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Opel Astra, the reigning European Car of the Year, has been selected
as a finalist for the 2017 Wesbank South African Car of the Year (COTY)
competition. This is the second successive year in which an Opel has
been named COTY finalist in South Africa after Opel ADAM and Opel Corsa were voted
as finalists last year.
Opel Astra which was launched in South Africa in April this year has
received great accolades from local as well as international media.
Packed with segment leading safety, infotainment and driver aid
technology, the Opel Astra is a game changer in the mid-size hatchback
segment giving buyers access to technology usually reserved for luxury
vehicles.
“We’ve won the big European prize and it would be a real honour to
add the local trophy to our cabinet,” commented Brian Olson, vice
president vehicle sales, service, and marketing GM Sub-Saharan Africa.
“There’s no doubt that Europe’s top automotive communicators found the
Astra to be the best of the best and we hope that evaluators from the
South African Guild of Motoring Journalists reach the same conclusion.
Local customers have certainly recognized the Astra as the best in its
class, so far demand has far outstripped supply with the new Astra
achieving its best market share in 20 years”
Of course, COTY success is not new to the Opel brand, both here and
abroad. In 1985 a previous Astra generation was the European COTY, while
on the local front Opel products were chosen by the SAGMJ evaluators as
their benchmark car in 1991, 1994 and 1995.
Past and present Opel Astra models clearly have got what it takes to win.
The current Opel Astra has averaged close to 100 units a month since launch,
and holds about 10 percent of the C-segment hatchback market share,
April to August.
The SAGMJ COTY jury will evaluate the Opel Astra and the other finalists
in early February 2017, with the winner announced on 15 March 2017.
