7.1.2004
First new Astra leaves the line in Belgium

A 5-door ultra blue Astra equipped with a 1.6 twinport engine rolled off the production line at the Opel Antwerp plant.

Production of the new Astra started at Opel Antwerp this week. A 5-door model, in ultra blue and equipped with a 1.6 twinport engine is the first of the new Astra family to be produced in Belgium.

After the summer, the new Astra Station Wagon followed by the Astra 3-door in 2005 will be produced in the Antwerp plant. The 3-door model will be built exclusively in Antwerp for the European market. This year Opel Belgium will produce about 240,000 Astras.

The introduction of the new Astra family comes with a significant investment program, at the Antwerp plant, as well as at its sister plants in Bochum, Germany, and in Ellesmere Port, UK.

The biggest eye-catcher in Antwerp is the extension of its Press Shop for bodywork parts. Its floor space has now been doubled, and, with the installation of a third high-tech transfer press, it will process 80,000 tons of steel a year, compared with 50,000 previously. While the bulk of the investments are in the Body Shop with an upgrade of all welding installations, many installations in the Paint Shop and Final Assembly Departments have also been upgraded.

The introduction of a new model is also associated with large-scale investment in training and education. A total of 150,000 training hours are planned to ensure that all workers at Opel Beligum are able to deliver quality products right from day one.

Eddy Geysen states: "In addition to one of the biggest investment program in the history of Opel Belgium, the Antwerp plant is the first to start the production of this model."