Press Release
Page 1 – Overview
Page 2 – Market
Page 3 – Design
Page 4 – Luggage Concept
Page 5 – Interior & Equip
Page 6 – Body & Safety
Page 7 – Chassis - Powertrain
Page 8 – Production
Page 9 – Glossary
Page 10 – Tech Specs
Market and Model
Retractable Steel Roof Heralds Cabrio Boom
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Stable, weatherproof cabrio-coupés increasingly popular
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Opel has two top models with Tigra TwinTop and Astra TwinTop
Opel hits the mark with the Astra TwinTop. Even before its world premiere in September 2005 at the 60th International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) in Frankfurt, the automotive press lauded the Astra TwinTop’s “elegant rear section, whose looks far outmatch the plump-looking rears of its competitors.� At the Opel IAA stand, visitors were treated to the cabrio-coupé’s lambada, the dance of the roof. It takes only a little under 30 seconds for the space-saving, three-part retractable steel roof to open and fold into the luggage compartment – and vice-versa.
Market research: By 2010, around 430,000 vehicles expected in segment
The four-seat Astra TwinTop with a distinctive, arrow-shaped front – after the successful start of the five-door, station wagon and GTC (Gran Turismo Compact) models, the fourth unique Astra model – is particularly en vogue. Research conducted by Opel marketing experts shows all-weather cabrios with retractable hardtops are moving towards a bright future. According to the study, the number of car registrations in Europe for the whole coupé and cabriolet segment continues rising steeply. While only 250,000 units were produced in 1994, this figure had risen by around 100,000 ten years later. Opel expects a volume of almost 430,000 vehicles in 2010, with retractable roof concepts reshaping the market. With these models accounting for more than 300,000 units, they will dominate this segment. According to the forecast, cabrios with fabric roofs will make up around 85,000 units and ‘purebred’ coupés about 40,000. In the future, the cabrio/coupé share of the entire European vehicle market will level off at almost two percent.
Since 2000, cabriolets have enjoyed continually increasing popularity. In January 2005, the federal vehicle registration office in Flensburg had almost 1.3 million cabrios registered, a market share of 2.8 percent. Compared to 2004, this represents an increase of 10.5 percent. Automotive industry experts such as Professor Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, from the renowned B&D Forecast institute in Leverkusen, expect annual new vehicle registrations to reach more than five percent market share of the entire German passenger car market (almost 200,000 units) thanks to these innovative cabrio-coupés.
Fun car: Driving fun for two begins with Tigra TwinTop
With the new four-seat Astra TwinTop, which sets standards in spaciousness in its class, and the sporty two-seat Tigra TwinTop, voted “Cabrio of the Year� by a jury of international automotive specialists in 2004, Opel offers two top models to different target groups. Both models offer excitement and driving fun, impress with their exceptionally large storage space, and feature an intelligent roof mechanism that enables harmonious body lines with well-balanced proportions.
In contrast to the Astra TwinTop’s three-part roof, the Tigra TwinTop’s two roof components fold almost vertically into the trunk at the push of a button. Mostly singles or couples aged between 25 and 45 choose the compact fun car. Three efficient ECOTEC engines – two gasoline (1.4-liter TWINPORT with 66 kW/90 hp, and 1.8-liter with 92 kW/?125 hp) and one especially efficient diesel unit (1.3-liter CDTI with 51 kW/70 hp, available with diesel particulate filter) – ensure top performance.
Record: Opel developed Astra TwinTop in under two years
Opel developed the Astra TwinTop together with specialists from CarTopSystems (CTS) in a record time of under two years. Project Manager Klaus-Rudolf Reuter attributes his team’s excellent performance to “using extremely efficient modern computer simulation programs and the long-term involvement of our development partner CTS, both in the design and production process�. The Astra TwinTop is produced parallel to the five-door, station wagon and GTC models in Antwerp, Belgium, where the whole roof module is also fitted. Its market launch is in May 2006, with a modest entry-level price of 23,650 euros.
