- OPC seats with new organic material, saving 45 percent weight on seat shell
- Driving experience more sporty and dynamic than ever
- First seat in compact sports coupé segment certified by AGR healthy back experts
Rüsselsheim. The new Astra OPC, the most powerful Astra ever, will have a new high-performance bucket seat with state-of-the art technology, ready for the compact sports coupé’s world premiere at the international Geneva motor show on March 6. Both front seats increase the sporty and dynamic driving experience by introducing cutting-edge weight-saving material, a lower seating position and enhanced side support.
OPC (Opel Performance Center) engineers used an organic injection molded sheet in the performance seat shell, resulting in a weight saving of 45 percent compared to a conventional shell. The sheet is filled with a composite material of polyamide and fiber glass. The new material is both agile and strong and because of its strength it only needs to be one to two millimeters.
“Opel is the world’s first auto manufacturer to use this material in the shell of a production car seat,” says Armin Rossmann, the leader of the OPC seat development team. “The most powerful Astra ever deserves the best technology in all areas, including seating.”
The driver and his co-pilot can now enjoy an even more sporty driving experience as the seating position is 17 mm lower than in the Astra GTC coupé and even 40mm lower than the conventional Astra.
The lowering of the seats further increases the feeling for the car and the contact between the driver and the road.
The new seat boasts up to 18 different settings:
- Entire seat backwards and forwards (2)
- Entire seat upwards and downwards (2)
- Seat backrest backwards and forwards (2)
- Seat cushion angle adjustment (2)
- Seat cushion length extension (2)
- Four-way lumbar support adjustment (4)
- Adjustable side bolster support in back (2)
- Adjustable side bolster support in seat cushion (2)
The performance seat has the largest setting range in the compact sports coupé segment, allowing both the driver and his co-pilot a high degree of flexibility. In addition, pneumatically adjustable cushions are available for the flanks of the performance seat. They fit around every body shape and give support from the side at the push of a button. It can be ordered in three different leather, fabric and color combinations and will make its debut in the next generation Astra OPC.
Opel is the first car manufacturer to offer seats certified by the independent healthy back experts, AGR (“Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V”), starting in 2003 with the Signum. The AGR only approves seats with its quality seal that meet its high ergonomic standards. In order to be honored with the AGR seal, the seat has to fulfill a list of ten criteria. They include four-way lordosis support and that the seatback contours adapt exactly to the natural curvature of the spine. The new Astra OPC continues this tradition and brings the only AGR certified seat to the compact sports coupé segment.
Most powerful Astra ever
As the most powerful Astra ever, the OPC’s 2.0 liter direct injection engine delivers 206 kW/280 hp and 400 Nm of maximum torque. It can reach a speed of 250 km/h, making it the fastest Astra to date. The car is fitted with an exclusive high performance chassis with limited slip differential and Brembo-brakes.
All OPC (Opel Performance Center) technology is subjected to a 10,000 km high speed test program on the northern loop of the Nürburgring, the so called “Nordschleife”, to meet Opel’s high performance and safety criteria. 10,000 high-speed kilometers on the Nordschleife mean a stress factor times 18 on the car: they translate to around 180,000 km of driving on normal roads.
