Dawning of an exciting new Opel era

RÜSSELSHEIM, GERMANY – December 17, 2009: First the Insignia, then the new Astra, and now the Ampera: the new Opel models and prototypes are making a habit of collecting awards, amassing 40 international honors in the last 12 months.

The latest honoree is the Ople Antera. An extended-range electric vehicle due to be launched at the end of 2011. The Ampera just won the “Innovation Trophy” from the French trade publication L’Automobile Magazine, distinguishing the emission-free vehicle’s revolutionary and environmentally friendly propulsion concept. Perfectly suitable for everyday use, the Ampera can cover up to 60 kilometers electrically powered by its lithium-ion battery. On longer journeys it is also run by the electric motor, which is fed electricity by a small combustion engine, extending the Ampera’s operating range to 500 kilometers.

“This Ampera award is the latest example of how much innovation power the Opel brand has at its command. And with that, our electric vehicle can seamlessly join the ranks of our award-winners Astra and Insignia,” says Alain Visser, Vice President Sales, Marketing & Aftersales Opel/Vauxhall. “These three models embody Opel’s leap into a new era, where state-of-the-art technologies are introduced on a broad scale while remaining affordable for car buyers.”

2009 – Year of honors for Opel Insignia and new Astra The latest Opel models, the new Astra and Insignia, also got rave reviews from both automotive experts and customers. Even before its market launch, the new Astra easily won the renowned Golden Steering Wheel award from a European audience. It won 20 of the 32 assessment criteria categories, including the areas of engine, consumption, chassis, brakes, steering and safety-relevant driver assistance systems. The Opel Astra offers the mechatronic safety chassis FlexRide, and for the first time introduces innovative technologies like the adaptive bi-xenon safety lighting system AFL+ and front camera with lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition into the compact class. Opel was awarded the Seal of quality for Innovations for the Opel Eye front camera by the Plus X Award, Europe’s largest contest for technology, sports and lifestyle products.

So it comes as no surprise that the new Astra has already won an array of honors including the coveted Auto Trophy reader award from the Auto Zeitung and the TOPauto 2010 title from Motor-Informations-Dienst in Germany. It also achieved a superb third place in the Car of the Year 2010 vote, catapulting it to the best new car in the compact class, just one year after the Insignia swept to victory in this top European vehicle competition.

Nearly 358,000 ADACmotorwelt readers participated in the Gold Angel 2009 vote and picked the Insignia as best sedan out of a pool of 37 national and international competitors. Most sensible car, Best Company Car of the Year, Family Car of the Year and many other awards throughout Europe underline the fact that all versions of the Insignia score high for both private and business purposes.

The sportiest variant, the 239 kW/325 hp Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer, was recently named Sports Car of the Year 2009 in the station wagon category by Auto Bild readers.

Opel’s new design language that was introduced with the Insignia and is carried on in the Astra also continues to get one accolade after another: the Insignia has been awarded DESIGNBEST 2009, red dot design award and Auto Bild Design Award. This success is reflected in the fact that more than 166,000 Insignia have been sold to date, it has exceeded all expectations. And shortly after its market launch in Germany, orders for the Astra have already topped 50,000.

Opel model initiative 2010 Opel will continue to rejuvenate its product portfolio in 2010. It will start with a completely revamped engine range on the Corsa, along with an optimized chassis and further developed steering. The Opel Meriva, which will celebrate its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, sets new standards with an innovative door system and a flexible interior storage concept. And there’s more to come, with exciting new Opel models on the starting blocks for their debut next year.