Designed for Success: Opel Astra Wins Red Dot Award 2023

• Visionary and full of character: Opel Astra takes award in “Product Design” category
• Expressive: Bold and pure design with Opel Vizor brand face
• Focussed on essentials: Fully digital and intuitive Pure Panel cockpit
• Serial winner: Opel Astra adds Red Dot Award to growing list of accolades

Opel Astra impresses at first sight – as a five-door model as well as Opel Astra Sports Tourer estate. A statement that the international expert jury of Red Dot Awards fully agrees with. Panel of experts, consisting of 43 judges this year, awarded compact class bestseller from Rüsselsheim Red Dot Award 2023 in "Product Design" category. This adds yet another award to Astra’s growing list of accolades. Among others, it has already won ”Golden Steering Wheel 2022” 1, was voted “FAMILY CAR of the Year 2022” 2, and independent expert jury of the "German Car Awards" (GCOTY) voted Opel Astra "German Compact Car of the Year 2023" 3.

“Our Bold and Pure design philosophy really shines in our latest generation Opel Astra. Like every new Opel model, Astra comes with expressive Opel Vizor brand face and combines innovative technology with emotional design. We also developed cockpit according to this principle. Fully digital Pure Panel can be operated intuitively and is focused on essentials,” said Opel’s Vice President Design Mark Adams.

Bold, pure, expressive: Opel Astra design stands out in compact class

Current Opel Astra not only thrills with its locally emission-free plug-in hybrid drives and soon as a fully electric Opel Astra Electric – it also stuns with clear, exciting lines without superfluous flourishes. Opel Vizor (new face of brand first seen on Opel Mokka and central exterior design element) follows Opel Compass where vertical and horizontal axes – sharp crease in hood and wing shaped graphic of daylight running lamps – intersect with Opel Blitz emblem in middle. Stretching across front, making new Opel Astra look even wider, Vizor also seamlessly integrates technologies such as the optional ultra-slim IntelliLux LED headlamps and front camera of Intelli-Vision system. Viewed from side, next-generation Astra looks especially dynamic thanks to pronounced forward rake of  C-pillar.

At rear, Opel Compass is repeated by centrally mounted Blitz, vertically aligned high-mounted brake lamp and tail lamps (energy-saving LED, as is all exterior lighting). Blitz emblem also doubles as latch for tailgate, which is made of state-of-art composite material. This technology is not only light in weight and rigid, it also allows precise execution of design details such as especially slim tail lamps.

Fully digital and fully glazed: Intuitively operated, focussed Pure Panel Cockpit

Same German precision and balance applies throughout the interior where a leap in time has taken place. Absolute highlight is the next generation of the Pure Panel. This expansive, digital cockpit (fully glazed depending on variant) features two 10-inch displays, integrated – together with the driver’s side air vent – in a horizontal format. Analogue instruments are consigned to history in new Opel Astra. Thanks to a shutter-like layer that prevents upward reflections in the windscreen, design dispenses with a hood over displays, which further enhances high-tech functionality and ambience.

Opel designers and engineers have taken great care to ensure that the driver receives all the necessary information and useful operating options, but is not burdened with superfluous data or functions. With physical controls reduced to minimum in form of finely crafted keys, Pure Panel achieves the optimum balance between digitisation and intuitive operation, detoxed of irritating visual stimuli and without the need for sub-menus. “Visual detox” is the keyword here. In combination with the high-quality and precisely designed AGR-certified ergonomic active seats,  Astra offers a modern feel-good atmosphere – inside and out.

Red Dot Award: Design highlights for over 60 years

Current Opel Astra generation expands the long line of Red Dot Award winners from Rüsselsheim. Numerous other Opel models and communication tools have already received the coveted award. As one of the world's largest design competitions, "Red Dot Award" has been recognising innovative design in the categories "Product Design", "Brands & Communication Design" and "Design Concept" for over 60 years. In 2023, expert jury evaluated products from 60 countries. This award is not conducted as a competition, but rather through an individual product test.

[1] AUTO BILD edition 45/2022 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 46/2022, category for “Best car up to €50,000”.

[2] “FAMILY CAR of the Year 2022” by AUTO Straßenverkehr, categories “Design” and “Technology” (up to €25,000).

[3] “German Compact Car of the Year” (compact class category, up to €30,000).

!NEW! Distinction: Automotive Brand Award for Opel GT Concept

• “Best of Best“: German Design Council names sportscar Design Study 2016
• Mission Astra: Dealer event receives “Automotive Brand Contest 2016 – Best of Best”
• Digitally connected: Additional awards for Opel OnStar and mobile configurator

German Design Council has declared the Opel GT Concept the best concept car of 2016.

Opel GT Concept, a star at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, continues the brand’s strong concept car tradition and embodies avant-garde design in a purist form. This has now also been recognized by the German Design Council, organizer of the renowned Automotive Brand Contest. The competition’s top-notch jury chose the sportscar of the future in the “Concepts” category for the “Best of Best” award. In addition, there were three more first prizes for Opel: The dealer event “Mission Astra” also received the “Best of Best” award. The personal connectivity and service assistant, Opel OnStar and the new configurator for mobile devices also won in the “Future Mobility & Parts” and “Digital” categories. For the Opel GT Concept Mark Adams, Vice President Opel/Vauxhall Design, will accept the award on September 29 at the Paris Motor Show.

Avant-garde yet purist Opel GT Concept won the German Design Council’s 2016 “Best of Best” award for concept cars

“The GT Concept is a dream car that takes Opel’s philosophy ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’ to the next level. The feedback has been simply overwhelming. My team and I are proud that our sportscar study is being honored as the best concept car of 2016 with the Automotive Brand Award,” says Mark Adams.

Futuristic cockpit of the Opel GT Concept, winner of the German Design Council’s 2016 “Best of Best” award for concept cars.

First presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the GT Concept pays homage to the sports coupé icon, the first Opel GT, and is a trendsetter for the brand’s further development. The breathtaking athlete showcases Opel’s future design language: bold, emotional and sporty. The study with compact dimensions is avant-garde yet purist.

Opel GT Concept at the Geneva Motor Show 2016

Three first prizes for innovation

In addition to the design prize, Opel also picked up three wins in the marketing area. The jury gave the “Best of Best” award in the “events” category to “Mission Astra”. This was the name of the Astra launch event for Opel dealers, which was located in the Spanish Sierra Nevada. The dealers spent two days there as “Astranauts”, overnighting in 250 futuristic tents in the desert.

The dealer launch event for the Opel Astra was located in the Spanish Sierra Nevada where dealers lived as “Astranauts” in 250 futuristic tents. The “Automotive Brand Contest” rewarded the courageous concept of the Opel Marketing Team with the 2016 “Best of Best” award for events.

“We always want to offer our dealers something different and that is why we came up with a really unusual idea for the launch of the new Astra. With a tent-city next to a racetrack, which resembled a lunar landscape, we created an event that money actually cannot buy” says Opel Chief Marketing Officer, Tina Müller and is happy that the courageous marketing concept thrilled not only the Opel dealers, but also the jury of the Automotive Brand Concept.

Extensive construction work for the new Opel Astra: The 250 exclusive tents for approximately 3,500 guests

Moreover, the Opel OnStar personal connectivity and service assistant won first prize in the category “Future Mobility & Parts”. The jury further underlined the importance of digitalization by presenting another Automotive Brand award for the mobile configurator, with which customers can personalize their preferred Opel from nearly anywhere.

The Automotive Brand Contest is an international design competition for automobile brands. Established as a foundation in 1953, the German Design Council honors outstanding product and communication design and draws attention to the fundamental importance of brand design in the automotive industry.

!NEW! Buick Avista Receives EyesOn Design Excellence Award

Buick Avista concept received the EyesOn Design Award for Design Excellence – Concept Car at a ceremony today at the North American International Auto Show.

The Design team poses with the Buick Avista Concept after winning the EyesOn Design Award for Design Excellence – Concept Car, Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. It was the second consecutive year Buick received the award, which was bestowed on the Avenir concept in 2015

It was the second consecutive year Buick received the award, which was bestowed on the Avenir concept in 2015. EyesOn Design – a benefit for Henry Ford Health System’s Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology – recognizes the best production and concept vehicle designs making their worldwide debut in Detroit.

“Design has always played a large role in Buick's rich history and recent success,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director, Buick Global Design. “The Avista concept has been a labor of love by the team of designers, sculptors, engineers and talented craftspeople, including our UAW partners, who created this beautiful statement of Buick design. Avista represents the future essence of Buick design.”

A sleek, sweeping proportion is the foundation for this vision of a contemporary grand tourer, with a 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 driving the rear wheels. The Avista’s uninterrupted body lines stretch front to rear, suggesting motion – resembling Buick’s design language introduced on the Avenir concept and carried into production on the 2017 LaCrosse.

Like the exterior, the Avista’s 2+2 interior is defined by flowing, uninterrupted lines conveying elegance through simplicity – with intense technical and surfaces details, in everything from 3D-printed door and seat trim to a future vision of Buick’s IntelliLink, with touchscreen controls on a widescreen instrument panel display.

Exposed carbon fiber and aluminum accents throughout reinforce the precision of the performance-oriented driving experience.

!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.”

!NEW! Opel ADAM Wins Prize for Best Interior Design of the Year

1st place in “Automotive Interiors EXPO 2013 AWARD” in production vehicle category

Opel ADAM JAM with 'Starry Sky' roof, illuminated by 60 LEDs

A big honor for a small car – today the Opel ADAM was awarded the design prize for the best interior in a production car at the “Automotive Interiors EXPO 2013” trade show in Stuttgart. The iconic urban car came out ahead of strong competitors like Alfa 4C, Jaguar F-Type, Renault Clio and the new Range Rover. The EXPO AWARD is part of the trade show for concepts, materials, surfaces, fabrics and components in vehicle interior equipment. A jury consisting of respected motor journalists from around the world selects the winners in seven categories.

Opel ADAM JAM interior with 'Starry Sky' roof

Elizabeth Wetzel, Interior Design Director for the newcomer, is especially pleased with the Opel ADAM’s victory: “The individualization of the interior is one of the ADAM’s many outstanding traits. Our small lifestyle car offers almost 82.000 combinations for interior-styling. The EXPO AWARD is a wonderful tribute to the whole Opel design team.”

It is a team that is built around the GM designer at its core. The expert jury was of the same opinion and also nominated Elizabeth Wetzel in the Interior Designer of the Year category for an accolade that is very highly regarded in the industry.

The design prize makes another clear – and attention-getting – statement for the Opel ADAM. Introduced in April 2013, the newcomer has already won five titles in the noted innovation competition “Plus X Award” as well as the renowned red dot design award.

!NEW! Opel ADAM Wins “Red Dot Design Award”

Urban lifestyle car recognized for unconventional, trend-setting design

New individualization champion continues rich Opel “red dot” tradition

The Opel ADAM is all the rage with experts and customers alike thanks to its unconventional looks and groundbreaking technology. Most recent proof of this is the renowned “red dot design award” which the 37-member jury of international experts now awarded to Opel’s individualization champion.

As winner of the “product design 2013” award in the “Automotive and Transport” category, the ADAM successfully “asserted itself against extremely intense competition”. Over 30,000 orders have already been received for the stylish Opel newcomer, which captivates with “aesthetic shapes and sustainable trends” according to the experts. “We seamlessly continue our tradition of ‘red dot design award’ victories of the last years with our new lifestyle car and make a strong statement in terms of innovative power,” says Niels Loeb, Opel Chief Designer Exterior. “With our ADAM, we once again show that we can offer superb design in every passenger car segment and for every taste.”

The new ADAM is the fourth Opel “Red Dot design award” winner since 2009. Previously the mid-size Insignia, the Astra Sports Tourer and the compact Astra GTC coupé were awarded the coveted “red dot”. This is further proof that Opel’s design language “sculptural artistry meets German precision” that was introduced with the Insignia is very well received by both customers and experts.

This year there were more applicants than ever before for the „red dot design award“. 1,865 companies and designers from 54 countries presented the expert jury a total of 4,662 products in 19 categories for consideration. The award will officially be presented at the “red dot gala” on July 1, 2013 in the Aalto Theater in Essen, and over 1,200 international guests from business, politics and media are expected to attend. The origins of the award, one of the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world today, date back to 1955.

Individualization champion and best connected small car

Individual design defines the Opel ADAM – there is no other car in this class in the world that can offer more than 61,000 variants for the exterior and nearly 82,000 for the interior. These range from 12 body colors and three additional combinable roof colors to 31 different wheel designs with unique clips and details like different headliners with LED illumination.

Inside, the ADAM features high-tech innovations like the IntelliLink infotainment system that is compatible with both iPhones and Android smartphones. This makes the ADAM the best connected small car, as it also supports SIRI Eyes Free voice recognition for iPhones. The lifestyle car also boasts a host of equipment and technology options that have at best been familiar from higher-class models until now. These include the latest generation Automatic Park Assist (APA), heated steering wheel, Side Blind Spot Alert (SBSA) and the integrated bicycle carrier FlexFix – all features worthy of accolades. A few weeks ago the unconventional Opel ADAM already won over the "Plus X Award” expert jury with its operating comfort, design, high quality and innovations.

Opel ADAM with fully integrated FlexFix bicycle carrier