Innovative Approach from Opel with Women's Perspective Panels
Opel announced that it has integrated the female perspective into the development process of its new vehicles through its ‘Women’s Perspective Panels’ (WPP). These panels allow female employees to actively contribute to important issues such as the ergonomics of the vehicles, the driving experience and storage spaces.
As part of the activities held in the company’s workshops, women have the opportunity to be personally involved in the process by participating in stages such as benchmarking and target group analyses, test drives and design evaluations. In this way, it is possible to develop more functional vehicles that better respond to user needs.
New Opel Grand Land
In the new Opel Grandland model, the impact of the Women’s Perspective Panels was felt right from the start of the SUV’s launch. Female employees had the opportunity to test drive various competitor models, providing valuable feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. They also made a significant contribution to the development of the new Grandland and the identification of potential improvements.
Panel members gathered additional feedback on aesthetics and functionality for the upcoming design phases of Grandland. Workshop results were directly integrated into the future development process, resulting in a KPP report called a Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
In order to evaluate the progress achieved during the development process, KPP members had the opportunity to use the prototypes multiple times and provided extensive feedback along the way.
Women's Perspective Panels
Nina Thiele, President of Women at Stellantis Germany, whose views were included in the statement, emphasized that the 'Women's Perspective Panels' shape new Opel models based on women's personal experiences. Stating that women actively participate in the process with comparative analyses, test drives and design evaluations, Thiele made the following statements:
- “Thanks to what we have achieved, we have brought many elements to the new Grandland that are important not only for women but for all drivers.”
- “These include a pleasant feeling of space on all seats, as well as a good steering position, high-quality interior and an excellent driving experience.”
- “Effective rear ventilation, including optional seat heating, contributes to a feel-good atmosphere in the Grandland.”
