Opel outgrows market in September and in first three quarters of 2015
European sales up by four percent in first nine months
Successful SUV: New registrations for Opel Mokka were up 26 percent across Europe in the first three quarters.
Opel has once again outgrown the overall European car market in September, continuing its upward trend in Europe. According to preliminary numbers, new car registrations were up by around 5,200 vehicles or 4.7 percent to 114,100 units year-on-year. The market share has increased slightly to 6.21 percent. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker improved its sales volume by around 32,600 units or four percent in the first nine months of the current year – despite pulling out of the Russian market. New registrations of 850,000 are equivalent to a slightly improved market share of 5.87 percent.
Bestseller: Sales for the Opel Corsa were up by 8 percent in the first three quarters of 2015.
“Our new models suit the taste of our customers across Europe. We are continuing to grow – despite pulling out of the Russia market and we are optimistic for the upcoming months. The feedback we have received on our new Astra, which will only celebrate its dealer premiere in Germany on October 10 and 11, is great. It will give our product offensive an additional boost,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group. The successful Mokka SUV (+26 percent), the Corsa (+8 percent) and our lifestyle mini ADAM (+4 percent) were the main movers in the passenger car sector in the first three quarters.
Lifestyle mini: Sales for the Opel ADAM were up by 4 percent in the first three quarters of 2015.
Compared to the same period of last year, Opel has sold more cars in the first nine months on 19 markets. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker posted growth on the largest European markets such as Italy (+20 percent), Spain (+18 percent), France (+5 percent), UK (+4 percent) and Germany (+ 3 percent).
Insignia demonstration vehicle avoids collisions by braking and steering automatically
Smart intersection benefits city dwellers and climate, as well as motorists
UR:BAN research project for intelligent assistance and traffic management systems
Careful, pedestrian: The sensor technology of the Opel Insignia recognizes the obstacle quicker than the human eye and automatically initiates the evasive action.
Most driver assistance systems today focus on traffic situations outside urban areas. However, inner-city driving represents an even bigger challenge for modern drivers. There is so much happening at once and there are so many cars, trucks, buses, cyclists and pedestrians to keep an eye on. Higher safety in this complicated mobile environment is the goal of several assistance systems under development at Opel, which can warn the driver or briefly take control of the vehicle.
Evasive action: Opel Insignia recognizes the suddenly emerging obstacle and avoids a collision with automatic steering and braking.
Steering intervention: Opel Insignia reacts quicker to the dangerous situation than the driver and initiates the evasive action.
The Rüsselsheim-based car-maker is working on innovative driver-assistance systems as part of its role in the UR:BAN research project (user-oriented assistance systems and network management). The aim of the project, which is partly funded by the German government, is to provide drivers with forward-looking support, tailored and customized to driving in urban traffic. Thirty-one partners from the automotive industry, electronics and software companies, together with research institutes and local authorities, are developing intelligent assistance and cooperative traffic management systems.
Making inner-city driving safer
Especially in urban traffic, situations frequently occur where ordinary drivers may not react in time – cars emerging unexpectedly from parking lots, children unseen behind parked cars suddenly dashing into the road. Opel has built an Insignia demonstration vehicle that not only warns the driver of such dangers, but can also avoid collisions with vehicles and pedestrians by taking automatic evasive action through steering combined with braking.
The car is equipped with advanced camera and radar, and modified braking and steering systems, which can intervene in the control of the vehicle.
Another Opel demonstration vehicle shows the potential for further development of driver assistance systems through studying driver behavior. Using vehicle data, a front camera and a head-tracking camera, a specially developed algorithm analyzes driver behavior patterns to predict at an early stage, for example, whether the driver will perform a lane change maneuver or not. Such enhancements will optimize the performance of driver assistance systems such as side blind-zone alert by avoiding unnecessary warnings and driver irritation, helping to increase the acceptance of active safety features in the future.
Cars and infrastructure generate traffic recommendations sent via Wi-Fi
Intelligent Insignia: Opel flagship communicates with the traffic lights at the next intersection via Wi-Fi and informs the driver via the display. He can then adapt his speed accordingly.
In addition to avoiding collisions, Opel is also working on improving inner-city traffic conditions for the benefit of motorists, city dwellers and the climate. Opel has built a demonstration vehicle based on the Insignia Sports Tourer that shows how information sent via Wi-Fi from the traffic management infrastructure and other vehicles can generate recommendations for driving at intersections. The recommendations can help the driver approach the intersection smoothly, safely and without wasting fuel, and preferably without stopping. They are displayed via an advanced Man-Machine-Interface (MMI) using the Driver Info Center in the instrument panel, with secondary information shown in the central console.
Best recommendation: Future Opel vehicles will recognize the traffic situations and show the driver which lane they should take and how fast they should drive to reach the next set of traffic lights when they are green.
In order to improve inner-city driving Opel can call on years of experience in Car-to-X communications and research into automated driving. But despite rapid progress in assistance systems and cars that can drive automatically, the company remains committed to keeping the driving experience enjoyable. At Opel, driving is fun when it is neither boring nor over-demanding, and those are precisely the conditions the company’s driver assistance systems are aiming at.
Spacious station wagon now available: Prices for Astra Sports Tourer start at €18,260
Family resemblance: All innovative technologies from 5-door Astra carried over
New powerful premium diesel: 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI with 118 KW/160 PS
Clever: Flexible up to 1,630 liter large loading space with power tailgate
Spacious station wagon now available: Prices for new Opel Astra Sports Tourer start at €18,260.
The new Astra generation is continuing to grab the headlines. After recently celebrating its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 5-door variants will now roll to dealerships.
This coming weekend potential customers will be able to take a seat in the new Astra at Opel partners across Germany. But that is not all: Order books for the new Sports Tourer will open simultaneously with the 5-door dealer launch. The dynamic looking station wagon with loading space of up to 1,630 liters is available from just €18,260 (all prices RRP in Germany). A new top-of-the-range diesel presently only available for the Astra will also make its debut. The 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI with 118 kW/160 hp delivers maximum torque of 350 Nm from 1,500 rpm. In combination with a six-speed transmission and Start/Stop, it consumes just 4.2 liters per 100 kilometers for the combined cycle (CO2: 110-107g/km) in the new Astra Sports Tourer.
“Our new Astra represents a quantum leap in the compact class. The Sports Tourer and the 5-door variant both offer numerous high-tech features from higher segments as standard or as an option. Now both models can be ordered and come with exemplary value for money, which is typical for Opel,” enthused Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group.
The new Astra combines efficiency with elegance and sets new standards in the compact class with outstanding innovations. No matter whether the 5-door or the Sports Tourer variant – both are up to 200 kilograms lighter than their predecessors are and offer passengers, especially those in the rear – more space.
Numerous technologies and assistance systems from higher segments improve comfort and safety for the occupants. Starting with the personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar, continuing with the ultra-modern IntelliLink infotainment systems that are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and by no means ending with the groundbreaking adaptive IntelliLux LED® matrix light, which enables driving with permanent high-beam without glaring other road users. The latest generation Opel Eye front camera offers important safety features such as the optimized Traffic Sign Assist, Lane Keep Assist, which ensures that drivers stay on track with active steering corrections right up to Forward Collision Warning with emergency automatic braking (8 to 60 km/h). In addition, the new AGR-certified premium ergonomic seats now offer a unique combination of side bolster adjustment, massage and memory function along with ventilation. Heated rear seats are also available.
Sports Tourer highlights: Power tailgate and all-new BiTurbo diesel
The Opel compact station wagon, now available for order for prices starting at €18,260, comes with the same virtues as its 5-door sibling: The Astra Sports Tourer is more spacious inside without growing its exterior dimensions. This leads to more comfort for the driver and the passengers along with up to 1,630 liters of loading space. The interior is very flexible thanks to the 40/20/40 folding rear seats. The FlexOrganizer product range, with side rails, dividing nets and various fastening options ensures that all loaded materials can be stored tidily.
Opel also offers an especially practical novelty for the Astra Sports Tourer: In combination with Keyless Open and start, a kicking motion under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate. Furthermore, the tailgate can still be opened or closed by a switch on the driver’s side of the car, buttons in the luggage compartment or via the key’s remote control.
The powertrain portfolio of the Sports Tourer is the same as for the 5-door – with one especially powerful exception: The new 118 kW/160 hp 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI, which delivers maximum torque of 350 Nm from 1,500 rpm, is presently reserved exclusively for the station wagon. Performance and power generation are comparable to that of a two-liter engine. In the Astra Sports Tourer, mid-range acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth gear is absolved in 8.1 seconds. Top speed is 218 km/h. The sovereignty of the four-cylinder common rail unit comes from the sequential, two-stage turbocharging. In combination with a six-speed transmission and Start/Stop, the 1.6-liter all-aluminum diesel engine consumes just 4.2 liters per 100 kilometers for the combined cycle (CO2: 110-107g/km), making the Astra Sports Tourer 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the compact class. Prices for the Astra Sports Tourer with the power diesel start at €24,950.
Pure efficiency: The new generation engines
Outputs of the completely new gasoline and diesel units offered for the new Astra Sports Tourer range from 70 kW/95 hp to 147 kW/200 hp. The new Astra Sports Tourer with the 74 kW/100 hp 1.4-liter all-aluminum gasoline engine under the hood will be available for a very affordable entry-level price of €18,260. The 77 kW/105 hp three-cylinder 1.0 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo is available for only €700 more. Elsewhere, the completely new 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo is available with outputs of 92 kW/125 hp or 110 kW/150 hp and delivers maximum torque of up to 245 Nm. Depending on the output, fuel consumption can be reduced to 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers (122-119 g/km CO2).
The 1.6 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo gasoline unit is the most powerful engine available for the Sports Tourer with prices starting at €26,910. The 147 kW/200 hp turbocharged direct injection gasoline unit mobilizes an impressive 300 Nm of torque (with overboost), enabling the station wagon to accelerate from 80 to 120 km/h in fifth gear in 7.2 seconds. Top speed is up to 235 km/h. Consumption and emissions are relatively modest given the high level of performance with 6.1 l/100 km and 142-139 g/km CO2.
Apart from the 1.6 BiTurbo CDTI, diesel fans can also order a new Astra with a 1.6 CDTI single-stage turbocharged engine in three outputs ranging from 70 kW/95 hp to 100 kW/136 hp and offering maximum torque of 320 Nm. The current efficiency champion of the new Astra Sport Tourer family is the 81 kW/110 hp model, with fuel consumption a mere 3.7 liters and CO2 emissions of 99 to 96 grams.
