A Car for Everyone: The Opel Laubfrosch Rolls Off the Production Line 100 Years Ago

• Small, green, unconventional: The Opel 4/12 PS makes individual mobility affordable
• Revolutionary: In 1924, Opel is the first German car manufacturer to produce on an assembly line
• Electric pioneer today: Since 2019, Opel’s first fully electric small car, the best-selling Corsa, has made electric mobility accessible to everyone

Opel started producing cars 125 years ago and soon enjoyed its first successes with models such as the 4/8 PS (hp) “Doktorwagen”. From the very beginning, the manufacturer has made it its mission to provide mobility for a broad section of the population. The breakthrough comes in 1924: exactly 100 years ago, Opel introduces mass production with assembly line technology. The first car to roll off the assembly line in Germany is the Opel 4/12 PS “Laubfrosch”, which is always painted green. With this new model, Opel revolutionises the automotive industry in Germany. Thanks to its highly efficient production, prices fall and individual mobility on four wheels becomes affordable for many for the first time. Sales climb to unprecedented heights. Around 120,000 units of the Opel 4 PS are produced between May 1924 and June 1931.

Today, the Corsa plays the role of the affordable and innovative small car pioneer at Opel. Since its market launch over 40 years ago, it continually has brought top technologies to the small car segment that drivers are usually only familiar with from higher vehicle classes. As an “electric pioneer”, the Corsa is the first Opel model to kick off the brand’s major electric offensive in 2019. With huge success: the Corsa Electric becomes a bestseller and paves the way for further development. Since then, Opel has consistently electrified its entire range – and this year, the manufacturer will offer at least one battery-electric variant for each model. However, Opel laid the foundation for modern, efficient series production 100 years ago – with the introduction of the assembly line and the Opel 4/12 PS.

New customer groups: The Opel 4/12 PS Laubfrosch as a “car for everyone”

The Opel 4/12 PS breaks with convention right from the start in 1924: Instead of being large and black like most models, it is a small, robust vehicle in green – which quickly earns it the nickname “Laubfrosch” (“Tree Frog”). It has numerous innovations to offer, including a four-cylinder block engine with direct flange-mounted gearbox, removable cylinder covers, oil pump lubrication, steel multi-plate clutch, adjustable windscreen and steel disc wheels. Like the wheels, the vehicle frame is also made of pressed steel; the rest of the body is made of steel and wood. Its one-litre in-line four-cylinder engine accelerates the small car to a top speed of 60 km/h and achieves an impressive 50 km/h in third gear. The gear lever of the right-hand drive vehicle is no longer mounted on the outside, but – very modern for the time – is easily accessible in the centre of the vehicle. Initially offered as a two-seater and later as an extended three-seater, the Laubfrosch is 3.20 metres long, 1.35 metres wide and 1.65 metres high, has a folding top as weather protection and even a boot integrated behind the seat bench in the pointed rear.

The “car for everyone”, as Opel advertised at the time, costs 4,500 Rentenmark at the start of production – not much compared to other vehicles, but still as much as a private home. It becomes the “Volks”-Opel (Opel for all) because its sales price falls from year to year thanks to the continuous development of assembly line technology. In 1930, the Opel 4/20 PS is available as a simple two-seater for as little as 1,990 Reichsmark. With more than 100,000 units produced up to then, it had already established itself as an ideal and affordable car for craftsmen such as country doctors, architects and sales representatives.

Fast and efficient: Innovative assembly line technology as the key to success

The success of the first mass-produced car in Germany was not foreseeable when the Opel brothers decide in 1923 – in the middle of the inflationary period – to produce a vehicle using completely new manufacturing methods and thus revolutionise German car production. Shortly before this, Fritz von Opel had travelled to the USA to take a closer look at assembly line technology and the use of modern machine tools; he also takes further inspiration from France. The Opel brothers then invest the enormous amount of around one million gold marks to modernise the plant and switch from individual to assembly line production. The first assembly line is 45 metres long – not much, but it revolutionises production. The conveyor chains that are soon to be running through the factory are also new. With them, the days when workers had to fetch their materials by hand or with a trolley are gone. Crankcases, camshafts and cylinder blocks are now transported on conveyor belts. The heart of the factory, the assembly line, also grows steadily: by 1928, assembly line production at the Rüsselsheim plant already stretches over a length of around two kilometres.

Production on the assembly line reduces production times to a minimum. While Fritz von Opel had hoped for a daily output of 25 vehicles in the spring of 1924, by the end of the year it is already 100 cars, and just a few months later 125 units of the Laubfrosch are jumping off the production lines every day. Customers benefit twice over: Thanks to the falling production costs resulting from the increasing number of units, the favourable starting price of the Opel 4 PS continues to fall – and the manufacturer is able to meet the continuously growing demand at the same time. The model thus becomes a milestone for the German automotive industry.

Bestseller and electric pioneer: The Opel Corsa enables mobility for everyone

Today, the small car bestseller Opel Corsa is the model for all occasions and all buyer groups. It’s not for nothing that it has been Germany’s most popular small car in recent years. It impresses with its characteristic design including the Opel Vizor brand face, space for up to five people and technologies that make every journey more relaxing. In addition, it offers locally emissions-free driving pleasure in two versions: customers can choose from two battery-electric performance levels. With the new 115 kW (156 hp) drive and 51 kWh battery, up to 405 kilometres (according to WLTP¹) can be covered between charging stops (combined values according to WLTP²: energy consumption 14.6 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A). With the 100 kW (136 hp) and 50 kWh battery variants, up to 357 kilometres (WLTP¹) are possible (combined values according to WLTP²: energy consumption 16.1 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions 0 g/km; CO₂ label: A). And even when the Corsa Electric needs recharging, only a short pitstop is necessary. At a 100 kW direct current fast charging station 80 percent of the battery capacity can be recharged in around 30 minutes. And ordering the small car bestseller is now particularly worthwhile – the Corsa Electric is currently available as a special edition “Yes” in the dynamic GS look at a highly attractive price of just €29,990 (RRP including VAT in Germany).

^[1] Range values determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). The actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.

^[2] A vehicle’s values not only depend on the vehicle’s efficient use of fuel, but are also influenced by driving behaviour and other non-technical factors.