GM chief Barra touts new Opel Astra at Frankfurt show

Manufacturers are forecasting full-year growth of around 7 percent in the region – which will make it easier to absorb any hits from China’s slowdown.

The announcement was made as the 11th-generation Opel Astra (which will be rebadged as a Holden) made its motor show debut at Frankfurt, with Holden’s Executive Director of Sales Peter Keley confident it would resonate with buyers. Mr Tozer said a British exit would not cause “trouble” for the company or its parent, General Motors (NYSE: GM – news), as he stressed that Vauxhall would continue to build its popular Astra model in Britain. Such technologies are meant to free drivers from routine tasks and may one day lead to driverless cars.

The list of novelties also includes the infotainment area, where the Astra now offers Apple’s CarPlay, as well as the Android Auto interface.

The Astra’s cabin also features ergonomic seats that have been certified by Germany’s AGR (Campaign for Healthier Backs) to provide excellent long-distance comfort.

The brand new Astra goes on sale October. 10 in Europe, beginning at round 17,200 euros.

As GM looks to further expand its Buick portfolio in both the United States and China, there are rumors that the Astra could be a possible candidate for either export to America or production here.

But General Motors President Dan Ammann said on Tuesday the launch of a new Opel Astra would help boost sales.

Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche gets the rock star treatment as he presents – to his mostly-male audience – the new Mercedes-Benz S-class cabriolet. Volkswagen’s luxury brand Bentley has the Bentayga, an SUV with a massive 12-cylinder engine and a top speed of 187 miles per hour. Holden is promising to deliver 24 new models over the next five years.

Germany’s historic Borgward brand, which went bust in 1961, was revived earlier this year, with the Frankfurt seeing the re-born company’s first vehicle – the BX7.

Holden engineers have shared their expertise and experience in contributing to global development rides as well as driving change into Astra’s chassis controls tuning to ensure the auto performs well on Australian roads.

“There are talks where we can intensfy the cooperation with Toyota”, Eichener said.