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Astra closes Golf sales gap.
Byline: Jason Stein
Opel's Astra has jumped to No. 2 in western Europe's lower-medium segment and the car is closing the sales gap with the Volkswagen Golf.
Through 10 months, the Astra has halved the Golf's sales lead in the segment compared with last year. By doing so, it has jumped ahead of the Peugeot 307 and Ford Focus, (See graphic, right).
"From a volume perspective, we are very encouraged that the gap to the Golf has closed substantially," Jonathan Browning, GM Europe's vice president of sales, marketing and aftersales, said in an interview. "But one of the most encouraging things is the degree to which Astra is changing perceptions in the markets. Now we are seeing consideration of the Astra by people who might not have considered it before."
Astra sales have increased 35.1 percent over the same period a year earlier. Golf sales have increased 5.9 percent despite the addition of a new derivative, the Golf Plus, to the lineup earlier this year.
But VW remains confident the Golf, western Europe's perennial best seller, will not lose its lead.
"We are absolutely sure the Golf will continue to lead the segment," VW spokesman Hartwig von Sass said.
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Source: HighBeam Research, Astra closes Golf sales gap.