Handball coaches Gislason and Gaugisch take delivery of Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrids
Opel has handed its Grandland Plug-in Hybrid Ultimate to Germany's national handball coaches, Alfred Gislason and Markus Gaugisch, as the latest showcase of its handball sponsorship.
- up to 82 km
- 165 kW (225 hp)
- 350 Nm
- over 1,000 km
What Happened
Markus Gaugisch, head coach of Germany's women's national handball team, and Alfred Gislason, head coach of the men's national team, have each taken delivery of an Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid in the top-of-the-range Ultimate trim. The handover is described by Opel as a further visible expression of its partnership with German handball. The coaches will use the electrified SUVs to travel to matches, training camps, appointments and major tournaments. The Grandland is Opel's top-of-the-range SUV and, like handball, is 'made in Germany', produced in Eisenach.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
up to 82km
WLTP figure for the Opel Grandland Plug-in Hybrid, enough for locally emissions-free journeys to sports halls in urban areas
- Adaptive, award-winning Intelli-Lux HD light with over 50,000 elements
- 360-degree Intelli-Vision camera
- Enhanced Intelli-Drive 2.0 driver assistance system
- Intelli-Seats certified by 'Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.' (Campaign for Healthy Backs)
- Intelli-HUD head-up display and multimedia navigation system
- Dual-zone automatic climate control and Intelli-Air 'Clean Cabin' system
The Grandland Plug-in Hybrid pairs an efficient internal combustion engine with a system output of 165 kW (225 hp) and 350 Newton metres of maximum torque, giving instant responsiveness. Opel says it becomes a long-distance champion able to cover over 1,000 kilometres without stopping to refuel or recharge, as independently tested by magazines such as Auto Bild, depending on driving style and external conditions. WLTP combined values are 14.5 kWh of electricity per 100 km plus 2.6 litres of petrol per 100 km, with CO2 emissions of 59 g/km (CO2 class B); with a discharged battery, fuel consumption is 6.3 l/100 km (CO2 class E). Opel's handball involvement covers the German women's and men's national teams, the 2027 IHF Men's Handball World Championship in Germany, and the title sponsorship of the German Handball Bundesliga, known since the start of the season as the 'Opel Handball Bundesliga'.
Why this matters
The handover turns Opel's handball sponsorship into an everyday, visible advertisement, with both national coaches driving the brand's flagship SUV to matches, camps and appointments across Germany. It also highlights the Grandland Plug-in Hybrid's core pitch: up to 82 km of electric range for city trips and more than 1,000 km between refuelling or charging stops.
Terms in This Story
- WLTP
- Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, the standardised test used in Europe to measure fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric range.
- Plug-in hybrid
- A car with both a combustion engine and a battery that can be recharged from a socket, allowing short trips on electric power alone.
- Head-up display
- A system that projects driving information such as speed onto the windscreen so the driver can read it without looking down.
- Naming sponsor
- A sponsor that buys the right to put its brand into the name of a league or event.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.