!NEW! First Quarter Opel Sales up by Around 8 Percent in Europe

• Good start to new year: Best opening quarter since 2011
• Opel breaks through the 300,000 new vehicle barrier in the first quarter
• Volume increases in 17 markets, market share up in 15 markets
• Opel Astra Sports Tourer and Opel Mokka X add further impetus

Astra-nomical: New Opel Astra was sold 37,000 times in the first quarter – an increase of around 40 percent compared to its predecessor last year.

Great start to the year for Opel: The brand sold around 303,000 vehicles across Europe in the first quarter – an increase of almost 24,000 vehicles or 8 percent compared to the same period of 2015. Opel has managed to break through the 300,000 new vehicle barrier for the first time in five years thanks to the successful ongoing product offensive. The brand with the Blitz showed a stronger development than the overall European market, which only grew by 5 percent from January to March. Opel’s market share was thus up by around 0.2 percentage points to 6 percent. The company therefore recorded it best first quarter sales figures and market share for five years.

Germany, Spain, France or Belgium are the prime examples for Opel’s ongoing upwards trend. First quarter sales were up in 17 markets, the market share grew in 15 markets. The development in Spain was particularly satisfying with Opel taking top spot on the passenger car market in Q1. Furthermore, Opel is the fastest growing brand in the top 5 in Belgium (+11 percent). Elsewhere, Opel’s market share in the Netherlands was up by almost a quarter to 7.4 percent.

The new Opel Astra is largely responsible for the Rüsselsheim-based carmakers recent success. The five-door variant of Europe’s “Car of the Year 2016” was sold 37,000 times in the first quarter – and increase of around 40 percent compared to its predecessor last year. Opel has already received around 150,000 orders for the new Opel Astra from across Europe even though the important station wagon variant, the Astra Sports Tourer, is only just being introduced to dealers across Europe.

“A good start to the year. The customers across Europe really like our young and attractive model range with the Opel Astra and the Astra Sports Tourer as the current highlights. Opel Mokka X will add further impetus later this year. We are well on track to increasing our sales considerably in 2016,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group.