“The only part of the Astra which isn’t new is its name,” said Vauxhall marketing director Andy Gilson as the General Motors Europe UK unit released first pictures of the redesigned C-segment model today.
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It’s a critical car for the struggling Opel/Vauxhall unit which may yet end up merged with Chrysler and Fiat to form the world’s second largest automaker by volume, after Toyota, before the new Astra has even hit the showrooms.
C-segment success is critical for Europe’s volume car makers and competition is fierce – the new Astra goes up against a recent full restyle of the dominant Volkswagen Golf (the ‘mark six’ largely recycled the ‘mark five’ platform), the current Ford Focus (out since 2004 with a full redesign due in 2010) and numerous other European and Asian contenders (eg Kia Ceed and Mazda 3) for the fleet and private buyer’s cash. The outgoing model is sold as a Saturn in the US.
According to Gilson: “[The Astra] currently accounts for around 30% of all Vauxhall’s car sales, with the five-door hatch[back] taking 60% of those sales alone – so it’s important to lead with this body style.”
Though body style preferences vary in Europe – the south and east largely prefer sedans to hatchbacks; the latter dominates in the north and west (and is not even available in the UK for some C-segment models) – GM Europe will launch the revamped Astra as a five-door hatchback at next September’s Frankfurt motor show and it will start appearing in European showrooms soon after. The right hand drive UK (and other markets such as Ireland, Malta and Cyprus) will get Ellesmere Port-built cars (the plant was assigned the new model several years ago) by the end of the year.
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By GlobalDataThe sixth generation Astra in 30 years was designed by Briton Mark Adams who also penned GME’s European Car of the Year-winning D-segment Insignia launched a year ago.
The smaller Astra has some Insignia design touches but many unique details. The restyled 4.4 metre-long body tops a completely new platform with 71mm longer wheelbase, boosting passenger comfort and packaging. Front and rear tracks are wider and a new rear axle design improves stability, agility and ride comfort, GME said.
The optional ‘FlexRide’ system provides three selectable damper settings – standard, sport and tour – which also adapt to changes in driving style and cornering speed.
GME is hiding the interior restyle for now but promised a similar, though unique, look and “similar strides in quality to those found in the Insignia, combined with big improvements in packaging, seat design and in-cabin storage”.
GME also said the new Astra’s optional, latest generation adaptive forward lights, with bi-xenon technology that changes its intensity and reach to suit prevailing road conditions, would be unique in its segment – a similar system was introduced with the Insignia and is, the automaker added, now recognised as one of the most advanced systems available.
Like Volkswagen with its 1.4-litre super- and/or turbocharged powerplants launched several years ago, GME is now introducing a new, 140PS turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol unit, which builds on the recent trend amongst European automakers’ towards smaller capacity with consequent reduced emissions/fuel consumption, while retaining the performance of a larger capacity motor.
The new ‘1.4T’ supplements three other petrol engines with power outputs from 100PS to 180PS, and four diesels developing 95PS to 160PS. All are Euro 5 emissions-compliant.
