ALL ITS EGGS IN ONE ASTRA?

摘要

General motors corp. Vice-Chairman Robert A. Lutz took the stage at the Geneva Auto. Show on Mar. 2 and gleefully crowed about the "very fast start" of the new Opel Astra, the flagship of Adam Opel, GM's main operation in Europe. GM's stylish compact hasn't even arrived at dealerships, but already Opel has drummed up firm orders for 30,000 of the cars in two months. Even better for Opel, the new Astra's racy design and lush interior have prompted glowing reviews in trade magazines. Even rival execs give it an approving nod. "It's a beautiful car," says Toyota Europe Senior Managing Director Tokuichi Uranishi. The new Astra could be just what GM Europe needs to juice sales, emerge from a five-year slump, and accelerate the earnings recovery of its giant parent in Detroit. The timing is lucky: The Astra is hitting the market just when its biggest rival, Volkswagen, is reeling from the weak launch of its vital profit spinner, the Golf compact. Astra's classy design has helped galvanize the sense of new beginnings in an Opel lineup long distin- guished by its mediocrity. Its high-tech headlamps are framed dramatically in a black-glass setting, "like presenting jewelry in a special case," says Astra designer Friedhelm Engler. The ambitious team that designed the Astra, all younger than the 40-year-old design chief, wanted to push Astra's styling to the edge. "We didn't play the safe card. It gives us a clear advantage," says Engler.