The new Opel Astra Sports Tourer details released

Opel have released details on their new Astra Sports Tourer which will go on sale in November this year. The Astra Sports Tourer will make it's debut at the Paris Motor Show in October before hitting the dealerships in the following month. The goal of this Astra is obviously practicality but Opel have still made an effort to make the wagon look stylish. A few improvements have resulted in the Astra Sports Tourer having a load space of 1550 liters which will no doubt be its biggest draw card.

This increase is space is created by the new FlexFold rear seat system. This system allows the rear seats to be lowered by simply pressing a button located on the side walls of the cargo department. The seats will then automatically fold onto themselves, this feature is the first of it's kind in a compact wagon.

The new Opel Astra Sports Tourer will be available in 8 different diesel and petrol engines, with a top power of 132kW (180hp). Obviously the Astra will be available in both automatic and manual, with the manual option including a shift-up indicator. This indicator is intended to improve fuel economy in the manual option, also intended to improve fuel economy is a start/stop feature that will be introduced at a later stage.

Source: Opel

Opel Astra takes home multiple awards as Opel is named Most innovative brand

The new Opel Astra along with the new Opel Meriva took home multiple awards in this years Plus X Award 2010.

Opel's new Ampera pre-production on schedule

The new Opel Ampera has been in production for a long time now and today marks an important day, as the first of the pre-production models has just rolled off the factory floor.

Second generation of the Opel Meriva launched

The next generation Opel Meriva which is aimed at ergonomic design and styling goes on sale in June. Designed in Germany, the next generation Meriva is intended to be dynamic, flexible and affordable.

First on the list of new design elements is FlexDoors, which is a rear-hinged door system that is aimed at enabling passengers easy access into the cabin, as the back seats are often used in the Meriva. The doors open independently from the from doors and extend up to 84 degrees, with the focus being on easily accessing a baby seat without the need to twist and turn.

Inside the cabin the focus is once again on space and comfort. With flexible armrests and fully adjustable seats. The legroom has been increased, and the seats can be moved and adjusted to further increase legroom and cabin space.



The new Opel Meriva range includes petrol and diesel versions, the petrol range includes:

• 1.4 liter (100hp)
• 1.4 Turbo (120hp)
• 1.4 Turbo (140hp) - 6 Speed manual gearbox, increased power and reduced emissions compared to the previous generation Meriva.

The 2 diesel models available include:

• 1.3 CDTI (75hp) requires only 4.9 liters / 100km
• 1.7 CDTI (100hp) - 6 Speed automatic transmission

The new Opel Meriva will be produced in Spain

Source: Opel

New Opel Astra Wins red dot Design Award in Europe

A great honor for the new Opel Astra: An international expert jury has recognized the compact car with the internationally known “red dot” award in the product design category.

The Astra can add the red dot to an expanding trophy case that started with the Goldenes Lenkrad (Golden Steering Wheel), by Germany’s AutoBild and its European affiliates and has expanded in recent weeks to three important awards in Spain and a viewer’s choice prize in Romania, proving that the Astra is valued throughout Europe not only for its sleek lines but also for its innovative technologies.

For the first time since the 1973 inception of Spain’s most prestigious national prize, the Opel Astra has earned the title Car of the Year by ABC newspaper. The compact has also won Readers Choice 2010 from Prensa Ibérica, La Vanguardia and AutoFácil, and the Car of the Year 2010 in the Canary Islands.

In Romania, 30.000 people voted Astra as "Car No. 1" in a competition organized by an automotive TV show. That award was presented March 14.



Honored for the evolution of Opel’s bespoke design language

The Astra, developed at Opel’s European Design Center in Rüsselsheim, continues the natural evolution of Opel’s design language, ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’ first introduced on the Insignia and bringing it newly interpreted for the compact class.

“It is a very special honor to receive this endorsement from an international jury of non-automotive designers. It confirms once again that Opel is on the right track by offering the highest quality components and materials matching the upscale execution,” says Mark Adams, vice president of Opel/Vauxhall Design.

This prize is added to the impressive list of awards already attributed to the new Astra since it went on sale in December 2009. So far, the elegant compact has received 16 awards, including the 2010 Golden Steering Wheel award. The Astra was also named 2010 Car of the year in several countries like Spain.

Source: Opel

New Opel Corsa: More power, greater comfort, less fuel

Rüsselsheim. The new Corsa range has been rejuvenated to provide more power and more driving fun with less fuel consumption. Opel engineers

The Shape of Things to Come: Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept

World Premiere at the Geneva Motor Show 2010

Rüsselsheim. Opel will unveil its Flextreme GT/E concept car at the 80th Geneva Motor Show (March 4 – 14), that will boost the company’s credentials as a leader in green technologies, offering expressive design with efficient environmental performance – and engineered with German precision.

In Opel’s strategy for achieving more independence from fossil fuels, electricity plays a key role. The 4.7-meter long Flextreme GT/E concept illustrates how extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into large or mid-size vehicles, as well as compact cars such as the upcoming Ampera.

Opel calls this strategy e-mobility unlimited: adapting the highly efficient E-REV drive system – which removes the limitations of battery-only power – to vehicles across all market segments. To enjoy zero CO2 driving emissions Opel-style, the Flextreme GT/E concept shows that size doesn’t matter.

The purposeful design also enables the Flextreme GT/E to achieve a projected drag co-efficient of just 0.22, which helps it reach a 200 km/h-plus top speed as well as conserve energy and extend its driving range. Stand-out visual features include a low and wide stance, wing-shaped lights front and rear, a distinctive nose and grille, floating C-pillars and muscular, sculptured bodywork.

“The Flextreme GT/E concept shows the shape of things to come from Opel,” says Frank Weber, Vice President, Corporate and Product Planning. “Bold, expressive and highly efficient, it represents the product strategy we will apply to all our future vehicles, large and small, across all market segments.”

Source: Opel