The Opel Astra emerged as the winner from a field of seven finalists to be named European Car of the Year 2016. More than 40 new cars, from sporty roadsters to premium limousines and sports utility vehicles, were among the original contenders.
Three new Opel models have been named European Car of the Year in its last eight years, with the Insignia in 2009 and the Ampera in 2012. The new Astra has already won international awards, such as SafetyBest 2015 and the 2015 Golden Steering Wheel, since its launch last autumn. It also received the maximum five stars for its performance in the Euro NCAP crash test.
Both the five-door and the Sports Tourer variants of the new titleholder are based on a completely new lightweight vehicle architecture. Power is delivered exclusively by the newest-generation diesel and petrol engines. Smartphone integration and the groundbreaking personal connectivity and service assistant, ‘Opel OnStar’, enable ultra-modern connectivity.
The Astra also continues Opel’s tradition of introducing features previously only known from higher segments into the compact segment, such as IntelliLux LED matrix light.
“The new Astra represents the start of a new era at Opel and victory in this year’s ‘Car of the Year’ competition shows that we are on the right track,” said Dr Karl-Thomas Neumann.
