Opel Full Speed Ahead

- Extra shifts for Astra in Gliwice and Ellesmere Port
- Series production of Astra begins in Rüsselsheim

Rüsselsheim. Opel/Vauxhall plans extra shifts in the Gliwice (Poland) and Ellesmere Port (United Kingdom) plants to meet the high demand for the Astra Sports Tourer and the five-door Astra. A total of eight additional shifts are planned per plant for the months May, June and July.

Now Opel/Vauxhall is adding a third plant to manufacture the Astra. Preparations are currently underway for the start of Astra production at Rüsselsheim. Even as full Insignia production continues, production engineers are getting systems, machinery and tools ready to build the compact five-door model. Beginning at the end of August, the Astra will be built on the same production line as the Opel flagship Insignia.

In April, Opel recorded market share gains throughout Europe for the sixth month in a row compared with the corresponding month last year. European market share rose from 5.8 percent in April 2010 to around six percent in April 2011. In the first four months sales rose by 32,000 vehicles or 8.2 percent compared with the same period in 2010. Opel sold a total of around 420,000 vehicles in this period.

The Meriva and Astra Sports Tourer are particularly successful – both are number one in their segment. In Germany the sales of the Astra Sports Tourer doubled in the first four months of 2011 compared with the same period last year, and in April they almost tripled.

Last week Opel’s parent company GM announced their first quarter financial results. In Europe, where the result is to a large extent influenced by Opel/Vauxhall, a break-even result was achieved for the first time since 2007.

Karl-Friedrich Stracke, CEO of Adam Opel AG, said: “Thanks to our updated model portfolio, Opel is enjoying continued success. Especially the Astra’s popularity just keeps growing, and with the new extra shifts we will be able to meet customer demand even better. With the introduction of the Astra GTC next year we will add an especially sporty chapter to the success story of this model series.”