First off the block are the launches of the Astra Cabriolet and Vectra in the final quarter, followed by the luxury Speedster sports car, which will go on sale in the New Year. Last year, ST Kinetics sold 904 Opel cars, including 428 Astras, 223 Zafiras and 60 Vectras. Auto, which has been the local distributor for GM's Saab brand for 11 years, has forecast selling 1,000 Opel-branded cars next year.
Even with the switch in distributors, GM still faces an uphill battle because local buyers generally prefer prestige marques, such as BMW.
An industry source pointed out that Opel had traditionally been marketed as "a German car at Japanese car prices", filling the niche below prestige car brands, but slightly above Japanese labels.
Auto is also banking on shifting Opel's traditional image association with sedans with the introduction of sportier models.
Auto's appointment has also sparked an advertising account pitch, which includes several of GM's internationally rostered agencies.
Auto's marketing manager, Tina Ow, said the company had invited GM-rostered agencies McCann-Erickson and D'Arcy as well as local independent agencies to pitch for Opel's business. D'Arcy already works with Auto, handling its Saab account.
The distributor expects to choose an agency before the end of the month, as it needs to start work on the new model launches. The winning agency will handle its above- and below-the-line work.
