January 17, 2003

Opel Enters New Market Segment with Vivaro "Life"

Leisure vehicle to write another chapter in the Opel commercial vehicle success story

Rüsselsheim. Opel is moving into the multi-van market segment for the first time with the new Vivaro "Life" leisure vehicle. Right from the start, the company will be looking to capture a 10 to 15 percent market share. Thanks to a multi-functional interior, Opel's Vivaro "Life" can seat up to seven passengers. From a relaxed drive to a vacation destination with plenty of room for the whole family, to comfortable possibilities for work, the Vivaro "Life" can be used for a wide variety of purposes. This newest member of Opel's commercial vehicle range will be on display at the "International Exhibition for Caravanning, Motoring and Tourism" (CMT) in Stuttgart, Germany from January 17 through January 26, 2003.

The Vivaro "Life" will enhance Opel's strong track record in the commercial vehicle segment. Starting with the introduction of the Movano in 1999, Opel has completely revamped its line of commercial vehicles. The Movano was followed by the Vivaro in the summer of 2001 and by the Combo series in November of the same year. These modern, innovative Opel vans cover everyone's transportation needs (in the 3.5-ton gross vehicle weight category), and have clearly pleased customers, as the van's sales numbers show. Overall Germany's light commercial vehicle segment saw a decline of seven percent in 2002 as compared to 2001. However Opel saw its share of this market segment rise from 4.2 percent (8114 units) to 6.6 percent (11,900 units). That corresponds to a sales increase of 47 percent year-on-year. Opel also bucked the trend in Europe as a whole. Market share in the light commercial vehicle segment rose from 4.1 percent (79,545 units) to 6.3 percent, or to more than 111,000 vehicles in 2002 – representing an increase in new registrations of 40 percent.

The Vivaro "Life" is the first vehicle to be produced under a cooperation formed at the start of 2002 with the Westfalia Van Conversion. It will be available at dealerships in Germany from the end of March.