Powerful Combination: German National Handball Coaches Gislason and Gaugisch Both Drive Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid

• ‘Made in Germany’: Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid Ultimate is the ideal companion for the national coaches’ day-to-day work
• Reliable partnership: Handover of the top-of-the-range SUV as a further visible expression of the partnership between Opel and German handball
• Handball Hattrick: Opel sponsor of the German women’s and men’s national teams as well as of the 2027 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in Germany and naming sponsor of the Handball Bundesliga

Combined values for Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid according to WLTP¹: weighted energy consumption 14.5 kWh electricity/100 km plus 2.6 l petrol/100 km; CO₂ emissions 59 g/km; CO₂ class B. With discharged battery: fuel consumption 6.3 l/100 km; CO₂ class E.

As they focus on their next sporting challenges, the German national handball coaches will be travelling in electrified Opel vehicles from now on: Markus Gaugisch, head coach of the German women’s national team, and Alfred Gislason, head coach of the German men’s national team, both now drive Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrids. They have just taken delivery of their new cars in the top-of-the-range ‘Ultimate’ trim.

“The national team coaches are constantly on the road – travelling to matches, training camps, appointments and preparing for major tournaments. To do so, they need a vehicle that combines comfort, flexibility and efficient long-distance capability. The Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid provides them with an excellent option for their demanding daily travel routine. The fact that Alfred Gislason and Markus Gaugisch are now driving Opel’s top-of-the-range SUV makes our partnership visible on the road too,” said Patrick Dinger, Head of Opel Germany.

“I drive tens of thousands of kilometres a year to all sorts of appointments across Germany. I need to be able to rely on my car at all times. That’s why the Grandland Plug-in Hybrid is the ideal companion for me, whether on long journeys or driving purely electric in the city. Sporty, precise, right to the point – that’s exactly what we embody in professional handball,” said Alfred Gislason.

And Markus Gaugisch added: “The partnership with Opel is a perfect fit because we share the same values: achieving our goals through team spirit and top performance is what unites us. The Opel Grandland embodies this ethos. For me, it’s the perfect car, allowing me to travel comfortably, relaxed and safe, and one that I can use in a variety of ways.”

Grandland Plug-in Hybrid: Highly comfortable and efficient SUV for long distances

The Grandland is Opel’s top-of-the-range SUV and – just like handball – it is ‘made in Germany’. To ensure they can travel to their appointments comfortably and relaxed at all times, the national team coaches drive the Grandland in the Ultimate trim.

In addition to the already comprehensive standard equipment, the top-of-the-range trim of the Grandland produced in Eisenach offers features such as the award-winning adaptive Intelli-Lux HD light, which turns night into day with over 50,000 elements, as well as the 360-degree Intelli-Vision camera and the enhanced Intelli-Drive 2.0 driver assistance system. The coaches sit comfortably and in a back-friendly position on the Intelli-Seats, which are certified by ‘Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.’ (Campaign for Healthy Backs); and thanks to the Intelli-HUD head-up display and the multimedia navigation system, they can keep an eye on all the important information while driving. In addition to the dual-zone automatic climate control, the Intelli-Air ‘Clean Cabin’ system ensures the best possible interior climate in the Grandland Ultimate at all times.

As a plug-in hybrid, the Opel Grandland is also the ideal partner for varying requirements and uses. It offers an all-electric range of up to 82 kilometres (according to WLTP²), enabling locally emissions-free journeys to sports halls in urban areas. When combined with its efficient internal combustion engine it becomes a real long-distance champion which – as independently tested by magazines such as Auto Bild – can cover over 1,000 kilometres without stopping to refuel or recharge, depending on driving style and external conditions. The SUV delivers a system output of 165 kW (225 hp) and 350 Newton metres of maximum torque – ensuring instant responsiveness and driving pleasure. It is precisely this flexibility that makes the Grandland Plug-in Hybrid the ideal companion for the national handball coaches.

Opel’s sporty and elegant Grandland flagship SUV is thus a further visible expression of the comprehensive partnership between Opel and German professional handball. Opel is a strategic partner of the German women’s and men’s national teams, is an official sponsor of the 2027 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in Germany and acts also as title sponsor of the German Handball Bundesliga, which, since the start of the season, has been thrilling millions of fans as the ‘Opel Handball Bundesliga’.

^[1] 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.

^[2] Range 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.