“Best Economical Diesel 2017”: Opel Astra 1.6 CDTI Wins Green Mobility Trophy

                                             Opel Astra 1.6 CDTI

• Strong showing: Opel Astra wins its category ahead of BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class
• Strong second: Opel Ampera-e wins silver medal in best electric car category

And the winner is: the Opel Astra 1.6 CDTI with 81 kW/110 hp (NEDC fuel consumption: urban 3.9 l/100 km, extra-urban 3.1 l/100 km, combined 3.4 l/100 km, 90 g/km, efficiency class A+). The bestseller from Rüsselsheim won the Green Mobility Trophy 2017 and was named “Best Economical Diesel”. Of the 7,400 Auto Zeitung readers who cast a vote, 28.1 percent chose the frugal limousine with the Blitz on the grille. This put the Opel Astra ahead of the second-place BMW 520d and the Mercedes E 220d in third place. 

The range champion Opel Ampera-e is also popular with Auto Zeitung readers. The electric car took home the silver medal in the “Best Electric Vehicle” category. With 520 kilometers according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), the Opel Ampera-e offers an unchallenged higher range than the closest competitor in the segment.

“We are delighted with these knowledgeable readers’ verdict. With this, our Astra wins another major award after it already captured the European “Car of the Year 2016” as well as 13 national ‘Car of the Year’ titles,” says Jürgen Keller, Opel Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales Germany.

Safety First: Additional Driver Assistance Systems for Opel Crossland X

• Orderable now: Opel Crossland X with new pack of optional safety equipment
• Stop! Forward Collision Alert, pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking¹
• Take a break: Driver Drowsiness Alert extended by drowsiness detection system

Higher safety: Opel Crossland X is now available with a new pack of optional safety equipment that helps to avoid frontal collisions and detects signs of driver drowsiness.

Opel is now offering additional driver assistance systems for the crossover model Crossland X. The newcomer with the cool SUV look already provides outstanding innovations that make everyday driving safer, more comfortable and easier. High-tech full LED headlights, head up display and the 180-degree Panoramic Rear View Camera along with Advanced Park Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Speed Sign Recognition and Side Blind Spot Alert are just some examples. The new optional pack further extends this generous offer and consists of Forward Collision Alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking, together with the addition of drowsiness detection to Driver Drowsiness Alert.

“Opel democratizes future technologies and makes them available to everyone” says Vice President Vehicle Engineering Europe, William F. Bertagni. “This approach stretches back throughout the history of the brand, as demonstrated by our new Opel Crossland X and its wide range of high-tech driver assistance systems such as Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Alert.”

Forward Collision Alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking monitors the traffic situation in front of the vehicle with the Opel Eye front camera and is able to detect mobile and parked cars as well as pedestrians (adults and children). The system sounds an alarm and gives a visual warning and also brakes automatically if the distance to a vehicle or a pedestrian ahead decreases rapidly and the driver does not react.

The drowsiness detection system is an extension to the Driver Drowsiness Alert fitted as standard to the  Opel Crossland X, which alerts the driver after two hours of driving at more than 65 km/h. The extended system triggers an alert if the trajectory of the vehicle suggests driver drowsiness or inattention, issuing a message in the driver information cluster and an acoustic signal. After three warnings at the first level the system issues a second alert with a different message in the driver instrument cluster and a louder acoustic signal. The system is reset by driving at speeds below 65 km/h for 15 consecutive minutes.

Another feature increasing the overall safety offered by the Opel Crossland X is the innovative lighting solution that it brings to the segment. Full LED headlamps are paired with functions such as cornering light, high beam assist and auto levelling to guarantee optimal illumination of the road ahead and ensure best-possible visibility.

Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) with Full-LED headlamps ensures outstanding visibility in the dark

In addition, the optional head up display helps Opel Crossland X drivers to keep their eyes on the road ahead; the most important information such as speed, prevailing speed limit, set speed of speed limiter and cruise control or navigation direction is projected into their direct line of sight.

Eyes on the road: Optional Head-Up Display of the Opel Crossland X shows forward collision warnings and other information such as speed limits and actual speed.

The risk of overlooking other traffic is reduced by Side Blind Spot Alert. The ultrasonic sensors of the system detect other road users except pedestrians and the driver is warned via an amber icon in the wing mirror.

The Opel Eye front camera also processes diverse data thus forming the basis for driver assistance systems such as Speed Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning. Speed Sign Recognition displays the prevailing speed limit on the driver information cluster or the optional head up display, while Lane Departure Warning gives audible and visual warnings if it calculates that the Opel Crossland X is unintentionally leaving the driving lane.

The new member of the Opel X family also makes reversing and parking more comfortable. The optional Panoramic Rear View Camera increases the angle of sight behind the car to 180 degrees so that the driver can see other road users approaching from either side when reversing; and the latest generation of Advanced Park Assist recognizes suitable parking spaces and parks the car automatically. The same applies to leaving the space afterwards. In each case, the driver only needs to operate the pedals.

 ^1] Optional. Works automatically above 5 km/h and below 85 km/h. From 5 to 30 km/h the deceleration metric to reduce the impact speed of the collision is 0.9 g. From 30 to 85 km/h the system reduces the speed by a maximum of 22 km/h. After this threshold, the driver needs to brake him/herself to reduce the speed even further. Operational speed range of AEBPD depends on the detected obstacle (mobile target: from 5 to 85 km/h; fixed target: from 5 to 80 km/h; pedestrian: from 5 to 60 km/h). Opel driver assistance systems are intended to support the driver within the system-immanent limitations. The driver remains responsible for the driving task.

Euro NCAP Five-Star Rating Confirms: All-New Opel Insignia with Strong Safety Concept

• Top crash test performance: Euro NCAP awards new Insignia five stars
• New active hood: Provides clearance to hard structures in engine compartment
• Automatic Emergency Braking: Detects pedestrians as well as vehicles

Optimum pedestrian protection: The active hood of the new Opel Insignia receives special praise in the latest Euro NCAP safety ratings.

Euro NCAP has confirmed the integrity of the new Opel Insignia’s total concept. In its latest safety ratings published today, Euro NCAP awarded the Insignia Grand Sport and Insignia Sports Tourer the maximum five stars. The all-new Opel flagship achieved high scores in each of the categories assessed – adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist.

Commenting on the new Insignia’s crash test performance, Euro NCAP made special mention of two of the car’s innovative safety systems in particular. The all-new active hood, which in a collision lifts up in milliseconds, thus increasing the distance to the engine and offering pedestrians improved protection, “operated robustly for a variety of pedestrian statures and over a wide range of speed”. The refined Automatic Emergency Braking system, which can detect pedestrians as well as other vehicles “performed well … (and) … at highway speeds showed good performance, with accidents avoided or mitigated.”

“The top marks from Euro NCAP demonstrate that the individual safety components of the new Insignia form a total system” says Managing Director Sales and Aftersales, Peter Küspert. “But safety first at Opel applies not only to our flagship; the youngest members of our product portfolio, the Crossland X and Grandland X also offer front collision warning with Automatic Emergency Braking, as we want to offer all our customers the latest safety technologies. After all, as our new brand claims says, the future is everyone’s.”

In addition to the active hood and Automatic Emergency Braking, the new Opel Insignia impresses with many more ultra-modern assistance systems. No other car in this class offers such a wide range of intelligent technologies as the new generation of the Opel flagship:

 

•  IntelliLux LED  Matrix light: The 16 LED segments in charge of the high beam function that are integrated into each of the very slim headlamps of the Insignia enable the various light patterns to adapt to the prevailing traffic situation with the highest precision. Transitions between the multiple lighting patterns are faster and more seamless. 

• Head up display: Information such as speed, traffic signs, set speed of speed limiter and adaptive cruise control along with navigation direction is projected onto the windshield. Drivers thus have everything in their direct line of sight, ensuring that they keep their eyes on the road.

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with automatic emergency braking: Uses a camera and radar sensors to measure the distance to the vehicle ahead and adapt the speed accordingly. If the distance decreases abruptly when the driver ahead suddenly brakes, red LEDs in the windscreen/head up display light up and an audible warning sounds. At the same time, ACC initiates automatic emergency braking – faster than a person could normally react.

• Lane Keep Assist with automatic steering correction: Driving always requires undivided attention, but if the system registers that the car is unintentionally drifting out of its lane, it also provides gentle steering wheel movements to counteract this and shows this on the display when the car is travelling at speeds between 60 and 180 km/h.

These are complemented by assistance systems that provide the Insignia driver with excellent all-round visibility, which really come into play in urban driving:

• For the first time at Opel, the 360°camera: It consists of four individual cameras, one on each side of the car. The combined system enables an optional 360-degree bird’s-eye view, facilitating every parking and low-speed driving maneuver. The driver can thus keep everything in view over the IntelliLink display in the center console – no uncomfortable neck-craning necessary.

• Rear View Camera: Shows the area behind the vehicle on the IntelliLink touchscreen as soon as reverse gear is engaged. Dynamic guidelines based on the steering wheel angle are shown on the display and facilitate accurate reversing into a parking space.

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The system uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects coming from up to 20 meters at 90 degrees from the left or right side behind the vehicle and warns with visual and acoustic signals, a very useful function when reversing out of a parking spot with limited visibility.

• Advanced Park Assist: Ultrasound sensors on the Insignia’s front and rear bumpers identify suitable parking spaces and detect possible obstacles. When the parking spot is detected, the system automatically parks the vehicle without the driver touching the wheel. The driver just controls the pedals and gear shifting.

A host of further radar and camera-based automatic assistants complete the portfolio and make driving in the new Opel Insignia even safer. These include established systems such as:
 

• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert. Rearward directed radar sensors cover a range up to 70 meters behind the left and right exterior mirrors, thus alerting the driver to road users approaching in the adjacent lanes. In this way, the system prevents impending collisions if a driver tries to change lanes into oncoming traffic.

• Following Distance Indication in central information display: Uses the front camera or the front radar to detect moving vehicles on the road ahead and calculate the distance to them in seconds, which is more helpful to drivers for their assessment than a meter indication. A stylized green car symbolizes the vehicle in front. If the distance is insufficient, the distance warning is activated and the symbol turns amber.

• Forward Collision Alert: Assists drivers in avoiding or mitigating the impact of front-end collisions with situation-dependent emergency braking settings. If the Insignia nears the vehicle ahead too quickly, the system warns the driver with a loud audible alarm, a visual warning in the instrument cluster and an LED projection on the windscreen. The driver can choose between ‘near’ ‘mid’ or ‘far’ settings.

• Traffic Sign Assist: This newest-generation TSA can detect and display round traffic signs such as speed limits and derestrictions as well as many rectangular signs. The system processes data provided by the front camera as well as map data provided by the optional navigation system. Speed limits are also visible in the head up display if it is on board.

Overall, the new Opel Insignia impresses with highly intelligent safety technologies and excellent value for money, making it a rival that even premium brand models have to reckon with.