious page-turning a thing of the past – and frees up space in the glove compartment, too,” Opel said.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Dubious Milestones – Digital Guide for Opel Models
Click for more information.
Opel said today in Rüsselsheim that it is changing the format of its owner’s manuals from paper to digital starting immediately. From now on, in all new Opel cars, such as the Mokka, Grandland or new Astra and their electrified variants, there will be a concise booklet instead of a volume hundreds of pages long – as legally required in Germany. The so-called Quick Guide has a QR code so customers can quickly access the digital detailed owner’s manual for their car. Printed manuals will continue to be available for purchase from an Opel dealer.
“For Opel, responsibility is not only about becoming an all-electric brand by 2028. Responsibility also means conserving all resources related to the automobile, including the owner’s manual put in every car,” said Opel Germany Sales Director Stefan Moldaner.
“We call this ‘greenovation.’ The new digital format and printed Quick Guide save paper and raw material; and it is also user-friendly in the best sense. All this makes our claim of ‘greenovation’ holistic,” Moldaner said.
The folder containing the manuals for each Opel model and the infotainment system is currently made of environmentally friendly material. Previously, that added up to around 500 pages per car. The total now amounts to about 100 pages with Quick Guide and Service booklet, an 80% saving of paper. Extrapolated to the vehicle and the corresponding production of owner’s manuals, the print requirement at Opel alone is thus reduced by hundreds of millions of pages per year.
Opel claims the accessibility and handling of the owner’s manual becomes more practical thanks to the Quick Guide and QR code. Simply scan the code and the detailed information is available online, anytime and anywhere. Everything works via computer, tablet or smartphone. Also, the link to the manual will soon be contained in the “myOpel app.” Short tutorial videos that can be played on the infotainment screen in models such as the new Opel Astra with tips (or is that legal warnings?) on how individual driver assistance systems work. “This makes fetching the manual and tedious page-turning a thing of the past – and frees up space in the glove compartment, too,” Opel said.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.