The 2016 Opel Astra Will Play An Essential Part In Brand’s Profit Goal
5
Sponsored Links
General Motors’ European operations, housing Opel and Vauxhall, have lost a staggering $18 billion since 1999. For shareholders, that’s hard to cope with. But, GM is determined to turn a profit in the Euro zone. And analysts say the 2016 Opel Astra will be the most important part of that goal.
Long-term critic of Opel/Vauxhall operations, Professor Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) at the University of Duisburg-Essen, had good things to say when looking at the 2016 Opel Astra.
“The Astra is very important if the 2016 (breakeven) target is to be achieved. The new Astra is very encouraging. It is lighter and larger inside than the old one and very attractive looking and with low fuel consumption. Its position versus main rivals like the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus will be much stronger than the old model,” Dudenhoeffer said in a report from The Detroit News.
Previously, GM Europe President, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, had stated a 2016 profit or break even point was secure. Now, following more trouble in the European market, he has eased on those words even after narrowing losses on the continent.
The program designed to revive Opel and Vauxhall, titled “DRIVE!2022“, includes a steadily rising market share to eight percent by 2022. Currently, Opel and Vauxhall hold 6.8 percent.
The 2016 Astra will arrive ready to do battle with its fellow German hot-sellers, loaded with new powertrains, Opel OnStar and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.
The 2016 Astra will launch shortly after its debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show this September.
Sponsored Links
The new Astra has the profit potential of Ford’s Focus, expecially as a world car. This vehicle should be the new Cruze hatch much like how Huyndai uses the i30 as the Elantra hatch in many markets. No, the two are not design twins, but this is the case often with hatch models.
The Astra K was designed with only Europe in mind and that’s the reason why it will be more competitive than its predecessor! The Astra K will not fulfill North American safety requirements and that’s the reason why US will not see this car, not as a Chvey and not as Buick!
Too bad to because it looks like a pretty good package.
The US rumor mill says Astra is already Federalized. That Buick was always a consideration, that lessons had been learned from Cascada and Adam.
It’s on the same platform as Cruze. How is Astra unfit for US roads given it’s connection with Cruze and Verano?
Well, safety requirements depend on much more than only the platform. And how do you know if the platform is really exactly the same as Cruze or Verano? As far as I know there are different versions of the D2XX platform. This Astra K is underpinned by the European version.
Despite from that an US version of the Astra makes no sense as the next generation Verano will be very similiar to this car even if the exterior will look different.