“A Champion for Champions”: Sports Stars Celebrate New Opel Astra

• Golden champion: New Opel Astra wins “Golden Steering Wheel 2022”¹
• Family champion: New Astra Sports Tourer is “FAMILY CAR of the Year”² in Germany
• Sports champions: Jürgen Klopp, Gina Lückenkemper and Niklas Kaul go all out for the new Astra in wide-ranging social media campaign

Rüsselsheim.  What do two-time world Coach of the Year Jürgen Klopp, two-time European champion Gina Lückenkemper as well as decathlon world and European champion Niklas Kaul have in common with the new Opel Astra? Character, authenticity, approachability and the genes of a serial winner! That is exactly why the three sports stars love the latest generation of the compact class bestseller from Rüsselsheim. Thus, they are the ideal cast for the new Opel Astra campaign. A car that inspires, the three champions agree with regard to the freshly crowned “Golden Steering Wheel 2022”¹ winner – and get straight into the new Astra and Astra Sports Tourer. Because – and this is also the claim of the social media campaign – the Astra is: “A champion for champions”.

As heroes in the social media spot, Klopp, Lückenkemper and Kaul are in the lead of the new Astra campaign – authentic, approachable and always with a wink. Further videos with the athletes as well as social media assets and behind-the-scenes insights complement the campaign. In addition, the new Opel Astra is celebrated in print media and on large posters with the cross-media campaign "Germany’s best car"¹. The accompanying TV spot will run on all relevant TV channels from now on. In addition, the Astra will be promoted on social media and other digital channels in high-traffic environments.

“Well done, Opel”: A champion that (not only) champions celebrate

“Wow, there it is!” Two-time world “Coach of the Year” Jürgen Klopp was already excited about his new Opel Astra Plug-in Hybrid at the beginning of September – it was his “debut in electric mobility”. In the hero spot for the new Astra social media campaign, Gina Lückenkemper, who won European Championship gold in the 100-metre race and the 4×100-metre relay this year, as well as the youngest decathlon world champion of all time – and since the summer also European champion – Niklas Kaul, also get closer to the new Astra. Like Klopp, both athletes are thrilled: "That’s a sprint", is how the fastest woman in Europe assesses the acceleration of the Astra Plug-in Hybrid with 133 kW/180 hp system output and 360 Newton metres of torque (combined fuel consumption/emissions according to WLTP³: 1.1-1.0 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 24-23 g/km). Niklas Kaul concludes in a typical decathlete manner: "Simply a champion in all disciplines." And Lückenkemper adds with a smile: "Beautiful steering wheel – but shouldn’t that actually be golden?"

AUTO BILD and BILD am SONNTAG readers as well as the expert jury thought so, too – and named the new Astra five-door and Sports Tourer the "Golden Steering Wheel"¹ as "Best Car up to 50,000 Euros". It is the third “Golden Steering Wheel” in a row for Opel. As a true "champion", however, the new Astra generation is not resting on just one title. The independent GCOTY jury of experts of the "German Car Awards" recently voted the Astra "German Compact Car of the Year 2023"⁴. And the Astra Sports Tourer estate is already making its way to dealers and customers as the "FAMILY CAR of the Year"².

There are numerous reasons for the many accolades of the new Astra generation: The new Astra and Astra Sports Tourer are more dynamic than ever before – with a pure and bold design including the Opel Vizor brand face – while remaining true everyday heroes. Cutting edge technologies such as the intuitive, fully-digital Pure Panel cockpit or the adaptive, glare-free Intelli-Lux LED^® Pixel Light make driving more pleasant and safer – just like the AGR-certified (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.) ergonomic active seats for driver and front passenger. Last, but not least Astra customers have a wide choice of drive alternatives: The Astra five-door and Sports Tourer are not only available with highly efficient internal combustion engines, but also, for the first time, as electrified and thus locally emission-free plug-in hybrids. And a battery-electric version will follow next year. Jürgen Klopp sums it up in his very own way in the campaign spot: "Good job, Opel!”

^[1] AUTIO BILD edition 45/2022 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 46/2022, category for “Best car under €50,000”.

^[2] “FAMILY CAR of the Year 2022”, categories “Design” and “Technology” for cars under €25,000. Voting based on official German Opel price lists from spring 2022; AUTO Straßenverkehr call for readers’ votes in March 2022; results in edition 20/2022 of August 31, 2022.

^[3] The fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions figures mentioned comply with the WLTP homologation (World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure). The WLTP replaces the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), which was the test procedure used previously. The fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions figures may vary depending on specific equipment, options and format of tyres.

^[4] German Compact Car of the Year” (compact class category, up to €30,000).