Opel’s latest car may be called the Adam, but can the brand itself make a Lazarus-like return? Look at Opel’s registration figures in Singapore and you might notice something astonishing. In the first half of 2016, 30 Opels were put on the road here. The tally for July? 37 cars.

The sudden jump in sales sugggests a potential comeback for a brand that, till now, had seen better days in Singapore’s tough car market.

Last year was a plentiful one for COEs, but in a market that produced a sales bonanza for the car industry, distributor Auto Germany managed to sell only 63 Opels.

“We did take a backseat for a while, but now we are back with new-age technology and better engines that achieve remarkable emissions,” said David Pang, a director of Auto Germany.

But Opel’s rising fortunes are largely down to the success of a single model, the new Astra. A rival to Volkswagen’s popular Golf, it was launched in June and is responsible for giving Opel sales such a healthy bump in July.

But with sales so heavily dependent on the Astra, is there a chance the brand could be a one-hit wonder?

There may not be time to answer that question, because Opel has a relatively busy period ahead. Upcoming launches for Auto Germany include a facelifted version of the Zafira — a seven-seat multi purpose vehicle — as well as the Mokka X crossover. The latter could be an important car, given that crossovers are rising in popularity, and now account for more than one in three new cars sold here.

More Opels are on the way. “In the next few years, we will offer at least two new models a year,” said Mr Pang.

In fact, Opel will introduce 29 new models between now and 2020.