At the Beijing show Opel has shown as a preview to the Chinese public of the three volume version of the Astra, the brand’s sixth model available in the Chinese range, and the hybrid Flextreme concept.
With the new four door Astra, the German company will be better placed to respond to Chinese market demand, where the three volume sedan has already been chosen by 85% of drivers.
The three and five door variations have already experienced notable interest and are the most-sold Opel models in this country, where the Astra, TwinTop, Vectra and Zafira are also available.
Thanks to a pearl like the panoramic windshield (which no longer impresses us “spoiled” European drivers), the Astra GTC was recently voted “most fashionable car” by the Chinese Commercial Centre for Import Cars and sina.
com, a major web portal.
In China, where 2007 alone nearly 8,500 000 vehicles were sold, Opel with its 3700 cars, represents a tiny niche.
But thanks to the new model the company can count on broadening its sales through its greater presence in the market, guaranteed by new dealerships, taking the number to 45.
“In China Opel is perceived as a premium brand,” says Carl-Peter Forster, GM Europe president, in mentioning the rich equipment and safety performance as reasons for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the company.
Forster is also convinced that sales in China will have a strong impulse from the introduction of this Astra, which was introduced to some European markets in October.
The four door Astra, with a wheel base a good 270 cm, has the advantage of a roomy interior for rear passengers but also for the boot with its 490 litre capacity.
The car is equipped with a 1.
8 ECOTEC engine at 140 hp.
The Flextreme concept, revealed in Frankfurt last year, is electrically driven by the lithium ion batteries, but is also combined with the 1.
3 turbodiesel which can be used as an on-board generator.
In this way CO2 emissions are contained at 40g/km.
Forster is convinced that ecological and innovative cars such as the Flextreme will have a bright future in China: if in the short term commercialisation will be slow, once it has become “mature”, the enormous Chinese market will be able to turn its attention to themes such as reducing emissions.