NEW OPEL ASTRA WINS THE GOLDEN STEERING AWARD 2009

Posted 4th November, 2009 in Opel | Leave a comment

Rüsselsheim/Berlin. European car buffs have handed the Opel Astra its first major trophy last night in Berlin, winning the Goldene Lenkrad (Golden Steering Wheel) in the compact class. It is the most prestigious award issued by the Axel Springer Group’s Auto Bild magazines. This year’s election involved readers in 26 European countries, representing more than 40 million readers overall.

The New Opel Astra won by a comfortable margin, getting top marks in the engine, energy consumption, chassis, braking, steering and safety relevant driver assistance categories. Motor sport drivers and technical experts ranked the Astra number one. The racers gave the Astra seven out of eight points. Technical experts awarded the compact car five out of eight.

“Astra is following the footsteps of the Opel Insignia as a winning car. We are very excited to receive this award before the 10th generation of Opel compact cars even hits showrooms,” says Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Adam Opel GmbH. The new Astra 5-door, launched earlier this year at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, brings into the compact class its own interpretation of the brand’s award-winning design language of combining sculptural artistry with German precision along with an array of technological innovations first featured on the Insignia.

The Golden Steering Wheel election is organized in two phases. In the first round, European readers voted for their favorite vehicles, selecting 46 vehicles in six categories (small, compact, mi-upper, luxury, supersport and vans). Next, a panel of 50 experts including technicians, race drivers, chief editors and VIPs tested and judged the nominees on dynamics, comfort and quality. In addition to a number of German celebrities, racing drivers also participated in the vote, including two-time World Rally Champions Walter Rohrl and Isolde Holderied, DTM pilots Mattias Ekstrom and Ralf Schumacher; German legend Hans-Joachim Stuck and Swiss star driver Christina Surer.

Opel has won the Golden Steering award on 12 occasions in the 33 years the election has been held. The Opel Zafira was the last winner in 2005.

[Source: Opel]