Best-Looking Small Car: New Opel Corsa Wins “autonis”

• “Best New Design 2023”: Small car bestseller Corsa clearly ahead of rivals
• Trophy lift: Opel head of communications, Harald Hamprecht, accepts award
• Exciting design: New Opel Corsa with Opel Vizor front and fully digital cockpit
• Independent jury: More than 14,500 readers of auto motor und sport cast their votes

Opel Corsa is not only best-selling small car of 2021 and 2022 in Germany and the United Kingdom. With its new appearance, including the characteristic Opel Vizor brand fascia and fully digital cockpit, it is now officially best-looking in its market segment. This has been confirmed by more than 14,500 readers of auto motor und sport, German car magazine, who voted new Opel Corsa the “Best New Design of 2023”. An overwhelming majority of 53.7 per cent of the votes in Small Car category went to bestseller from brand with Blitz. Autonis design award therefore goes to Opel for second time in succession. Last year, Opel Rocks Electric won prize in Mini Cars category with a similarly convincing result.

“New Opel Corsa is bold and pure inside and out; it combines practicality with driving pleasure and arouses emotions. Also, it already drives purely electrically and gives our electrification offensive major impetus. At Opel we are very pleased about clear vote,” said Opel Vice President of Communications, Harald Hamprecht, who accepted award during awards ceremony in Stuttgart.

Bold, pure, full of emotions: New Opel Corsa excites with performance and design

New Opel Corsa recently celebrated its world premiere at IAA Mobility in Munich and thrilled public there. As Opel Corsa Electric, it comes in two performance levels: with 100 kW/136 hp and a range of up to 354 kilometres and now with 115 kW/156 hp and up to 402 kilometres of locally emissions-free driving fun (according to WLTP 1).

Designers have made small car bestseller look even sharper and more modern. Most striking feature in front view is unmistakable Opel Vizor, characteristic brand fascia of all new Opel models. Black Vizor stretches across Opel Corsa front and seamlessly integrates grille, full LED headlights at sides and Opel Blitz logo in centre in one visual element. In side view, “cut” C-pillar appears to make roof literally float over vehicle. And at rear, Corsa's name now appears confidently in centre of tailgate. Opel Corsa also creates a modern, feel-good atmosphere in interior. Highlight here – both visually and technically – is optional fully digital cockpit with new infotainment.

New Opel Corsa’s combination of state-of-art technologies and pure, uncompromising design also convinced readers of auto motor und sport. For 18th time, they chose their design favourites online. A total of 14,507 participants cast their votes this year. There were 105 new models in 11 classes to choose from.

[1] Range values determined according to WLTP test procedure methodology (R (EC) No. 715/2007, R (EU) No. 2017/1151). Actual range can vary under everyday conditions and depends on various factors, in particular on personal driving style, route characteristics, outside temperature, use of heating and air conditioning and thermal preconditioning.

!NEW! Opel Zafira Wins “autonis” Design Prize

• “Best design newcomer of 2016”: Opel Zafira triumphs in van category
• “Cost-effectiveness star”: Opel wins “Car Connectivity Award”
• Huge interest: 50,800 readers of auto motor und sport and CHIP have voted

New Opel Zafira received 36.3 percent of the votes and won its category comfortably

autonis – Best design newcomer of 2016: Karim Giordimaina (center), Director Interior Design, accepted the award for the new Opel Zafira from auto motor und sport editor-in-chief Jens Katemann (left) and his deputy Birgit Priemer

New Opel Zafira is already a star despite only having celebrated its start of regular production recently. Opel’s traveling lounge impressed the readers of magazine auto motor und sport and won the readers’ choice award “autonis – Best design newcomer of 2016”. 36.3 percent of the 18,300 auto motor und sport readers who participated in the online vote chose the Zafira, making it the most beautiful van in its class. Furthermore, Opel was the “Cost-effectiveness Star”, thus winning the “Car Connectivity Award” presented by auto motor und sport and computer magazine CHIP.

“Zafira’s success is further confirmation for our design philosophy ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’,” said Karim Giordimaina, Director Interior Design at the award ceremony in Stuttgart on Thursday evening. “I am especially happy that the completely redesigned instrument panel and simplified cockpit are so well received.” Elegant interior design of the brilliantly connected Opel traveling lounge allows the driver and passengers a perfect forward visibility. All important functions such as display and operating buttons can easily be reached by the driver.

Most important newcomers of the last twelve months are eligible in the autonis awards. In total, the readers can choose between 115 passenger car models in ten different categories. The rules are simple: Every participant has four votes – two for positive and two for negative scores. The results are made up of these scores. If, for example 20 percent vote for model A as the car with the best design and five percent decide that the same model is a complete flop it gets an overall score of 15. The Zafira achieved a positive score of 36.3 whereas its closest rival came in well adrift with a score of 17.4.

Popular: Opel offer high-tech at low prices

Elsewhere, auto motor und sport and CHIP asked their readers to cast their votes for the third time. 80 potential winners and many exciting products were divided into eleven categories. The initiators of the “Car Connectivity Awards” decided to create a new category for this year’s edition – the “Cost-effectiveness star”. Around 32,500 readers and users of online media came to the result that Opel leads the way in this category and offers innovative technology at a reasonable price.

Cost-effectiveness star: auto motor und sport editor Dirk Gulde (left) and CHIP Magazin editor-in-chief Josef Reitberger (right) present the “Car Connectivity Award” to Dr. Peter Heitkämper (center), Senior Manager Infotainment & Telematics at Opel.

“Large number of participants shows just how important connectivity has become for car owners,” said Dr. Peter Heitkämper, Senior Manager Infotainment & Telematics at Opel on the occasion of the award ceremony held in Stuttgart. “Award confirms our approach of offering state-of-the-art technologies such as IntelliLink infotainment systems and our personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar at fair prices, thus making them available to a broad audience.”

Fully connected: Latest generation Radio R 4.0 IntelliLink is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and enables comprehensive access to numerous smartphone functions.

Latest generation Radio R 4.0 IntelliLink, which comes as standard as of the Edition trim level in the new Opel MOKKA X for example, is compatible with Apple CarPlay (Apple iOS 8 / iPhone 5 or higher) and Android Auto (as of Android 5.0 Lollipop) and enables comprehensive access to numerous smartphone functions. Furthermore, the optional personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar is available. It turns Opel vehicles into entertainment hotspots.

!NEW! Opel ADAM S Wins Autonis Design Award

• Best Design Newcomer 2015: Convincing win for Opel ADAM S in mini car category
• Public opinion: 17,000 auto motor und sport readers cast their vote
• Honored: Vice President Design Europe Mark Adams accepts award 

Opel ADAM S

Small Opel, big splash: The ADAM S pocket rocket was one of the big winners at the “autonis – Best Design Newcomer 2015” readers’ choice awards. A huge majority of the 17,000 participants voted for the Opel ADAM S as the best-looking car in its class.

Opel KARL – the practical sibling of the stylish Opel ADAM – finished a respectable fourth in the mini car category.

Opel KARL 

Furthermore, the new Opel Astra claimed the bronze medal behind the BMW 1 Series and the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake in the highly competitive compact class category.

New Opel Astra 

“17,000 readers cannot be wrong! The convincing win of the Opel ADAM S is a fantastic confirmation of our design philosophy: Sculptural Artistry meets German Precision. In addition, the Opel ADAM shines with sheer endless individualization possibilities, giving every customer the opportunity to create an Opel ADAM according to his/her personal taste. And seeing our new Astra immediately break into the phalanx of German premium brands is also a huge success. As already said: the new Astra upsets the luxury class,” said jubilant Mark Adams, Vice President Design Europe, at the award ceremony in Stuttgart.

Best Design Newcomer 2015: Vice President Design Europe Mark Adams (center) accepts the “autonis” for the Opel ADAM S from the hands of auto motor und sport editor-in-chief Jens Katemann and deputy editor-in-chief Birgit Priemer.

The autonis readers’ choice award held by automotive magazine auto motor und sport follows its own set of rules: Each participant can votes, two for positive and two for negative assessments. The final result is based on following calculation: If, for example, 20 per cent vote for model A as the winner and five per cent see it as a flop, model A receives overall score of 15. This result then determines the final position of model A. The Opel ADAM S received an outstanding overall score of 50.1; the closest competitor only achieved a score of 29.8. The editors of auto motor und sport thus commented in their latest edition: “Opel ADAM S – incredibly versatile in configuring an unmistakable look.”