Article: Golf vs. Astra: The main battle; A fragmented market means the winner's share will be smaller.(News)

Byline: Wim Oude Weernink

Volkswagen and General Motors will soon introduce lower-medium models that they hope will dominate Europe's biggest auto segment.

But the new-generation VW Golf and Opel/Vauxhall Astra will compete in a far more fragmented and competitive arena than the current models did when they were introduced.

The new Golf and Astra will be larger, faster and more luxurious. But competitors are better and more numerous.

"When we launched the Golf in 1974, Golf had just 10 rival models," says Volkswagen group CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder. "Today, there are 130."

The segment just below, which is populated by ...

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