10.10.2006 – 09:27

Opel Automobile GmbH

New Opel Corsa Targets Young Fun Generation

Rüsselsheim, Germany (ots)

- Representative survey: Car still important part of enjoying life
     for young people
   - With the new Corsa, Opel takes the car as a fun factor seriously

Despite traffic jams, increasing gasoline prices and a lack of
parking spaces, a car is still an important part of having fun. This
was the opinion expressed by almost 75 percent of the twentysomething
urbanites who took Opel's survey, and was analyzed closely during the
new Corsa's development. With this latest successful model, Opel
takes a huge step forward in its drive to rejuvenate the brand,
putting the question of what fun means to young people today at the
heart of the Corsa's design.

"Fun is the decisive factor for the twentysomething generation
living in cosmopolitan cities," says Alain Visser, who developed the
brand's architecture in his role as Executive Director of European
Marketing. This statement is confirmed by the representative survey
Opel conducted with 1600 twenty to thirty-year-olds in the major
cities of eight European countries. As a car is seen as an important
part of life, it must fulfill this expectation. The surprising
outcome of the survey was that driving is by no means a lonely affair
for young people. In fact, a car is more a place for friends to get
together. 86 percent said they enjoy going on holiday by car with
their friends, while 77 percent highly rate having romantic
encounters in a car. For 57 percent of young men, it is a place to
exchange affections, whereas 64 percent of women enjoy chatting with
their best friend while behind the wheel.

When the car is so integrated into daily life, it is no wonder
that three-quarters of those surveyed said the first thing they do in
a new car is go for a spin with their friends. And as 44 percent said
they would personalize it, the car itself must also reflect
customers' desire for individualization. With that in mind, new Corsa
customers have the possibility to customize their car ex works with
individual interior equipment details such as piano lacquer or heated
steering wheel, and so put together a completely individual model
variant.

Designers also put great emphasis on the feel-good ambience in the
interior. The attention to detail is highlighted by the refined
backlit turn buttons for the climate control, radio and light, as
well as the colorful interior design.

As a leisure and holiday companion, Corsa engineers designed the
newcomer with versatile storage and transport possibilities. There is
an optional space in the doors for 1.5-liter water bottles, a
spacious drawer under the front passenger seat and Flex-Fix, a
pull-out bicycle carrier that is integrated into the rear bumper.
Sporty variable direct steering and a dynamic chassis add to driving
fun. But top speed was of less interest to a large number of the
young people surveyed: 44 percent said that they did not have any fun
by driving fast.

When it comes to the point made in the survey by three quarters of
the young urbanites  ( that they would have even more fun if they had
more money available ( Opel has the answer: new Corsa prices start at
10,990 euros.

Contact:

Jean-Philippe Kempf
Phone: +49 6142-7-66651

Text and photos can be downloaded from the Internet at
http://media.opel.com.

Original content of: Opel Automobile GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell