OPEL ASTRA SHORTLISTED FOR CAR OF THE YEAR 2010

Posted 18th November, 2009 in Opel | Leave a comment

Rüsselsheim. One year after the Insignia won Car of the Year 2009, Opel is honored to have the new Astra named as a finalist for Europe’s top automotive award.

“This is like being nominated for the Oscars. We are really proud to be nominated two years in a row,” says Alain Visser, Vice President Sales, Marketing & Aftersales for Opel/Vauxhall. “This proves that Opel has a great line up of cars that will carry us confidently into the future.”

Seven COTY finalists were chosen from a field of 33 cars new to the market. A jury of 59 top automotive journalists from 23 European countries will announce this year’s winner November 30. The Car of the Year award is special because it crowns a single winner.

The jurors vote on such criteria as design, comfort, safety, economy, handling, performance, functionality, environmental requirements, driver satisfaction, and price. Technical innovation and value for money are particularly important factors for COTY and they are an Opel strong point. Opel has grabbed the title three times since the 1964, when the polling began. The second generation Kadett won in 1985; the Omega in 1987 and the Insignia in 2009.

The New Opel Astra, which premiered at the Frankfurt Motor Show, follows in the Insignia’s footsteps by hallmarking Opel’s philosophy of combining German precision with sassy design. For the first time, innovative technologies like adaptive lighting and the Opel Eye camera system are accessible to the most popular segment in the automotive market.

Since the first order books opened at the end of September, some 35,000 orders have been received for the Astra. Deliveries start early December.

[Source: Opel]