All posts tagged opel astra
Opel Astra Cabriolet rendering
A new Opel Astra cabriolet is planned for 2013 and after coupé-cabrio models don’t seem to have demonstrated the same charm as the traditional soft top with folding fabric roof, Opel will be going back to cabrio roots with its Astra convertible. The new Astra Cabrio will replace the TwinTop model and will revive a more classic style while doing so.
Opel has already confirmed that a traditional Astra Cabriolet is in the works, which should debut in 2013. The model could be the next from the German brands in the classic cabrio camp, after Volkswagen just revived its own Golf Cabriolet. It replaces the current Volkswagen Eos, with a folding metal roof, which will be discontinued.
The rendering above is from WorldCarFans and shows what the Astra-based cabriolet could look like, although no official details are available right now. The Astra cabriolet will be built in Poland at the Gliwice plant.
Opel Astra GTC video
After the Opel Astra GTC preview pics and the news that we’ll see this released on June 7th, Opel has also released an Astra GTC video. After the GTC we should also see the Astra OPC eventually appear, sometime after the Astra GTC debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Details are scarce on both models at this stage and the GTC should be more akin to the standard five-door Astra. The OPC is likely to get new aerodynamics and modifications to the engine with the two-litre unit nearing 300 hp. It could appear at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Up first, though, we’ll see the Opel Astra GTC get a press unveil on June 7 where we hope to receive some more images of the new coupé. Details revealed on that date will include technical specs, with some information on what is expected to be significant chassis changes to the standard Astra, that will also preview those to be seen on the OPC/VXR model in the future.
Opel Astra GTC
The Opel Astra GTC will be officially released on June 7th before going on display at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show later this year. These two Astra GTC preview pics show that the model is closely based on the GTC Paris prototype that was unveiled at the Paris motor show last year.
From what we can see in the images, not a lot has changed from the GTC Paris Concept and the rear end has kept its Scirocco-like looks. The Astra GTC will be available for pre-orders in June before we actually get to see it in Frankfurt.
Opel Astra OPC images leaked
The Vauxhall Astra VXR (or Opel Astra OPC), shows more than just shades of the sexy hatch-coupé Opel GTC concept we saw at the Paris show last year. Autocar has got its hands on some details, including these two rendered images, and is saying that the new model should be competing with the Renault Sport Megane 250.
The new Astra OPC will get a boost in power, up 50 hp to nearly 300 hp. Some local UK development work has also been carried out to give it a new track chassis. This is designed to keep in step with the Megane 250 and the upcoming Ford Focus ST. The design is clearly as close as Opel wanted to get to its Paris concept, and the renderings are said to be an accurate rendition of the model, possibly produced for promotional material.
In fact, if these pics are to be believed, the Astra OPC is very faithful to the Paris concept, although we had originally expected Opel to go less radical. While it’s clearly an Opel design, some of the more exaggerated features look like they will be included: the door handle creases running to the rear, and the sculpted hatch part for example. The kind of curvy style of the Opel Astra GTC has been achieved through advances in technology that have managed to produce a design that would have otherwise been impossible.
Analysis: Opel going to Australia
Over the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, among the plans for expansion of the Opel brand overseas, General Motors confirmed that models like the Opel Astra will be back on the Australian car market, not as locally-badged Holden models, but as Opel European premium brand vehicles. The move could involve internal competition among the General Motors group, with models like the Chevrolet Cruze being overlooked for the Opel badge, but Opel head Nick Reilly claims that the European models will be headed for a different market segment, with customers unlikely to swap over from brand to another.
So far comments in Australia seem to welcome the move, and the return of European-built models like the Opel Astra and Opel Corsa (originally on the market as the Holden Barina) could prove to be extremely popular. We already analysed how the change from European-produced, Holden-Opel models to Korean-built ones was unwelcome, and how it damaged the brand on that market, and the announcement to bring back Opel models may well be celebrated by those wanting more choice in the European brand offering.
Rather than badging the models as Holdens, Opel will work alongside the Aussie brand, but will likely have its own standalone division and possible dedicated dealerships. Australian customers will have to expect to pay a premium for the Opel models though, as they will be priced in a different bracket from previous Holden branded models. They could prove to be more expensive than Volkswagen models, but will still be placed in front of Peugeot, Citroen, Renault and Alfa Romeo.
The expansion of the Opel brand worldwide is key to its survival, particularly at an international level, and the brand is planning new ventures in China, South America and the Middle East. Plans for the Australian market will likely be clouded somewhat by the history of the Holden brand, and will depend on the success of the premium brand label with past attempts not producing the profits expected. We’re hoping though that this time the move will be successful enough to discourage Opel from importing Korean-made Corsa’s and other models into Europe….
Source | Carsales.com.au
New Opel Astra flop for 2010?
After taking a dig at the Audi A1 and its supposedly disappointing sales results so far, German magazine Automobilwoche is also citing the new Opel Astra as a flop for 2010. The take on the Astra comes with comparison of the Volkswagen Golf, which has vastly outstripped the former in sales for this year. On the local German market, Astra sold 65,472 units in the last year against the 234,135 Golfs that were sold. From November 2009 to November 2010, those Astra sales represent just 28 percent of the Golf sales.
Opel sales chief for Germany Alain Visser has admitted that the Astra sales are (unsurprisingly for us) inferior to those of the Golf, but says that the company will be focusing on its new Astra Sports Tourer station wagon in the new year. The Sports Tourer apparently represents 50 percent of overall Astra sales and this compact wagon is more than a significant competitor for the Golf Variant.
The Opel Astra fares better against the Volkswagen Golf on some other European markets, while across Europe over the last year the Astra has sold 254,773 units to the Golf’s 533,009. That makes for a percentage of about 48 percent, which is far healthier than on the local German market. It still puts the Astra behind the Golf but the latter has always reigned as Europe’s favourite hatchback so the figures are not exactly ground breaking. What will be interesting to see is how the Sports Tourer goes in the future.
Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTC gets Lotus input
Lucky UK customers of the new Opel Astra VXR will get some Lotus fine-tuning work done on the model as it will probably become the Astra GTC in the future. The high-performance version of between 280 and 300 hp is said to have some input from Lotus to improve the chassis components.
While the Astra GTC model has mostly been developed in Germany, it’s not the first time Lotus has lent a hand to the company, having worked on the previous VXR as well. The work has been conducted on a strictly consultative basis and no official confirmation is likely to be made.
The previous Astra VXR had an electronic limited-slip differential system, but this time the company is apparently working on a mechanical version, which is the part where Lotus comes in. The latter’s role would be to reduce torque steer and fine-tune the new mechanical operation. The new Opel Astra GTC could get the same Hyperstrut suspension of the Insignia VXR and will probably arrive late next year.
Source | Autocar
Opel GTC Paris Concept and Astra sports tourer live at 2010 Paris motor show
The Opel GTC Paris Concept was the first cab off the rank at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. This gallery shows the Astra GTC prototype in all its red, shiny glory, and demonstrates the talent of designer Mark Adams. He has slowly been modernising the brand and this sexy sports concept shows the new dynamic design that Opel has been adopting.
Alongside the GTC Paris Concept is the Opel Astra Sports Tourer which could prove to be a remarkably successful model for the company. Photos of it were released a few months ago but this is the first world debut of the Sports Tourer and seeing it live shows just what a tough competitor in its segment it might prove. The Astra Sports Tourer has a FlexRide chassis and will provide start&stop technology and the 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX engine from 2011. Of all the banal things that most catches our attention though are the cool and practical FlexFold seats - what more could we want from a station wagon?
The GTC Paris Concept has been described by Mark Adams as the most exciting Opel ever. A phrase from Jonathan Livingston Seagull has been embroidered into the seats: “and the speed was pure beauty”. Some elements of the car will clearly stay in the prototype phase (like the enormous 21-inch wheels) but overall this concept represents most of what we’ll see on the Astra GTC. It is 4.46 metres long and has a 2.0-litre turbo engine with 290 hp.
Continue reading: Opel GTC Paris Concept and Astra sports tourer live at 2010 Paris motor show
Opel GTC Paris Concept video
We might have to change our mind over the Opel GTC Paris Concept being almost too aggressive and sporty for the kind of car it is after seeing this video. Although it’s so damn shiny that the highly polished effect makes it difficult to get a complete idea of the GTC lines. In any case, we’ll be bringing you some live, possibly finger-smudged pics of it from the 2010 Paris Motor Show where we’ll see just where Opel is taking its sporty Astra GTC in the future.
Opel GTC Paris Concept gallery
How sexy can an Opel get? The Opel GTC Paris Concept kind of sexy. In fact, the concept, which is a study in how sporty Opel can take its Astra model is almost too aggressive but then any production version is unlikely to be this over the top (so it’s one for hot hatch lovers). The Paris Concept is probably our first look at what the new Opel Astra GTC model will be like, which will build on the more sporty and slanted rear look of the new Astra anyway.
The GTC Paris Concept is equipped with a two-litre direct-injection engine which produces 295 hp. It also has a limited slip differential, FlexRide suspension and a rear parallel suspension set-up called Watt. On the more environmental and less sporty front we get Start&Stop technology which might be the only thing that makes it to production although Opel has made no further announcements about when the Opel Astra GTC will emerge. Lastly, the Paris Concept has a six-speed manual transmission.
Opel Astra sedan rendering
Here’s a rendering of the future Opel Astra sedan, a model which will likely see its debut sometime after early 2011. The Astra Sports Tourer will be officially unveiled at the 2010 Paris motor show, while the Astra GTC should follow at the Geneva show in 2011. The Astra sedan will then appear after the debut of these two models. The Astra sedan model has been around since the first generation in 1991 but has had various success depending on the local market appeal of sedan models.
The sedan would sit in the overall product line-up between the Astra hatch and the larger Insignia model. Both these vehicles have grown in size over recent generations and the new Astra sedan could be a mid-way point between the two. Some rumours have suggested that the car would take on the new name of Ascona to indicate a stand-alone model rather than a derivation of the Astra bodywork. It would share some components with the Chevrolet Cruze.
Opel Astra Sports Tourer unveiled: all the pics
Here we get to see the new Opel Astra Sports Tourer with official pics as it’s finally been presented by the company after a debut at last year’s Paris show in October. For the Sports Tourer video preview, see our previous post. The Astra Sports Tourer is very close to the hatchback it’s based on and will be available in Europe with a full eight options in the engine range.
The engines range from the 1.3 CDTI with 95 hp, to the 1.6 turbo petrol with 180 hp. A brand new option is available for the 1.4 turbo with a new powerstep of 120 hp, which now appears alongside the 1.4 with 140 hp, and which will eventually replace the 1.6 aspirated with 115 hp. The new unit will have a six-speed manual gearbox, the same as can be found on the other fuel models. The other new feature for the Astra Sports Tourer is a six-speed automatic gearbox which appears on the 1.4 turbo engine with 140 hp. More details after the jump.
The diesel range for the Sports Tourer starts with the entry level 1.3 CDTI with 95 hp, and then includes: the 1.4 CDTI with 110 and 125 hp, and the 2.0 CDTI with 160 hp. The new six-speed automatic gearbox is also available on the latter model and should prove a good combination for this car.
Continue reading: Opel Astra Sports Tourer unveiled: all the pics
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