"Tree Frog"

The new Tree Frog




1925 - Worldwide Premieres

OPEL 4 / 12 CV
OPEL 4/12 bhp - "Tree Frog"
Exhibited at the Show of 1925, the Opel 4/12 bhp "Laubfrosch" (German for tree frog) was first produced in 1924. Its 4-cylinder pressure-lubricated engine could reach speeds of 45 mph. It had an electric starter and a 3-speed gearbox with reverse gear. Opel launched it on to the market at a price of DM 3000.
The age of automobile production began at Opel in 1899 with the legendary "Lutzmann patent motor car". During the subsequent period, the car manufacturer enhanced its popularity with a number of new attractive models and its exciting involvement in motor sports.

Historic Entrance of the Ruesselsheim Plant
When it launched the "Doktorwagen" 4/8 hp in 1909, Opel took the first step towards providing an affordable car for broader sections of the population. In 1913, Opel began building Grand Prix racing cars with pioneering engine technology: the 4-liter, four-cylinder units used the four-valve system with an overhead cam to drive a vertical drive shaft.

Pioneer in German Assembly-Line Production
In 1924 in Rüsselsheim, Opel became the first car manufacturer in Germany to install an assembly line. At the same time, the company updated its entire machinery and imported the very latest tooling machines from the USA. It all involved an enormous capital expenditure of one million gold marks. The first car to come off the production line was another history-maker: a new 4/12 hp model that was popularly called the "Laubfrosch" (or Tree-frog) because of its characteristic green paintwork. By 1926, all the production areas were linked to the production line and by 1927, a "Tree-frog" was coming off the line every 4.5 minutes.
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A Malaysian Car in Geneva

Malaysia produces cars, does she? Yes but there is a wishy washy-ness attitude in their effort. They should go all out and push onward with a never say die gallop.

Italdesign Giugiaro together with Malaysian manufacturer Proton introduced Emas, a family of low environmental impact cars that is supposed to revolutionise traditional segmentation in the car market.

“We have created a family of models in different configurations but all offering the passenger room of a medium-category car while maintaining the exterior dimensions of a compact mini. The architecture has been designed in such a way as to allow us to outfit an infinite number of variants without compromising the car's great comfort and extensive interior space” explained Giorgetto Giugiaro, Chairman of Italdesign Giugiaro.

Italdesign Giugiaro is exhibiting three configurations of the compact car family produced with PROTON at the Geneva Auto Show:
Emas Comfort: hatchback saloon, five doors, four seats, length of 3550 mm, hybrid drivetrain in Comfort
Emas Country: hatchback saloon, three doors, five seats, length of 3550 mm, hybrid drivetrain in a Country
Emas3 City: hatchback saloon, three doors, 3+1 Plus seats, 3 metres in length in City outfit with plug-in electric drive

“Developing a car based on a hybrid system allows the designer to maximise all the opportunities and advantages offered by the combination of engines, motors (internal combustion and electric) and batteries in terms of box and bulk arrangement” continued Giugiaro.

The cars are powered by a hybrid plug-in developed by Lotus Engineering, a Proton Group company, and includes a 1.2 liter engine that develops 38 kW (51 hp) and can run on petrol, ethanol or methanol. This engine is coupled to a generator and is meant to recharge the 11.5 kWh capacity lithium ion batteries.