The Opel Astra Sports Tourer will arrive at dealerships in Germany on Saturday
Opel was a hit in its home country during the first quarter of 2016, achieving its best start to a new year since 2011 thanks in large part to the launch of new vehicles like the Astra and Meriva.
Opel’s German sales from January-March totaled more than 59,000 vehicles, up 14.5% (or approximately 7,000 units) year-over-year. What’s more, Opel’s growth during the first three months of the year was three times greater than the growth of the entire German passenger car market, which improved 4.5% year-over-year. Strong sales also helped Opel improve its market share to 7.5%, a growth of 0.7 percentage points.
March sales for the Opel brand were up 1.3% at a total of 23,400 units delivered.
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Opel’s biggest mover in the first quarter was the Opel Astra, which was named the European Car of the Year 2016 in Geneva earlier this year. In the first three months of the year alone, Opel sold more than 7,200 Astras in Germany, an 80% improvement over its predecessor.
The Meriva MPV was also a big gainer for the brand, growing 19% year-over-year to around 4,000 units sold. Sales of the Zafira Tourer van were also up 16%.
Opel will launch the new Astra Sports Tourer at dealerships in Germany on Saturday, increasing the likelihood of more sales gains throughout the year ahead.
Opel’s Q1 2016 sales in Europe were also at a five-year high, exceeding 303,000 units and improving 8% year-over-year. Opel’s current share of the European market is 6%, up 0.2 percentage points year-over-year.
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