Mike Humble:

Well, I did warn you didn’t I? The rather excellent all new British made Astra has gained the ultimate gong… 2016 European Car Of The Year… And rightly so too.

As I mentioned in the road tests, it’s more than the best Astra ever… It’s a truly brilliant and clever car. Lighter, faster, leaner and stronger Astra represents an impressive investement in working practises, engineering and intelligent design. Our boys and girls at the Ellesmere Port plant ought to rightly proud of the quality too.

Others on the shortlist included Mazda’s new MX5, the Volvo XC90 and another fine Brit car – the Jaguar XE. But for now… It’s Vauxhalls moment, a fitting and deserving award.

Well done GM and Vauxhall!