General Motors has begun assembling the Opel Astra model in St. Petersburg, the company said in a statement.

The first Opel Astra has been assembled using parts delivered from Germany. This is the second Opel model assembled in Russia after the Opel Antara.

GM said it launched assembly of the Astra in Russia because of the rapidly growing demand for this model. The company plans to assemble 25,000 Astra models in 2008.

Demand for the Opel Astra picked up heavily in Russia in 2007 with 29,000 cars being sold in the country in 2007 compared to 9,500 in 2006.

Total GM sales in Russia grew 95% to 259,000 in 2007.

News source: Interfax.com
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