- Opel voted “Most Innovative Brand” for the third time after 2010 and 2012
- Outstanding models and technologies impress international jury of experts
- Total of 21 seals of approval for Cascada, ADAM, Mokka and Zafira Tourer
- ADAM FlexFix, Cascada and Zafira BiTurbo voted “Best Product 2013”
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| Opel ADAM Rocks concept, Andreas Marx (left), Director Marketing Opel Germany, gets the Plus X Award from laudator and jury-head Timm Sandmeyer. |
Opel is a leader in the development of trendsetting cars and
technologies – and the brand again emerged from the Plus X Award
ceremony in Cologne yesterday evening as the “Most Innovative Brand” in
the automotive product group. This means the automobile manufacturer has
won the prestigious innovation prize for the third time since 2010,
successfully defending its title from last year.
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| On stage: Andreas Marx (left), Director Marketing Opel Germany, gets the Plus X Award from laudator and jury-head Timm Sandmeyer. |
Opel having already awarded numerous accolades last February for ADAM, Cascada and Mokka, the international jury gave Opel eight further
awards: the new mid-size Cascada convertible impressed the jury with its
high-grade fabric top and well-designed luggage compartment in the
categories High Quality, Ease of
Use and Functionality, while its active
safety systems received a distinction for Functionality. Opel seats
certified by the Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (Healthy Back Association –
AGR) are distinguished by their excellent Ergonomics, and the Zafira
Tourer BiTurbo received the Plus X Award for High Quality, Design and
Functionality. This means that Opel has taken a total of 21 titles from
this year's Plus X Award. In addition to this, the Cascada, the Zafira
Tourer BiTurbo and the ADAM FlexFix bicycle carrier system stand out in
their respective categories as “Best Product of the Year 2013.”
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| 300 guests of the Plus X Award have been shuttled by the Opel Mokka SUV and welcomed at the entrance to the gala from the Opel ADAM Rocks. |
“We are proud to have been voted again as the most innovative brand
by the experts of the Plus X Award,” said Opel marketing director
Andreas Marx at the gala event held at The New Yorker | DOCK.ONE. “This
result shows that our new models and technologies meet with enduring
enthusiasm, and are able to pass the test in every respect with the
experts and our customers.”
In front of an audience of more than 300 invited guests from industry
and commerce, as well as personalities from society, media and
politics, the jury gave its verdict in what was the tenth occasion of
the Plus X Award. They had to choose from more than a thousand products
in the fields of technology, sport and lifestyle, the best of which were
awarded the internationally acclaimed innovation prize. Guests had
already been able to experience the quality of Opel models on their way
to the gala – the Opel Cascada and the Opel Mokka were used for a
shuttle service. Opel also displayed some sensational concepts for the
future, such as the three-door urban Mini-Crossover ADAM ROCKS, and the
zero-emission vehicle RAK e. The HDTV broadcaster ANIXE will be
screening the full anniversary gala on Saturday, June 22 at 20:15 hrs.
Innovative Opel models: Convincing design, functionality and technologies
A highlight of the Cascada, a repeat Plus X Award prize winner, is
its high quality soft-top, which can be opened by the push of a button
at speeds of up to 50 km/h in just 17 seconds. It can also be opened and
closed by remote control. Thanks to this lightweight, space-saving
soft-top solution, the Cascada offers abundant luggage space. Trunk
capacity ranges from 280 liters with the top down to 380 liters with the
top closed, which makes the elegant Opel newcomer one of the most
space-efficient convertibles on the market. Especially smart: to enlarge
the load space or transport particularly long objects, the Cascada also
benefits from the FlexFold system, which electrically unlocks the rear
seat backrests by remote control and folds them down with a 50:50 split.
This enables a luggage of up to a volume of 750 liters and the stowage
of items over 1.80 meters in length.
The Plus X Award jury also commended the Cascada’s sophisticated
safety systems. These include a second generation of the Opel front
camera with distance and collision warnings, its intelligent Adaptive
Forward Lighting system AFL+, as well as a reversing camera, blind spot
alarm and parking assist system. The experts also had special praise for
the premium quality, ergonomic seats which Opel offers in almost all
models from the Cascada to the Astra, the Mokka and Insignia, as well as
the compact vans Meriva and Zafira Tourer. The multi-adjustable seats
feature an electro-pneumatic lower back support and an extending,
angle-adjustable thigh support, and have already received AGR
certification for their outstanding ergonomic properties.
Another Plus X Award winner is the 143 kW/195 hp Opel Zafira Tourer
2.0 BiTurbo CDTI with Start/Stop technology – the fastest seven-seat
diesel compact van on the market. It combines the familiar elegance and
variability of the Zafira Tourer with outstanding performance levels.
Thanks to its 2.0-liter BiTurbo engine, the front-wheel drive Zafira
Tourer can sprint from zero to 100 km/h in just 8.9 seconds, and
accelerate from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth in gear in just 8.5 seconds. Top
speed is 218 km/h. And yet the Zafira Tourer needs just 5.6 liters of
diesel per 100 kilometers, corresponding to CO2 emissions of 149 grams per kilometer – which means that the BiTurbo engine is not only extra strong, but also extra efficient.
