Dubious Milestones – Digital Guide for Opel Models

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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.