Opel finished 2012 at number three in the European passenger car market, up one place from the previous year, but its performance in the light commercial vehicle sales charts has been less impressive.

‘This is surprising given our outstanding range of commercial vehicles and our objective must be to improve our standing in the light commercial vehicle market to match that in the passenger car market,’ said Mr Hucker.

Opel has new or refreshed versions for each model in its light commercial vehicle line-up. The new Combo, which doubles up as a passenger car or a panel van, went on sale at start of last year, priced from at €13,750, offering a broad spectrum of models available including a multifunctional passenger car in a five or seven-seater version, or as a two-seater panel van with a closed or glazed body.

At the same time, the best selling Vivaro model line-up was strengthened further with new Euro-V compliant engines and a special low-carbon, environmentally-friendly model.

It is now sold with a 2.0 CDTI diesel that meets the strictest Euro 5 emissions standards. Equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) as standard, it is available with two different outputs: 66kW/90hp or 84kW/114hp, allowing the Vivaro to enter the most environmentally sensitive urban areas.

There is also a new Vivaro ecoFLEX variant, which achieves CO2 emissions as low as 180g/km and cuts fuel consumption by 0.6 l/100km.The Vivaro ecoFLEX is available as either a panel van, combi-van, bus or the multi-functional leisure vehicle, Life.

Meanwhile, Opel’s Movano panel now benefits from a start-stop system that saves fuel and reduces carbon emissions by up to 8%. The range has been further boosted by an increase in the number of certified conversions available, which now total over 75, and Movano conversion sales are up 30% year-on-year.

The latest, a 4×4 variant comes from Oberaigner Automotive, a leading Austrian provider of AWD technology for the transporter segment. This new initiative offers a powerful All-Wheel Drive configuration, capable of tackling steep slopes, snow tracks, wet grasslands, gravel or muddy conditions.

‘There are certain synergies with fleet and commercial vehicles sales, including customers in common, so it has made absolute sense to merge LCVs into the European fleet department. Given our outstanding light commercial vehicle range, we are confident that we can improve our sales performance considerably in this key corporate market sector in the coming year,’ added Mr Hucker.