At nine o’clock sharp, Nina Koleda stands in front of the entrance of the ‘Sales to Employees’ building. She is first in line. Koleda has her eye on an Opel Grandland with a 40 per cent price advantage and doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. „Better an hour early than five minutes late,“ she says with a laugh. Her father Martin Schymalla worked at Opel for four decades and told her about the offers the evening before. So father, daughter and friends of the family come to Rüsselsheim together – all with specific vehicle requests. Nina could also have viewed the offers online. „But I didn’t want to miss the supporting programme.“

A good decision. Because it quickly becomes clear that this #OneTeam Family & Friends summer party will not be an ordinary event. The online store is reaching its capacity limits at times, and the paths between vehicles, food stalls and action areas on the site are filling up. Around 4,500 visitors will be on site at the end, and many more will browse through the offers digitally. „Which, by the way, are still valid until next Saturday,“ says Corinna Schäfer, Head of Employee Sales. And visiting the Stellantis Store online is still worth it. “We regularly upload new vehicles to the system during the week.” And not only models with the Blitz emblem.

Anyone who walks through the grounds in Rüsselsheim on this day get an in-depth glance into the world of Stellantis – from Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Jeep to Alfa Romeo. And some visitors discover completely new favourites. Just like Selina and Marcello Russo. Through a friend who works for Opel, they have access to the offers of employee sales. Actually, they just want to look around. Then there is this Fiat 500. Folding roof. Compact. Sympathetic. The perfect second car. They get in, test the seats and head directly to the sales desk. Enrico Fuchs runs them through the car and the offer – and a little later, the purchase is sealed. Their faces beam. Sometimes a purchase decision takes months. Sometimes half an hour.

One person who sees this for himself is Florian Huettl. The Opel CEO and Managing Director of Stellantis Germany uses the summer party to exchange ideas with employees and visitors. On his tour, he stops again and again, asks questions and listens – even at the mobile Opel shop. Opelo is omnipresent there: on drink bottles, colouring books, on tattoo sheets and as a plush figure. „The likeable brand character is becoming a crowd pleaser,“ says Gaëlle Beuzit-Bailleul, who is responsible for the merchandise area. A few steps away, Jürgen Bos will present a 3D printed component developed by trainees that is already being used in production. For the person responsible for IT specialist training, it is an example of how closely innovation and the promotion of young talent belong together at Opel: „Permanent innovation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence – an incredible amount is happening.“

In general, there is a lot of talking on this day. About new models. About old times. About technologies. And about the question of how much excitement there is in electric mobility. Finn provides an answer to this. He sits in front of a driving simulator and steers a Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo through virtual curves at more than 200 km/h. He brakes, masters the corner and accelerates again. Next to him, Martin Göbel nods appreciatively. The employee of the concept workshop has been travelling through Europe for months with the accompanying show car. “You notice immediately when a car inspires people. With the Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo, this happens all the time,“ he says. Electromobility is no longer just reasonable – it stirs emotions.

While Eugen Siebert, Manager for E-Mobility, talks to visitors in a meeting room about electromobility in everyday life, Martin Halus is pursuing a completely different mission outside in the parking lot. On behalf of Stellantis, he is looking for vehicles. To be more precise: vehicles with faulty airbags. Two students check chassis numbers and leave clues on affected cars. Every car found counts. „We have already found a first half dozen,“ says Halus. Between the summer party and the family programme, customer safety remains key. (More information on the recall can be found here.)

Blitz, lion, double chevron or French luxury from DS: dozens of test vehicles are waiting for the visitors. The keys change hands 350 times on this day. Peter Ackermann has known the sales events for many years. In the past, his daughters came along because of the go-karts. Today because of the test drives. While Carina is testing a DS 3 together with her boyfriend, sister Sabrina is already holding up the next key. „Dad – Fiat 500?“ Ackermann has to laugh. “I can already see that there will soon be new cars on our drive.” This symbolises everything that the day is about. The children from back then have long since grown up. The vehicles have changed. Go-karts have become electric cars. The enthusiasm for mobility has remained.

As the rows slowly thin out in the afternoon, one impression in particular remains: The #OneTeam Family & Friends summer party was much more than a vehicle exhibition. Between simulators, classics, new cars and countless conversations, it was possible to experience what #OneTeam means. And sometimes it starts as early as nine o’clock in the morning – with a young mother who is the first in line because she wants to secure her Grandland.