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Opel Astra Named European Car of the Year 2016 at Geneva

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Opel Astra

Opel Astra

The Opel Astra seemingly can’t help itself from winning big-time awards.

The new Astra was named the “Car of the Year 2016” by a panel of 58 auto journalists from 22 different European countries at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, ostensibly confirming it as Europe’s favorite new car moving forward.

The Astra topped voting with a total score of 309 points, enabling the prestigious trophy to be handed to Opel CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann by Car of the Year president Hakan Matson. The Astra beat out more than 40 new cars to win the prize, making this particular victory both comprehensive and comprehensively satisfying.

“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 honor for us to receive such a prestigious award from leading automotive journalists.”

Thus far, the Opel Astra has won top honors in the form of the SAFETYBEST 2015 and Golden Steering Wheel 2015, and it earned five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.

Opel has won a total of five Car of the Year awards since they were founded in 1964, with the Opel Kadett E being the first to take the top prize in 1985. Opel struck gold again in 1987 with the Omega A, and it has now scored three awards in eight years with the Insignia earning the award in 2009 and the Ampera winning in 2012.