Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its second generation.
It is branded as the Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom and the Buick Excelle XT in China. The Holden Astra was discontinued in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, because exchange rates made importing Opel cars uncompetitive, and was replaced by the locally-assembled Holden Cruze. It briefly returned to the Australian market in 2012, for the first time badged as an Opel, but was discontinued after Opel withdrew from the country a year later. On 1 May 2014, Opel announced that the Astra GTC and Astra VXR would return to Australia and New Zealand in 2015, again bearing the Holden badge.
Naming convention
The Astra nameplate originates from Vauxhall, which had manufactured and marketed earlier generations of the Opel Kadett and Kadett E ) as the Vauxhall Astra. Subsequent GM Europe policy standardised model nomenclature in the early 1990s, whereby model names were the same in all markets regardless of the marque they were sold under.As of 2019, there have been five generations of the Astra. In a fashion typical for Opel, they are designated with subsequent letters of the Latin alphabet. Opel's official convention is that the Astra is a logical continuation of the Kadett lineage, thus, the first generation of Opel Astra as the Astra F. The usual convention would have started with Astra A, if the Astra had been considered a separate model. Models sold as Vauxhall, Holden, or Chevrolet have different generation designations reflecting the history of those nameplates in their home markets and their naming conventions.
Astra F (T92; 1991)
The Opel Astra F debuted in September 1991. With the Kadett E's successor, Opel adopted the Astra nameplate, which was already used by Vauxhall for the Kadett D and E. It was offered as a three- or five-door hatchback, a saloon, and an estate known as the Caravan and available with five doors only, bringing Opel's run of three-door wagons to an end at long last. A cabriolet was also offered, designed and built by Bertone in Italy. While the Astra F finished production in Germany in 1998, Polish-built Astras remained on offer in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Turkey, with the name Astra Classic from 1998 to 2002.The Opel Astra F consisted of two main revisions and was revised in 1995, with the launch of Opel's new Ecotec engine.
Aside from the South Africa-only 200t S, the lead model was the GSi – a 2.0 L I4 16V petrol injected model with 151 hp, available as a three-door only. It also featured sports bodykit and widened front seats in the interior. However, this was substituted in 1995 and was renamed as SPORT, although only a limited number were produced and the bodykit was removed also and it could be selected with the lower-powered, but more modern 'Ecotec' version, the X20XEV parallel with the C20XE. In Europe from 1994 all Astra models were offered with the 2.0 L 16V Ecotec X20XEV parallel with the 2.0 L 8V engine, but the three-door and station wagon models could be selected with the 151 hp C20XE engine. Some Astra models had a 1.6 L engine with 83 hp.
After the Astra F was replaced by the new generation Astra G in 1998, the so-called "REDTOP" C20XE engine was also taken out of production.
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South Africa and the 200t S
The model was also launched in South Africa in 1991, where it was produced under licence by Delta. The "Kadett" name was retained for the hatchback Astras until 1999. The sedan and station wagon models were offered under the Astra name. The Kadett and Astra in South Africa won the title of 'Car of the Year' in two consecutive years even though they were versions of the same car. South African nomenclature was denoted in centilitres, so the Astra and Kadett ranges featured 140, 160i, 180i and 200i models. The South African Astra turbo included a variant with the same turbocharged engine called the Opel Kadett 200t S. The 200t S was a specific name where Delta Motor Corporation wanted to show the specialty of the type, which could beat the BMW M3 in a quarter mile in that time. The "t" stands for the turbocharger. The engine in the Opel Astra and Kadett 200t S was sourced from the Opel Calibra and Opel Vectra A 4x4 2.0 16V turbo, four-wheel drive found in European markets, but local engineers converted the six-speed, four-wheel drive transmission to front-wheel drive only and as such it was unique to South Africa.Other markets
The Opel Astra also became available in Australasia badged as a Holden, first in New Zealand in 1995, and then Australia in 1996. The first models were imported from the UK, but later models were imported from Belgium. The Holden Astra name had previously been used on rebadged Nissan Pulsar models from 1984 to 1989.The Opel Astra's first generation was exported to Brazil from December 1994 as the Chevrolet Astra, possible because of a lowering of import tariffs. General Motors do Brasil sent the 2.0-litre, 115 bhp engines to Belgium, whence the completed cars took their way to Brazil. In February 1996 the Brazilian government again changed the import tariff, from 20 to 70% - making the car prohibitively expensive and leading to its cancellation after just over a year on the market. Instead, the locally built Kadett was updated. The second generation Astra was manufactured in Brazil.
Beginning in March 1995, the Astra sedan was assembled in Indonesia where it was marketed as the "Opel Optima". The name had to be changed since PT Astra was Toyota's long operating local partner in Indonesia. In India the Opel Astra was assembled for the local market in a joint venture with the Birla Companies, beginning in 1996. Indian production ended in 2002.
The first generation Chevrolet Astra in Brazil had a Vauxhall-style front grille featuring a "V", containing the Chevrolet badge.
Awards
- 1992 – Semperit Irish Car of the Year
- 1994 and 1995 – South African Car of the Year
Engines
Astra G (T98; 1998)
The Astra G was launched in Europe in 1998. It was available as a three or five-door hatchback, four-door saloon, five-door estate and two special versions from 2000: the Astra Coupé and the Astra Cabrio, both of them designed and built by Bertone. The Astra G saw the introduction of a natural gas-powered engine. Its chassis was tuned by Lotus and formed the base of a 7-seater compact MPV, the Opel Zafira. Approximately 90,000 coupés were produced.The manufacturing of the Astra saloon and Caravan continued at Opel's Gliwice plant in Poland after the debut of the next-generation Astra H, with the older model being branded as Astra Classic in a similar fashion to its predecessor, catering to the lower end of the market. This car was offered in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Turkey with the name Astra Classic II from 2004 to the end 2009. Apart from European markets, these models were also sold in Australia and New Zealand as the Holden Astra Classic, until they were replaced by the Holden Viva in 2006.
The Astra G was built as Chevrolet Astra in Brazil. It was facelifted in 2003 and was sold in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and other Latin American markets until 2011. The GM Brazilian 2.0 8V inline-four engine which equips the Astra has the "flex-power" technology, that allows the car to run on both petrol and alcohol fuels, providing 128/140 hp at 5200 rpm.
A taxi version of the Brazilian sourced model, powered with gasoline 2.0 engine was sold in Chile as the Chevy Urban.
In 2004, GM's Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ launched the 4-door version of the Astra G as the Chevrolet Viva. It was sold through Chevrolet dealers in Russia, while Opel dealers were selling the newer Opel Astra H. Sales were poor from the start due to high pricing: the only version launched was equipped with a 1.8L engine with an above-average trim level, placing the Viva's price above the Toyota Corolla. A project costing $340 million was selling less than a thousand cars annually ; rumours of shutting down Chevy Viva production circulated as early as summer of 2005. GM-AvtoVAZ shut down small-scale production of the Viva in March 2008.
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V8 Coupe in DTM
The Astra G series Coupé was used for the silhouette racing cars in the DTM series. These DTM racing cars are purpose-built race cars with barely any parts taken from the road cars except for lights and door handles. The car's bodywork featured gull-wing doors that were each supported by two gas struts. The racing cars were powered by 4.0L V8 engines with nearly. Opel did poorly during several seasons of DTM as only Manuel Reuter placed significantly in the championship once, taking second in the inaugural season in 2000. The car was also used to win the 24h Nürburgring in 2003.Xtreme
The Astra Xtreme, a concept car presented at the 2001 Geneva motor show, was a single-production V8-powered Astra based on the G-series Astra DTM. Like the DTM racing car, it featured a V8 engine, producing, gull-wing doors supported by gas struts, carbon fiber panels, and race-specification interior with five-point seatbelts.Gallery
Stock Car Brazil
The season of 2005 also joined the history of Stock Car. In addition to the category becoming multi - the first time the Mitsubishi Lancer ran alongside the Chevrolet Astra, on 30 October 2005, 40 cars with Stock Car V8 engines performed an unprecedented race outside of Brazil worth points for the championship. It was a round to the side of TC 2000, the main category of Argentina and in July had run in Curitiba. The Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez got a crowd of 70,000 people. Giuliano Losacco was the winner, with Mateus Greipel second and Luciano Burti third.The engine was a V8 Chevrolet 350 imported from the United States by JL, similar to that used in Busch Series, the second category of NASCAR, equal and limited to. The automaker GM was now sponsoring the category, providing the fairing of the Astra, making room for other manufacturers to enter the category with a low investment.
Astra H (A04; 2004)
The Astra H was launched in March 2004 as a five-door hatchback, whilst a five-door estate launched late 2004 and a sporty three-door hatchback, designated the GTC for European markets, Sport Hatch in the UK and the Coupé in Australia, launched in 2005. The GTC has the option of a windscreen called "panoramic windscreen" which extends into the roof area. Based on the new Delta platform, its size was increased compared to the previous version. Production came until the end of 2009, excepting the TwinTop which continued to be manufactured until November 2010.The ageing Vectra B was replaced in Brazil with a sedan version of the Astra H, named Chevrolet Vectra, until it was replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze in 2009. The model was matched with the other models offered in Brazil. This version was offered as an Opel in some Eurasian markets in 2006, following a debut at the international auto show in Istanbul, Turkey, including Ireland in 2008. This was manufactured in Gliwice, Poland. Also in 2006, the Astravan, a 3-door van variant of the estate, was launched. In September 2007, a version of the 5-door Astra was launched in Brazil, marketed as Chevrolet Vectra GT to differentiate from the already existing Astra, which was replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback in 2011.
The Opel Astra was revised in January 2007, with the introduction of different colors of the posterior lighthouses and a new front.
GM Russia launched SKD assembly of Astra on a temporary production site near Saint Petersburg in February 2008, with a potential capacity of 25,000 vehicles annually.
The Chevrolet Astra was withdrawn from Mexico in 2008 as a result of the withdrawal of Opel products from the brand, replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze sedan for the 2010 model year.
A first for any major European car is the availability of digital radio on some versions of the new Astra, while for the Astra product class first are electronically controlled chassis and AFL.
The Opel Astra Classic III from Bochum was offered for sale as a 5-door hatchback and estate in some Eastern European markets.
At the end of 2012, the Astravan was replaced by the new Opel Combo D.
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OPC
During 2005, Opel introduced the OPC version of the Astra GTC which is powered by an updated version of the 2.0 L turbo Family II engine producing 240 PS and of torque. Standard features of the OPC version include sports bodykit and recaro interior, a six-speed manual gearbox, xenon headlamps and 18-inch alloy wheels amongst others.This vehicle was sold until late 2009 in Australia and New Zealand by Holden Special Vehicles as the HSV VXR. HSV VXRs but it never offered a sedan in the UK and Australia are sold as standard with full leather trim, climate control, 6 disc CD and 19-inch alloy wheels. HSV VXRs were badged as per the UK Vauxhall Spec models but without the usual rear boot badge. The sedan was discontinued in Australia and United Kingdom in 2003. Inside the Opel Blitz appears on the steering wheel with an OPC dashboard. The Astra OPC was also sold as the Chevrolet Astra OPC in Chile.
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TwinTop
In 2006, the Astra TwinTop arrived. The Astra TwinTop has a three-part folding metal roof which sits in the upper half of the boot space, leaving considerable luggage space below it. Still marketed as a four-seater, the rear seating space is smaller than other Astra models. The TwinTop was available in three trim levels with a range of engines in each, including a 2.0 L turbo and the 1.9 CDTI diesel in form.Launched in January 2007, Australian-market TwinTops came with the Z22YH 2.2 L direct-injection engine with a choice of 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission which was unique to Australia.
The TwinTop was discontinued in November 2010 along with the 3-door GTC, thus replaced by the soft-top surface Opel Cascada.
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Stock Car Brazil
In Brazil, Chevrolet Vectra substituted the Chevrolet Astra on Stock Car. The V8 is still the same, apart from that now they use Ethanol instead of Petrol.Saturn Astra
The Saturn Astra debuted during the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. Intended to replace the Ion as the brand's smallest model, the Saturn Astra was a captive import built in Antwerp, Belgium. It was offered only in three and five-door hatchback body styles, with sales starting on 2 January 2008. Only one engine was available: a 1.8 L U18XER inline-4-cylinder gasoline engine with variable-valve technology producing and with an available five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission.The Astra XE was available only on the five-door hatchback bodystyle version; this was the basic trim level for the Saturn Astra. The upmarket XR trim level was available in both the three and five-door hatchback. alloy wheels were standard with the XR, while the XE made do with steel wheels and plastic covers.
In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests the Astra earned a Good overall score in frontal impacts, while in side impacts it received a Marginal overall rating. Front and rear head curtain airbags and front seat-mounted torso airbags were standard.
General Motors predicted sales of between 30,000–40,000 vehicles a year in the United States. Sales were slow, due initially to a large glut of unsold Ions and later the uncertainty surrounding the Saturn brand's future. In 2008 only 11,968 were sold in the US and in 2009 this fell to 6,298.
With a large number of unsold cars remaining on dealer lots, GM announced it would end import of the Astra. In June 2009, GM announced its intention to sell the Saturn Corporation to Penske Automotive Group but this never was concluded and in 2010 General Motors discontinued the Saturn brand.
The successor to the Saturn Astra in the North American General Motors lineup was the Buick Verano, introduced for the 2012 model year. The Verano is derived from the succeeding Astra J.
Engines
Engines were available with 5 and 6 speed manual transmission, Easytronic semi-automatic gearbox with 5 speed, and also 4 and 6 speed automatic transmission. In the beginning there were petrols 1.4 90 PS, 1.6 105 PS, 1.8 125 PS and new 2.0 Turbo engine with two versions: 170 PS and 200 PS. Diesel lineup were 1.3 CDTI with 90 PS, 1.7 CDTI with 80 PS, 100 PS, and 1.9 CDTI engines with 120 and 150 PS. During production some engine got more power like 1.6, 1.8, 1.7, 1.9 and 2.0 Turbo with 240 PS was introduced in 2005 in OPC/VXR version. 1.3 CDTI 90 PS was introduced in 2005 and he replaces 1.7 CDTI with 80 PS.After restyle at end of 2006 / beginning of 2007, new engines were introduced: 1.6 Turbo engine with 180 PS which replace 2.0 Turbo with 170, and 1.7 CDTI with 125 PS.
Astra J (P10; 2009)
The Astra J is based on the General Motors' Delta II platform and debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. The car has taken most of its styling from the new Opel Insignia, with many of the higher options fitted as standard. Full production came on line at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port Plant at the end of September 2009. Deliveries began in December 2009. Originally referred to as the "Astra I", it received the "Astra J" name instead to avoid confusing the letter I for the number 1.The Astra was developed at Opel's 'International Technical Development Center' in Rüsselsheim and continues Opel's design language, ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’ first introduced on the Insignia. The Astra features a torsion beam rear suspension with Watt's link. Infotainment and car navigation systems are supplied by Bosch.
The Opel Astra came third in the European Car of the Year award in 2010.
The station wagon version of the Astra - dubbed the 'Sports Tourer' by Opel, debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and went on sale shortly afterwards, with a starting price of £16,575 for the ES version, then Exclusiv, SRI and SE versions, with the SE costing from £20,345. This is cheaper than the previous estate, but has more standard equipment. The adoption of the "Sports Tourer" name finally brought to an end Opel's traditional "Caravan" designation for its station wagon derivatives.
The pre-facelift Astra J was briefly sold in Australia under the Opel brand, with its introduction into the Australian market in 2012. However, the Opel brand and nameplate subsequently pulled out of the Australian market in 2013 due to poor sales, and later versions of the Astra J, namely the OPC and GTC variant, were sold under the Holden brand name from 2013 onwards.
Shanghai GM launched the Chinese version of the Opel Astra hatchback, which is badged as the Buick Excelle XT. This car went on sale in January 2010. Three engines were announced: Ecotec D-VVT 1.6 L, 1.8 L and 1.6 L Turbo.
The saloon version of the Astra was first presented at the 2012 Moscow International Automobile Salon. The 4-door saloon has a number of names depending on market: Buick Excelle GT in China, Buick Verano in North America and Opel Astra sedan/saloon elsewhere. This version, which was imported to Europe from China, is not sold in the United Kingdom, although it is available in some other right hand drive markets, such as Ireland, Malta, and South Africa.
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GTC
A 3-door version dubbed Astra GTC was introduced in July 2011. Externally, it retains very few design elements of the old 5-door model. It has a sportier appearance, with a much more 'sculpted' chassis. It features a HiPerStrut front suspension from the Opel Insignia OPC which helps alleviate torque steering. A Watt's linkage is present in the rear suspension, to minimize lateral movement of the axle. The wheelbase is enhanced to accommodate wider low-profile tyres. Similarly to the Astra H GTC, a 'panoramic windscreen' option is available. The Astra GTC was awarded a 5 star rating for its performance under Euro NCAP safety tests. In late 2013, a new 1.6 Turbo EcoTec engine with 200PS output replaced the older 180PS engine of the same capacity, meaning the 1.6 Turbo replaces the BiTurbo Diesel as the fastest non-OPC model in the range.The GTC is built in Gliwice, Poland, with a range of models & petrol and diesel engines. In the UK, the GTC includes the SRi and VXR models.
Models and colours
There are three models of the GTC, the SRi, Limited Edition, and the VXR model. Available colours are Power red, the Brilliant colours are Summit white & Flaming yellow, The Metallic colours are Granite grey, Deep sky blue, Carbon flash, Sovereign silver & Flip chip silver, The Pearlescent colours are Emerald green & Asteroid grey. The VXR also has Flash blue.Gallery
OPC
The OPC trim of the Astra GTC has been available since 2012. This car features a turbocharged 2.0 L direct injection engine with a power of and torque of, HiPerStrut front suspension, a mechanical limited slip differential, an electronically controlled FlexRide active suspension, and Recaro-style sport seats, OPC badge on gear knob, steering wheel, and on instrument dials and different and distinctive front and rear bumper, rear standard spoiler as well as optional OPC spoiler compared to GTC version. It comes with 19 inch alloy rims as standard and optional 20-inch alloy rims which are lighter than those 19-inch. The 0 to time is 6 seconds and top speed is limited to.Gallery
Astravan
This generation Astra was not available as the commercial version Astravan. But in The Netherlands, the Astra Sports Tourer was available as Astravan at special order.Engines
Engines are available with the 5-speed or 6-speed manual transmission.The only optional available automatic transmission is the 6-speed with active select mode, which can be ordered for the 1.4 turbo, 1.6, 1.6 turbo and 2.0 CDTI depending on region. From 2011, Start/Stop was introduced in certain countries on some models, and from 2012 an overboost function was added to the 1.4 turbo. . The engines are Family 0/Family 1/Ecotec/MGE, and MultiJet/Circle L/GM MDE.
In February 2014, Opel introduced its all-new engine - GM Medium Diesel engine, the so-called "whisper diesel" 1.6 CDTI engine with 136 PS, and later with 110 PS.
Facelift
In June 2012, a facelift was announced. Visual changes occurred at the front and back of the hatchback and sports tourer. This included revised bumpers and grills and very minor changes to the headlights. The rear lights was also revised and had a overall darker appearance and the license plate pocket of the five-door model had been re-designed and the Sports Tourer and 5 door model had received a new style bumper with chrome trim. New colors was introduced such as Sculpture Bronze, Phantom Grey and Deep Sky metallic and others which were available as extra-cost options. The updated Astra also received some assistance systems such as the Eye front camera with enhanced traffic sign assistant and forward collision alert, also available are a rear view camera, advanced park assist and side blind spot alert. A saloon variant was introduced to very few markets. Engine wise, the 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI 195 PS from the Insignia from autumn 2012 and a new 1.6 L 170 PS turbocharged SIDI Ecotec direct injection unit from the new MGE engine family is available from early 2013.Gallery
Astra K (B16; 2015)
Opel launched a brand new Astra at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2015.The Astra K is smaller, and lighter compared to Astra J. Although it is smaller on the outside, Opel claims it is bigger on the inside, than the previous Astra J. Depending on the model and trim level it is up to 200 kilograms - at the very least 120 kilograms - lighter than its predecessor. The completely new vehicle architecture plays a major role in the weight reduction. Every component was checked for compact design and lightweight materials. The bodyshell weight alone was reduced by 20 percent from 357 to 280 kilograms. Additional, chassis-related measures resulted in another 50 kilograms of weight reduction; these include high-strength and ultra-high-strength low-weight steels, compact subframes as well as weight reductions to the front and rear axle. Rear suspension is torsion beam, and MacPherson struts at the front.
Available engines are 1.0 3-cylinder, 1.4 4-cylinder petrol engines and 1.6-litre diesels. It will be available with new full–LED frontlight techniques, A screen in the dash which connect to Android or iPhone comes as standard. This system is already available, in both the Corsa E and Adam.
A facelift of Opel Astra K released around the summer of 2019. A 4-door saloon version is already being developed only in hidden prototype form, but unfortunately, still not being released due to the takeover by PSA Group, as well as the withdrawal of Opel from the Russian Federation.
Engines
Engines are available with the 5-speed or 6-speed manual transmission, and the newly developed 5-speed semi-automatic EasyTronic 3.0 which is only available for the 1.0T SIDI engine. The only other available automatic transmission, at the beginning of production, is the 6-speed with active select mode, which can be ordered in late 2015, for the 1.4 SIDI Turbo with 150 PS, and 1.6 CDTI with 136 PS. Buyers can choose the Start/Stop system for all engines as an extra feature, except the 1.0T which will have system as standard.All engines are new and recently developed by Opel - 1.0T SIDI, 1.4T SIDI and the naturally aspirated version of it, and the so-called "Whisper diesel" 1.6 CDTI. All turbocharged petrol engines use the Direct Injection Fuel system.
Opel are offering the ecoFLEX range for 1.0T, 1.4T and 1.6 CDTI engines which have same amount of power, but less CO2-emissions and lower fuel consumption. The entire ecoFLEX range have Start/Stop as standard, low rolling resistance tyres and aerodynamic tweaks for reduced drag for lower CO2-emissions. The 1.4T SIDI ecoFLEX version have less torque, rated at at 2.000-4.000 rpm.
In 2019 Opel announced the move to the new PSA-sourced 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engines and 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesels.
Motorsport
An Astra won the Andros Trophy for three consecutive years starting in 2000.An Astra was used in the 1994 Super Tourenwagen Cup season.
In 2002, 2003 and 2006, three different drivers were European Rallycross Champions in the Division 2 driving Astras. The 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 runners-up also raced in that car. Christian Ledesma was 2004 TC 2000 champion with an Astra and Matías Rossi took that title in 2006 and 2007.
A rally version of the Astra was built to the FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup. The car finished second in class on the 1998 Rally of Great Britain, and claimed the British Rally Championship for manufacturers in 2000.
The Astra has been used in the shape of silhouette racing cars as well. It was featured in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters from 2000 to 2003 and overall winner of the 2003 Nürburgring 24h race and the Stock Car Brasil from 2004 to 2008. In 2009, the Astra G body was replaced Stock Car Brasil by a Vectra, which is in fact the same as the Astra H.
The car has also been raced in the Russian Touring Car Championship, the 2004 European Touring Car Championship season, the 2006 Swedish Touring Car Championship season, the 2008 European Touring Car Cup and the 2013 European Rallycross Championship season.