Bruce Newton•9 Apr 2013
NEWS
Exclusive: Zafira confirmed!
Opel confident stylish people-mover will appeal as an economical alternative to SUVs for family buyersOpel will add to the limited line-up of people-mover choices on-sale in Australia when it launches the third generation Zafira in August.
The local sale of the Zafira was predicted by motoring.com.au back in February when we learned it had gained Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification.
However, Opel held off confirmation until it had conducted a series of clinics with its dealers to make sure they saw value in bringing the car into Australia.
“I was pretty confident the dealers would see the opportunity but I wanted to give them that right to give input into it and see if they agreed with that view. And they absolutely did,” said Opel Australia managing director Bill Mott.”
Opel will launch two version of the Zafira in Australia, one powered by a new 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and the other by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel. Both will be mated with six-speed automatic transmissions.
While not discussing pricing, Mott said it would be “very competitive”. He agreed the Honda Odyssey was a key competitor. Its pricing starts at $37,100.
While popular in Europe, where 100,000 Zafiras were sold last year, people-movers are not widely accepted here because families tend to opt for SUVs.
According to VFACTS figures, the people-mover segment accounts for just 0.7 per cent of new vehicle registrations in Australia so far in 2013.
“Obviously people who want seven seats in Australia are looking to SUVs, but maybe a portion of that is due to the lack of a good looking and clever people-mover and we think – and the dealers share this view – that if we bring it in and price it right there are probably those who want that flexibility that a people-mover can offer, and want a package that is more economical and efficient than an SUV,” Mott explained.
“The product speaks volumes, if you allow them to get in, touch, feel and see what the product is it can almost sell itself,” he added. “We think there is a spot in the market for a design-leading and very clever interior package and that’s precisely what the Zafira delivers.”
The Zafira will be the fourth model line offered in Australia by General Motors’ European arm since its 2012 launch, following on from Astra, Corsa and Insignia (and more recently, their OPC derivatives). The Cascada convertible and Mokka compact SUV remain on the wanted list, albeit yet to be confirmed.
The first generation Zafira was sold here between 2001 and 2005 as a Holden, but was dropped due to poor sales and cost of importing it from Europe. The second generation Zafira never made it to Australia.
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Written byBruce Newton
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