!NEW! Opel Increases European Sales by Four Percent in 2016

·  Highest sales in five years: Increase of around 46,000 units

·  Car of the Year 2016: Opel/Vauxhall Astra bestselling model

·   7 in 17: Further growth expected this year thanks to model offensive

Car of the Year: Opel’s success in 2016 was driven by the Opel Astra.

Opel/Vauxhall have once again significantly increased annual sales. According to provisional data, the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker sold approximately 1.16 million units in 2016. This is a year-on-year increase of some 46,000 vehicles or four percent and is the highest sales volume since 2011.

Overall Opel managed to increase sales in 18 of 22 markets including, amongst others, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland. Market share was also up in twelve markets. Opel/Vauxhall’s market share of the overall European market was almost unchanged at 5.73 percent. Significantly lower sales volumes in the United Kingdom following the Brexit vote offset the market share increase on numerous European markets.

The new Opel Astra was the main driver of the increase in sales across Europe. The European “Car of the Year 2016” was newly registered more than 285,000 times – up over 25 percent from the previous year. It therefore claimed the accolade of being Opel’s bestselling model.

“We held our own well and increased our sales in a difficult environment in 2016. We are optimistic for 2017. We will continue our growth course thanks to our product offensive with attractive new models. We will be well-placed in the growing CUV segment thanks to our new Opel Crossland X and Opel Grandland X models,” said Vice President Sales & Aftersales Peter Christian Küspert.

Opel is currently in the middle of the biggest model offensive in its history and will bring 29 new models to market from 2016 through 2020, seven of which in 2017 alone. Therefore, this year has been placed under the motto “7 in 17”.

In addition to the new generation of the Insignia flagship, which will be available as a five-door sedan (Opel Insignia Grand Sport), as a station wagon (Opel Insignia Sports Tourer) and a crossover version (Opel Insignia Country Tourer), the company will also launch two models in the fast-growing CUV segment (Crossover Utility Vehicles) – the Crossland X and the Grandland X. Furthermore, spring will see the arrival of the Opel Ampera-e electric car – a true range champion. The 2017 model offensive will be completed by an especially attractive variant of the Opel Vivaro.