Big Sensation in China: Opel Astra GTC
January 28th, 2008 | by Ed |
The Opel Astra GTC with panorama windshield has been recognized as the most fashionable trendsetter among imported vehicles 2007 in China. The “Most Fashionable Vehicle” award was presented by the Chinese Trading Center for Automobile Imports and Sina.com, the largest Chinese-language infotainment web portal. The real eye-catcher was the GTC’s innovative XXL windshield: it extends back into the B-pillar and offers occupants a unique view. The jury of economic and media experts, as well as Internet users, evaluated the dynamic three-door Astra model in a total of ten categories against criteria such as performance, safety, technological innovation, brand image and styling.
Besides the Astra GTC, which has been sold in China since last summer, the five-door Astra, Astra TwinTop, Zafira and Vectra are also available in the country. The expanding network of Opel dealerships in China – there are currently 40 in total – sold 3700 vehicles last year.
The panorama windshield comes as standard in the top-of-the-line Astra GTC Cosmo variant in Germany. The around 1.8 square meter glass panel extends from the end of the hood, over the front occupants’ heads to the middle of the roof. Unlike contemporary glass roof designs, there is no crossbeam to obstruct the view, enabling driver, front and rear passengers to enjoy an unrestricted view similar to that in the cockpit of a sport airplane. Thanks to the additional foil in the 5.5 mm-thick laminated safety glass, the windshield cannot splinter, even in the event of a serious accident. The foil used in the lightly green-tinted Solar Protect Glass panorama windshield also serves as a heat-insolating layer. There is also a shading system, for which a patent has been applied: the steplessly adjustable shades disappear under the rear roof section when in open mode.
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