The vehicle that’s set to replace the Cruze when Holden stops local small car production has won the prestigious ‘Car of the Year 2016’ in Europe.
The ‘Car of the Year 2016’ trophy was presented to Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann by COTY president Hakan Matson on the eve of the first press day at the 86th Geneva International Motor Show. The Astra emerged as the winner from a field of seven COTY finalists.
More than 40 new cars, from sporty roadsters to premium limousines and sports utility vehicles, were among the contenders.
“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. “It is an honour for us to receive such a prestigious award from leading automotive journalists.”
Holden Executive Director of Sales, Peter Keley, said Astra would redefine Holden in the important small car segment. “We already knew that Astra was a world-beating vehicle and this latest prestigious award cements those credentials,” said Mr Keley.
“Astra is a critical part of Holden’s plan to launch 24 new models by the end of 2020 as we refresh or replace every model in the Holden vehicle portfolio. With more than one-third of our future vehicles to be sourced from Europe, along with fantastic vehicles from North America and Asia, we are building the best and most comprehensive model line-up in Holden’s history”.
“World-class vehicles like the Astra embody the rejuvenation of the Holden brand. Astra is one of the most technologically advanced small cars in the world, in addition to an intuitive infotainment system, it also boasts a range of premium features you would usually expect only on high-end prestige vehicles”.
“With our Holden engineers being embedded in the program from the beginning and giving Astra that special Holden touch, you can be assured Astra will be perfectly suited to Australian conditions.”
This latest award continues Astra’s winning streak, with Astra already taking out international awards such as SAFETYBEST 2015 and the 2015 Golden Steering Wheel since its launch last year. It also received the maximum five stars for its performance in the Euro NCAP crash test.
The all-new Astra is based on a completely new lightweight vehicle architecture and powered by the latest-generation powertrains. Smartphone integration and the world-class connectivity complement additional high-end technology such as IntelliLux LED® matrix light.
