Opel is one of the oldest German automotive brands, with roots going back as far as 1862 by Adam Opel. The first car was produced way back in 1899.

Opel was for a long time owned by General Motors; from 1929, until it was taken over by French Peugoet and Citroen maker, Groupe PSA in 2017.

Opel is also sold as Vauxhall in the UK, Holden in Australia, and other brands elsewhere. The Opel brand has worldwide presence, including South Africa, where various Opel models were assembled by Delta Motor Corporation. They were initially marketed under the Chevrolet brand, before the Opel brand in 1982.

Among the brands marketed in Zimbabwe over the years were Kadett, Astra, and Corsa. In the grey market some of the models are Zafira and Vectra,

As a brand, Opel produced European Car of the Year winners, among them Opel Kadett, Opel Astra.