Opel uses a lightning bolt inside a circle as its emblem. The symbol is known as the Opel Blitz, with “Blitz” meaning “lightning” in German.
Opel introduced the Blitz emblem in 1963. Earlier Opel badges had used other forms, including a zeppelin motif, reflecting the company’s changing identity and product history. The lightning bolt provided a sharper, simpler symbol that worked well on vehicle grilles and advertising.
The emblem is sometimes confused with a generic electric-car symbol because of its lightning shape. However, Opel adopted the mark decades before modern electric vehicles became common. Opel was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 as a sewing-machine company and later expanded into bicycles and automobiles. It became part of General Motors in 1929 and was acquired by Groupe PSA in 2017.