The Opel Astra is a

compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...

(

C-segment The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...

) developed and produced by the German automaker

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the

Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel from 1936 until 1940 and then from 1962 until 1991 (the Cabrio continued until 1993), when it was succeeded by the Opel Astra. Kadett I (1936–1940) ...

. , the car slots between the smaller Corsa

supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...

and the larger

Insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. On its own, an insignia is a sign of a specific or general authority and is ...

large

family car A family car is a car classification used in Europe to describe normally-sized cars. The name comes from the marketed use of these cars to carry a whole family locally or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchbacks or sedan (automobile), sedans, ...

. Initially, the Astra was available in

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

, saloon, and estate (station wagon; known as the Astra Caravan, later the Sports Tourer) forms. A

panel van A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...

(

sedan delivery A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...

; Astravan) and a

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

(Astra Cabrio) also appeared in the early 1990s. These body styles were later followed by a

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

(the Astra GTC) in 2004, and the sporty Astra OPC appeared in 2005. The Twin Top retractable hardtop convertible replaced the soft top convertible in 2006, while the Caravan was renamed to Astra Sports Tourer since 2009. The Astra is branded the

Vauxhall Astra The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. It is currently produced at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand ...

in the United Kingdom. It was rebadged and sold as the Saturn Astra in North America between 2008 and 2009, as the

Buick Excelle XT Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General Mo ...

from 2009 until 2015 and as the Buick Verano/Hatchback GS in China from 2015 until 2021. The

Holden Astra The Holden Astra is a small car formerly marketed by Holden. The first couple of generations of Astra were made only for Australia, and was a derivative of the locally produced Nissan Pulsar. With the Button car plan coming into effect, it was ...

was discontinued in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, 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. In 2015, Opel reintroduced the Astra GTC and Astra VXR to Australia and New Zealand in 2015, again bearing the

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...

badge. Between 2017 and 2019, the Astra nameplate was also used for the Holden version of the Cruze sedan. After Opel was sold by

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

PSA Group The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...

, the Astra K continued to be produced under license until it was replaced by the Astra L. Developed by PSA Group, the Astra L was released after the merger of the company to form

Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...

Naming convention

The Astra nameplate originates from

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

, which had manufactured and marketed earlier generations of the

(the Kadett D (1979–1984) and Kadett E (1984–1991)) as the Vauxhall Astra. Subsequent

GM Europe General Motors Europe (often abbreviated to GM Europe) was the European subsidiary of the American automaker General Motors ("GM"). The subsidiary was established by GM in 1986 and operated 14 production and assembly facilities in 9 countries, a ...

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 2021, there have been six generations of the Astra (or eleven generations of the Kadett/Astra family as a whole). In a fashion typical for Opel, they are designated with subsequent letters of the

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and the o ...

. 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 last

was the Kadett E). The usual convention would have started with ''Astra A'', if the Astra had been considered a separate model. Models sold as Vauxhall,

, or

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

have different generation designations reflecting the history of those nameplates in their home markets and their naming conventions.

Astra F (T92; 1992)

The 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 (see

). It was offered as a three- or five-door

, a saloon (sedan), and an estate (wagon) 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 A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

was also offered, designed, and built by

Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include: * Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon * Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon r ...

in Italy. While the Astra F finished production in Germany in 1998, Polish-built Astras remained on offer in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and Eastern Europe, as well as Turkey, with the name Opel Astra Classic from 1998 to 2002. The Astra F consisted of two main revisions and was revised in 1995, with the launch of Opel's new

Ecotec Ecotec (capitalized ECOTEC, from 'Emissions Control Optimization TEChnology') is a General Motors (GM) and Opel Automobile GmbH (Opel) trademark that refers to a series of emissions technologies that were implemented throughout a range of GM engines ...

engine. Aside from the South Africa-only 200t S, the lead model was the GSi – a 2.0-litre 16V fuel injected model with , available as a three-door only. It also featured a sports body kit 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 body kit was removed also and it could be selected with the lower-powered, but more modern '

' version, the

X20XEV The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1979. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel OHV, Opel CIH and ...

(136 hp, 100 kW) parallel with the

C20XE The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1979. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel OHV, Opel CIH and ...

. In Europe from 1994 all Astra models were offered with the 2.0 L 16V

parallel with the 2.0 L 8V (

C20NE The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1979. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel OHV, Opel CIH and ...

) engine, but the three-door and station wagon models could be selected with the 151 hp (110 kW)

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"

engine was also taken out of production.

Gallery

File:Opel Astra F 20090424 rear.jpg, Hatchback File:1994 Opel Astra 1.4i Sportive, rear left (Portugal).jpg, Sedan File:Opel Astra rear 20071030.jpg, Caravan File:Opel Astra Cabriolet (50578844427) (cropped).jpg, Cabriolet File:Opel Astra F Caravan 1.7 TDS Club interior.JPG, Interior

South Africa and the 200t S

The model was also launched in South Africa in 1991, where it was produced under licence by

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

. 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 (1994 and 1995) 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 lineup included a unique variant with a

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

C20LET The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1979. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel OHV, Opel CIH and ...

engine called the Opel Kadett 200t S. The 200t S was built by

Delta Motor Corporation Delta Motor Corporation was a South African car manufacturer, which was created through a management buy-out after General Motors (GM) divested from South Africa in 1986. It was headed by former GM executive, Bob Price, who had returned to South Af ...

and faster than the then-current

BMW M3 The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986. The initial model ...

in a quarter-mile drag race. The "t" stands for the turbocharger. The engine was sourced from the 4x4

Opel Calibra The Opel Calibra is a coupé, engineered and produced by the Germany, German automaker Opel between 1989 and 1997. In the United Kingdom, where it remained on sale until 1999, it was marketed under the Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall brand as the Vaux ...

and

Opel Vectra The Opel Vectra is a mid-size car (large family car) that was engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel from 1988 until 2010. Available in saloon, hatchback and estate body styles, the Vectra was also sold by the Vauxhall marque i ...

and converted from a six-speed, four-wheel drive transmission ( Getrag F28) to front-wheel drive only.

Other markets

The Opel Astra also became available in Australasia badged as a

, first in New Zealand in 1995, and then Australia in 1996. These models were imported from the UK. The

name had previously been used on rebadged

Nissan Pulsar The is a line of automobiles produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978 until 2000, when it was replaced by the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy in the Japanese market. Between 2000 and 2005, the name "Pulsar" has been used in Australia and New ...

models from 1984 to 1989. The Opel Astra's first generation was exported to Brazil from December 1994 as the Chevrolet Astra, possibly because of a lowering of import tariffs.

General Motors do Brasil General Motors do Brasil is the largest subsidiary of General Motors in South America, one of the oldest and largest car producers in Brazil. Founded in 1925 and initially located in the historic district of Ipiranga, São Paulo, the company a ...

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 renaming was done as the name was already used by

Astra International Astra International is an Indonesian conglomerate controlled by Jardine Matheson. It is founded in 1957 by Tjia Kian Tie, Liem Pen Hong with the name of PT. Astra International Incorporated. It is Southeast Asia's largest independent automotive g ...

, a local automotive company and an assembler/distributor of several competing car brands. 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

-style front grille featuring a "V", containing the Chevrolet badge. File:K41KGH 1992 Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.4L.jpg,

Mk 3 (United Kingdom; pre-facelift) File:1995 Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.4 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Astra Mk 3 (United Kingdom; facelift) File:1998 Holden Astra (TR) City 5-door hatchback (18852705302).jpg,

TR (Australia and New Zealand)

Awards

* 1992 – ''

Semperit Irish Car of the Year The Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year award was established in 1978 based on similar Car of the Year awards. It is organised and judged by the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), a grouping of motoring journalists in Ireland. The aw ...

'' * 1994 and 1995 – ''

South African Car of the Year The South African Car of the Year is an annual ''Car of the Year'' award organised by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists. The award process is widely regarded for its attention to depth and detail. The vehicles that are selected as fin ...

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 (in

tradition, known as a "Caravan") and two special versions from 2000: the Astra

Coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

and the Astra

Cabrio A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

, both of them designed and built by

. The Astra G saw the introduction of a

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

-powered engine. Its chassis was tuned by Lotus and formed the base of a 7-seater

compact MPV Compact MPV (an abbreviation for Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle) is a vehicle size class for the middle size of MPVs. The Compact MPV size class sits between the mini MPV and large MPV (minivan) size classes. Compact MPVs remain predominantly a ...

, the

Opel Zafira The Opel Zafira is a car manufactured and marketed across three generations between 1999 and 2019 by Opel. Based on the Opel Astra platform, it is developed to occupy the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment. The Zafira was also marketed unde ...

, which was co-developed by

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

. Approximately 90,000

s were produced. The manufacturing of the Astra saloon and Caravan continued at Opel's

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...

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 of 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 The Daewoo Lacetti is a compact car manufactured and marketed globally by GM Korea since 2002. The first-generation Lacetti was available as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon, styled by Pininfarina—and five-door hatchback styled b ...

(built-in South Korea) 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 America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n markets until 2011. The GM Brazilian 2.0 8V

inline-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

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 (G/A) at 5200 rpm. A taxi version of the Brazilian sourced model, powered with gasoline 2.0-litre engine was sold in Chile as the Chevy Urban. In 2004, GM's Russian joint venture

GM-AvtoVAZ GM-AvtoVAZ was a Russian joint venture between General Motors and AvtoVAZ set up in 2001. In 2002, it started producing the Chevrolet Niva, based on the Lada Niva, at its Tolyatti plant. Though both companies had an equal share of ownership, the ...

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 The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

. A project costing $340 million was selling less than a thousand cars annually (801 cars in 2007); 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.

Gallery

File:Opel Astra Classic 1.4 Twinport.jpg, Saloon File:Opel Astra 1.6 Selection (G) – Heckansicht, 21. Juni 2011, Heiligenhaus.jpg, 5-door File:Opel Astra G rear 20101017.jpg, 3-door File:Opel Astra Caravan 1.6 16V Selection (G) – Heckansicht, 28. Mai 2011, Düsseldorf.jpg,

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

File:Opel Astra G Cabriolet rear 20100801.jpg,

Cabriolet A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

File:Opel Astra G Coupé Heck.JPG, Coupé File:DIGRIM technical aid (cropped).JPG, Astravan File:Opel astra G 3T opc.jpg, Opel Astra G OPC

Markets

File:1998 Vauxhall Astra CD 16V 1.8 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Astra Mk4 (United Kingdom) File:1999 Holden Astra (TS) CD 5-door hatchback (2015-07-10) 01 (cropped).jpg, Holden Astra TS (Australia and New Zealand) File:Chevrolet Viva.jpg, Chevrolet Viva (Russia)

V8 Coupe in DTM

The Astra G series Coupé was used for the silhouette

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

s in the

DTM DTM may refer to: Sport * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a motor-racing series staged annually in Germany since 2000 * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, a motor-racing championship staged in Germany from 1984 to 1995 Computing * Deterministic T ...

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 door In the automotive industry, a gull-wing door, also known as a falcon-wing door or an up-door, is a car door that is hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, first as a race car in 1952 ( W194), and then a ...

s that were each supported by two

gas strut A gas spring is a type of spring that, unlike a typical mechanical spring that relies on elastic deformation, uses compressed gas contained within an enclosed cylinder sealed by a sliding piston to pneumatically store potential energy and wi ...

s. The racing cars were powered by 4.0L V8 engines with nearly .

did poorly during several seasons of DTM as only

Manuel Reuter Manuel Reuter (born 6 December 1961 in Mainz) is a German former race car driver. He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice: *in 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans for Sauber-Mercedes *in 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans for Joest Racing He also won the Inte ...

placed significantly in the championship once, taking second in the inaugural season in 2000 before withdrawing at the end of 2005, but the car was also used to win the

24h Nürburgring 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times i ...

in 2003.

Xtreme

The Astra Xtreme, a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

presented at the 2001

Geneva motor show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...

, was a single-production V8-powered Astra based on the G-series Astra

. Like the DTM racing car, it featured a

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

, producing ,

s supported by gas struts, carbon fiber panels, and race-specification interior with five-point seatbelts.

Gallery

File:IAA 2001 173 - Flickr - Axel Schwenke.jpg, Opel Astra G OPC Xtreme File:IAA 2001 175 - Flickr - Axel Schwenke.jpg, Rear view

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 (Autodromo Internacional de 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 ( Gran Tourismo

Compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

) for European markets, Sport Hatch in the UK and the Coupé in Australia, launched in 2005. The GTC has the option of a

windscreen The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Mo ...

called "panoramic windscreen" (unique for a production car at the time of its launch) which extends into the roof area. Based on an updated version of GM's T 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 Vectra may refer to the following: *Opel Vectra car (Chevrolet Vectra, Holden Vectra, Vauxhall Vectra) *Opel Vectra GTS V8 DTM car * HP Vectra computer series by Hewlett-Packard *Vectra AI, a private company specializing in artificial intelligence * ...

, until it was replaced by the

Chevrolet Cruze The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car that is produced by General Motors since 2008. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, and ...

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 Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Turkey, including Ireland in 2008. This was manufactured in

, 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

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 Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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

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 (IDS+) and AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting). 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 (where the production of the Astra H had already ended).

Pre-facelift

File:Opel Astra H 1.6 Twinport rear 20100509.jpg, Opel Astra H 5-door (rear, pre-facelift) File:Opel Astra Caravan 1.9 CDTI rear.JPG, Opel Astra H Caravan (rear, pre-facelift) File:Astra2.JPG, Interior

Facelift

File:Opel Astra H 1.8 Innovation Facelift front 20100822.jpg, Opel Astra 5-door (front, post-facelift) File:Opel Astra H 1.8 Innovation Facelift rear-1 20100822.jpg, Opel Astra 5-door (rear, post-facelift) File:Opel Astra H Caravan 1.9 CDTI rear.JPG, Opel Astra H Caravan (rear, post-facelift) File:Opel Astra GTC (H, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 28. Mai 2011, Ratingen.jpg, Opel Astra H GTC (front, post-facelift) File:Opel Astra GTC (H, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 28. Mai 2011, Ratingen.jpg, Opel Astra H GTC (rear, post-facelift) File:Opel Astra H Stufenheck 1.6 Ecotec Edition Starsilber Heck.JPG, Opel Astra sedan (2008–2010)

OPC

During 2005, Opel introduced the OPC version of the Astra GTC (sold as the Astra VXR in the UK) which is powered by an updated version of the 2.0 L turbo

Family II engine The Family II is a straight-4 piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in the 1970s, debuting in 1979. Available in a wide range of cubic capacities ranging from 1598 to 2405 cc, it simultaneously replaced the Opel OHV, Opel CIH and ...

(Z20 LEH) producing 240 PS (177 kW, 237 bhp) and of torque. Standard features of the OPC version include sports bodykit and recaro interior, a six-speed

manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...

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 Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was the officially designated performance vehicle division for Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the privately owned company modified Holden models such as the standard wheelbase Commodore, ...

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.

Gallery

File:Opel Astra H OPC Nürburgring Edition.JPG, Opel Astra OPC ''Nürburgring Edition'' (2008) File:Opel Astra OPC Race Camp.JPG, Opel Astra OPC ''Race Camp'' (2009)

TwinTop

In 2006, the Astra TwinTop arrived. (The "TwinTop" name also applies to the smaller

Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as the superpowered and gadget-wielding crime fighter the Cat in ''The Claws of the Cat'' #1 (November 1972). The ...

and refers to a retractable hardtop convertible version of the car, shared with the

Pontiac G6 The Pontiac G6 is a mid-size car that was produced by General Motors under the Pontiac brand. It was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year to replace the Grand Am. The G6 shared the GM Epsilon platform with the Chevrolet Malibu, Saab 9-3 ...

.) 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 The Opel Cascada is a four-passenger fabric-roof convertible, manufactured and marketed by Opel across a single generation for model years 2013-2019, prioritizing year-round touring comfort over sportiness. Nearly identical badge engineered vari ...

Gallery

File:Opel Astra TwinTop (H, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 15. Mai 2011, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Astra TwinTop File:Opel Astra TwinTop (H, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 15. Mai 2011, Wuppertal.jpg, Opel Astra TwinTop (2007–2010)

Markets

File:2006 Vauxhall Astra Life CDTi 90 1.2 Front.jpg, Vauxhall Astra Mk5 (United Kingdom) File:2007 Vauxhall Astravan Sportive CDTi 1.2.jpg, Vauxhall Astravan (Second generation) File:2005 Holden Astra (AH MY05) CD 5-door hatchback (2015-08-07) 01.jpg,

AH 5 door (Australia)

Stock Car Brazil

In Brazil, Chevrolet Vectra (Astra H) 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

File:2008 Saturn Astra XE 5d, front right.jpg, Saturn Astra XE 5-door File:2008 Saturn Astra XE 5d, rear right.jpg, Saturn Astra XE 5-door (Rear) File:2008 Saturn Astra 3-door.jpg, Saturn Astra 3-door File:2008 Saturn Astra XR 3-door.jpg, Saturn Astra 3-door (Rear) The

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

Astra was marketed in North America both the U.S and Canada after debuting at the 2007

Chicago Auto Show The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America. History Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" Chic ...

. Superseding the

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

, the Astra was a

captive import Captive import is a marketing term and a strategy for a vehicle that is foreign-built and sold under the name of an importer or by a domestic automaker through its own dealer distribution system. The foreign vehicle may be produced by a subsidiar ...

, based on the Opel Astra, manufactured in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium. Available in three and five-door

body styles, sales began on 2 January 2008 with a single engine, a 1.8 L U18XER inline-4-cylinder

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

with variable-valve technology producing — available five-speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

or a four-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...

. The XE base trim level was offered on the five-door hatchback and included steel wheels with plastic covers. The XR trim level was the only trim level for the 3-door and was available on five-door models — and included alloy wheels; enhanced seat bolsters, driver lumbar and seat height adjusters; 17-inch alloy ten-spoke wheels and P225/45R17 all-season performance tires; easy Entry front sliding seats (3 door model) and enhanced instrument gauges. Standard equipment included air conditioning (XR trim); cruise control; driver information center including audio, time and outside temperature display; power door locks with central locking feature and remote keyless entry; courtesy lighting and dual reading lamps in front and rear; cloth front bucket reclining seats with adjustable active head restraints; easy entry front sliding seats (3 door); rear 60/40-split flat-folding seat with adjustable and removable head restraints and retractable; dual cupholders, driver 4-way and passenger 2-way manually adjustable seats; three-spoke steering wheel with rake and telescoping steering column; steering wheel-mounted audio and Driver Information Center controls; overhead sunglass storage; front seat illuminated vanity mirrors; power windows with express-Down; front console with cupholder and 12-volt power outlet; power-adjustable, manual folding, heated side mirrors; and rain sensing front intermittent windshield wipers. An optional ''Premium Trim Package'' for XR models included leather seating surfaces, vinyl door trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel, driver manual lumbar seat adjuster, heated front seats, and interior ambient LED lighting. For 2008, an optional ''Sport Handling Package'' included stability control (marketed as StabiliTrak), lowered sport suspension, and quick-ratio power steering. This package was made standard on the 2009 3-door. A panoramic sunroof was available on 5-door models. In

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a U.S. nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies, established in 1959 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle traffic collision ...

(IIHS) 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.

predicted sales of between 30,000 and 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. In Canada the sales of the Saturn Astra was up to 11,605 in total between 2007 and 2010. 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 Penske Automotive Group, Inc., headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is an international transportation services company that operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships principally in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe ...

. 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 The Buick Verano (Chinese: 威朗) is a compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM for the GM's Buick brand since 2010. It debuted at the North American International Auto Show on January 10, 2011, during a preview of Buick's then upcoming 2012 model. ...

, 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'' automated manual gearbox with 5-speeds, and also 4- and 6-speed automatic transmission. In the beginning there were petrol 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 Delta was a General Motors compact front-wheel drive automobile and crossover SUV platform, originally developed by Opel Group. Delta was a successor to the Opel T platform; it also replaced J platform and the Z platform used by the Satur ...

, debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany and went on sale in November 2009 as a 2010 model while the 2009 model year was entirely skipped. The car has taken most of its styling from the new

Opel Insignia The Opel Insignia is a large family car (D-segment in Europe) developed and produced by the German car manufacturer Opel since 2008. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship Opel car line, slotted above the ...

, 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' (ITDC) in Rüsselsheim and continues Opel's design language, ‘sculptural artistry meets German precision’ first introduced on the Insignia. The Astra features a

torsion beam The twist-beam rear suspension (also torsion-beam axle, deformable torsion beam or compound crank) is a type of automobile suspension based on a large H or C-shaped member. The front of the H attaches to the body via rubber bushings, and the r ...

rear suspension with Watt's link. Infotainment and

car navigation system An automotive navigation system is part of the automobile controls or a third party add-on used to find direction in an automobile. It typically uses a satellite navigation device to get its position data which is then correlated to a position on ...

s are supplied by Bosch. The Opel Astra came third in the

European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year ("ECOTY") award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964, by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are ''Auto'' (Ita ...

award in 2010. The

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

version of the Astra - dubbed the 'Sports Tourer' by Opel, debuted at the

2010 Paris Motor Show The 2010 Paris Motor Show took place from 2 October to 17 October 2010, in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. For 2010, the theme of the special exhibition was "The Incredible Collection 2: automobile manufacturers collections and museums." Introdu ...

, 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 SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (More commonly known as SAIC-GM; ; formerly known as "Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd", "Shanghai GM"; ) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and SAIC Motor that manufactures and sells Chev ...

launched the Chinese version of the Opel Astra hatchback, which is badged as the

. 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 Moscow International Automobile Salon or MIAS (russian: Московский Международный Автомобильный Салон) is the biennial auto show held at Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia. The show is scheduled by the Organi ...

. The 4-door saloon has a number of names depending on market:

Buick Excelle GT The Buick Excelle GT () is the name for the compact car manufactured by SAIC-GM under GM's Buick brand. The original Buick Excelle () was based on the Daewoo Lacetti developed by Daewoo Motors. Parallel to the Lacetti-based Excelle, Shanghai GM ...

in China,

in North America and Opel Astra sedan/saloon elsewhere. This version is not sold in the United Kingdom, although it is available in some other

right hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...

markets, such as Ireland (as the: Astra Saloon), Malta, and South Africa. Production for the saloon version continued until 2018 after the Astra K was released to supply several markets where saloons are popular, including Turkey.

Gallery

File:Opel Astra J rear-1 20100725.jpg, 5-door hatchback File:Opel Astra Sports Tourer 1.4 Turbo ECOTEC (J) – Heckansicht, 26. März 2011, Mettmann.jpg, Sports Tourer File:Opel Astra Stufenheck 1.6 Edition (J, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 10. März 2013, Velbert.jpg, 4-door saloon File:Astra J Innenraum.jpg, Interior

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

OPC which helps alleviate

torque steering In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of the ...

. 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 The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...

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

, Poland, with a range of models & petrol and diesel engines. In the UK, the GTC includes the SRi and VXR models. Production continued alongside the Astra K when it was introduced in 2015, and concurrently dropped the Astra moniker for simply GTC. In 2018, the model was discontinued.

Models and colours

There are three models of the GTC, Sport, the SRi, Limited Edition, and the VXR model. Available colours are Power red (Solid), 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

File:Opel Astra GTC 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX Edition (J) – Frontansicht, 20. Oktober 2012, Heiligenhaus.jpg, Opel Astra J GTC File:Opel Astra GTC 1.4 Turbo ecoFLEX Edition (J) – Heckansicht, 20. Oktober 2012, Heiligenhaus.jpg, Opel Astra J GTC File:2012 Vauxhall Astra GTC SRi CDTi 2.0.jpg, Vauxhall Astra Mk6 GTC File:2015 Holden Astra (PJ) GTC hatchback (2018-03-28) 01.jpg,

GTC

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 A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...

, an electronically controlled ''FlexRide''

active suspension An active suspension is a type of automotive suspension on a vehicle. It uses an onboard system to control the vertical movement of the vehicle's wheels relative to the chassis or vehicle body rather than the passive suspension provided by large sp ...

, and

Recaro Recaro Holding, as the parent company of the Recaro Group, owns the Recaro brand and the independently operating companies Recaro Aircraft Seating (aircraft seats) based in Schwäbisch Hall and Recaro eGaming (gaming seats) based in Stuttgart, Germ ...

-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

File:2013 Opel Astra (AS) OPC 3-door hatchback (26608054501).jpg, Opel Astra J OPC File:2013 Opel Astra (AS) OPC 3-door hatchback (26608068581).jpg, Rear view File:Vauxhall Astra VXR (GTC) 3-door hatchback 2-litre turbo 1998cc registered March 2014.JPG, Vauxhall Astra VXR for UK market File:2015-2016 Holden Astra (PJ) VXR hatchback (2018-10-22) 01.jpg,

VXR (Australia)

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. ngines with (S/S) are in bold in column The engines are Family 0/

Family 1 Family 1 is a group of Greek Gospel manuscripts, varying in date from the 12th to the 15th century. The group takes its name from the minuscule codex 1, now in the Basel University Library, Switzerland. "Family 1" is also known as "the Lake Grou ...

/ MGE (petrol), and

MultiJet Multijet is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' term for its current common rail direct injection turbodiesel engine range. Most of the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia range as well as certain Chrysler, RAM Trucks, Jeep and Maserati vehicles are equipped with Mu ...

/ Circle L/ GM MDE (diesel). In February 2014, Opel introduced its all-new engine -

GM Medium Diesel engine The Medium Diesel Engine (MDE) is a four-cylinder diesel engine developed by Adam Opel AG and branded "1.6 CDTI Ecotec" in most markets. Opel also adds the marketing term "Whisper Diesel" in some markets, claiming relatively low levels of noise, ...

, 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 were also revised, and had an overall darker appearance, the registration-plate recess of the five-door model was re-designed, and the Sports Tourer (estate body) and 5-door hatchback model received new-style bumpers with chrome trim. New colors were introduced, such as Sculpture Bronze, Phantom Grey and Deep Sky metallic, plus 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 (TSA II), lane-departure warning (LDW), following-distance indication (FDI) and forward-collision alert (FCA); also available are a rear-view camera, advanced park assist and side-blind-spot alert. A saloon variant was introduced, but only to a very few markets. Engine-wise, the 195-PS 2.0 BiTurbo CDTI from the Insignia became available from autumn 2012, and a new 1.6 L 170 PS turbocharged SIDI Ecotec direct injection unit from the new ''MGE'' engine family was added in early 2013.

Gallery

File:2012 Opel Astra (AS) 1.4 Turbo 5-door hatchback (2015-07-10) 01.jpg, Opel Astra 5-door (facelift) File:2012 Opel Astra (AS) 1.4 Turbo 5-door hatchback (2015-07-10) 02.jpg, Opel Astra 5-door (facelift) File:Astra J Biturbo vorne.jpg, Opel Astra J BiTurbo (since 2012) File:Astra J BiTurbo hinten.jpg, Opel Astra J BiTurbo (since 2012) File:Opel Astra Stufenheck 1.6 Edition (J, Facelift) – Frontansicht, 10. März 2013, Velbert.jpg, Opel Astra sedan facelift front File:Opel Astra Stufenheck 1.6 Edition (J, Facelift) – Heckansicht, 10. März 2013, Velbert.jpg, Opel Astra sedan facelift rear

Astra K (B16; 2015)

Opel launched the Astra K at the

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...

in September 2015 for the 2016 model year. The Astra K is smaller (5 cm), and lighter (up to 200 kg) 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

(only with

Watts linkage In kinematics, Watt's linkage (also known as the parallel linkage) is a type of mechanical linkage invented by James Watt in which the central moving point of the linkage is constrained to travel on a nearly straight line. It was described in W ...

on top engines), and

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles, and is named for American automotive engineer Ear ...

s 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 front light 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 Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

Engines

Engines are available with the 5-speed or 6-speed manual transmission, and the newly developed 5-speed ''EasyTronic 3.0'' automated manual, 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 (which sees its debut in the Astra K in 2015) and the naturally aspirated version of it (which will be available later in 2015), 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 (g/km) 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 GM E-Turbo 1.2-liter, "1.4-liter" (actually a 1.3-liter) three-cylinder gasoline engines, and 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesels.

Facelift

A facelift of Opel Astra K released around the summer of 2019. Changes were minimal, both inside and outside; however the facelifted Astra sports a new front grille, new rear lights, as well as a new windscreen wiper mechanism, where both wipers are individually controlled as opposed to a linked setup as before. The last Astra to be produced in Ellesmere Port rolled off the assembly line on April 6, 2022. The last Astra to be produced in Gliwice factory rolled off the assembly line on November 30, 2021. File:Opel Astra K IMG 2474.jpg, Facelift (hatchback) File:Opel Astra K Sports Tourer IMG 2458.jpg, Estate (facelift)

Astra L (C02; 2021)

The sixth generation Astra was unveiled on 13 July 2021 and it went on sale on 12 November 2021. As the first Astra developed by

, it based on the third-generation of the EMP2 platform which made its wheelbase grow by . Launched ten months after the merger of FCA and PSA to form

, the vehicle has been offered as a hybrid for the first time and will unveil a 180-horsepower engine. The 225 horsepower version, taken from the

Peugeot 508 The Peugeot 508 is a mid-size/large family car produced by the French automaker Peugeot, and followed by the 508 SW, an estate version, in 2011. Production of the 508 began in 2010 as an indirect replacement for the 407 and 607, for which no d ...

and

Peugeot 3008 The Peugeot 3008 is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Peugeot. It was first presented to the public in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2008, and then again in 2010 at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, by the French manufacturer Peuge ...

, will also be available on the GT version. File:Opel Astra L PHEV 1X7A0380.jpg, Opel Astra PHEV File:Opel Astra L Sports Tourer Leonberg 2022 1X7A0417.jpg, Opel Astra L Sports Tourer File:Opel Astra L PHEV Leonberg 2022 1X7A0545.jpg, Interior

Electric

In November 2022, the Opel / Vauxhall Astra Electric debuted with a motor and a range of .

Safety

Euro NCAP

The Astra in its standard European configuration received 4 stars from

in 2022.

Motorsport

Opel Astra V8 Coupe (OPC Team Phoenix, DTM 2003)

An Astra won the

Andros Trophy The Andros Trophy (''Trophée Andros'') is the French national ice racing championship. History The idea of an ice racing series first became an idea when professional racer Max Mamers (French Rallycross Champion 1982 and 1983 with Talbot Ma ...

for three consecutive years starting in 2000. The Astra Coupé in BTC-T form was dominant in the

British Touring Car Championship The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...

from

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

until

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, and it continued to compete in the series until

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. An Astra was used in the

1994 Super Tourenwagen Cup season The 1994 ADAC Super Touren Wagen Cup was the first edition of the Super Tourenwagen Cup The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany. The championship was ...

. 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 Christian Ledesma (born February 4, 1976 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine racing driver. He has run in different series, with major success in Turismo Carretera (2007 champion) and TC2000/ STC2000 (2004 champion). Career ...

was 2004 TC 2000 champion with an Astra and

Matías Rossi Matías Rossi (born 2 April 1984) is an Argentine racecar driver. He competes full-time in the Turismo Carretera, driving the No. 317 Toyota Camry for Toyota Gazoo Racing and in the Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 117 Toyota Corolla for ...

took that title in 2006 and 2007. A rally version of the Astra was built to the

FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup The ''FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup'' was a sub-section of the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 1999. It involved mostly or , naturally aspirated, front wheel drive cars. The series was discontinued due to high costs, and the new Super 2000 ...

. The car finished second in class on the 1998 Rally of Great Britain, and claimed the

British Rally Championship The British Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the United Kingdom. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) since 1999. MSA has opted not to run the series in 2015, in ...

for manufacturers in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

The Astra has been used in the shape of

silhouette racing car A silhouette racing car is a race car which, although bearing a superficial resemblance to a production model, differs mechanically in fundamental ways. The purpose of silhouette cars is to provide a manufacturer with a tangible link to their consum ...

s as well. It was featured in the

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM, German Touring Car Masters) is a grand touring car series sanctioned by ITR e.V. who have been affiliated to the DMSB-FIA since 1984. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The ser ...

from 2000 to 2003 (

was runner-up in 2000) and overall winner of the 2003 Nürburgring 24h race and the

Stock Car Brasil Stock Car Pro Series, formerly known as Stock Car Brasil, is a touring car auto racing series based in Brazil organized by Vicar. It is considered the major Brazilian and South American motorsports series. Starting in 1979 with Chevrolet as the ...

from 2004 to 2008 (Giuliano Losacco won the tournament in 2004 and 2005). 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 Russian Circuit Racing Series (RCRS) is a national Russian racing series created in 2004. It incorporates four classes: touring, super-production, touring-light, national class and national-junior (since 2015). Sergey Krylov has been the c ...

, the

2004 European Touring Car Championship season The 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship season was the last European Touring Car Championship season. For 2005, the European Championship would become the World Touring Car Championship, and a one-off European Touring Car Cup would be held. ...

, the

2006 Swedish Touring Car Championship season The 2006 Swedish Touring Car Championship season was the 11th Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) season. In total nine racing weekends at six different circuits were held; each round comprising one race. Changes for 2006 * The race format a ...

, the

2008 European Touring Car Cup The 2008 FIA European Touring Car Cup was the fourth running of the FIA European Touring Car Cup. It was held on 19 October 2008 at the Salzburgring near Salzburg in Austria. Teams and drivers Results Race 1 Final standings References Ex ...

and the

2013 European Rallycross Championship season The 2013 European Rallycross Championship was the thirty seventh season of the FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers. The season consisted of nine rounds and started on 31 March with the British round at Lydden Hill Race Circuit. The s ...

Latin American models (1994–2011)

Chevrolet Astra

The Chevrolet Astra is the same vehicle as the Opel Astra, but with some mechanical differences. In Brazil, Chevrolet Astra as launched at 1994 as 1995 model only in 5-door hatchback and station wagon body styles. It was available only in the GLS trim level with a 2.0-liter, eight-valve multipoint fuel injection engine with a power of . The plan was to replace the Chevrolet Kadett, an Opel Kadett E built locally, but an increase in taxes for import cars (from 35 to 70 percent) made General Motors of Brazil stop importing the model for the 1996 model year. The Chevrolet Astra only returned in 1998, in second generation and built locally. Initially, it only came in 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan body styles, and GL and GLS trim levels. The engine options were a 1.8 liter with and a 2.0 liter with , both with 8 valves. Later models received the option of a 2,0 liter 16 valve engine, initially with a power of and later yet with . In 2003 the Astra range received an exterior facelift, with a 5-door hatchback completing the range. The 1.8 liter engine was discontinued, with a 2.0 liter flexfuel (ethanol and gasoline) being launched for the 2004 model year. The 2.0 FlexFuel power was depending on the fuel used; later this changed to . A GSI 2.0 16V was launched with the 2003 facelift and produced until 2005. The range did not change much until its discontinuation in 2011, being in effect replaced by the Chevrolet Sonic and Cobalt. ;Chile In Chile, the Astra was sold under the Opel brand until 1997 (replacing the Kadett); beginning in 1999 the second generation was imported from Brazil under the Chevrolet brand. The third generation was again imported from Europe in and in 2017 it returned to be sold under Opel brand. File:Chevrolet Astra GLS 5d.jpg, First generation File:Astra gls 20.jpg, Second generation (pre-facelift) File:Chevrolet Astra 2.0 GLS 2006 (16088287360).jpg, Second generation (facelift) File:Chevrolet Astra 1.8 Enjoy 2007 (9252484926).jpg, Third generation (Chile)

Chevrolet Astra OPC and GSi

File:Chevrolet Astra GSi 2002 (14783090846).jpg, Chevrolet Astra GSi (pre-facelift) File:Chevrolet Astra GSi.jpg, Chevrolet Astra GSi (facelift) File:Chevrolet Astra OPC 2008 (45953011795).jpg, Chevrolet Astra OPC (Chile)

Chevrolet Vectra (Brazil)

The Chevrolet Vectra is a rebadged version of the Opel Astra H, sold in Brazil and Argentina between 2006 and 2011. It shared the powertrain and the platform with the Astra G, except when equipped with the 2.4 engine, and it was inserted above the Astra in both markets. It was replaced by the flagship versions of the Chevrolet Cruze. File:Chevrolet Vectra GT 1.jpg, Hatchback (pre-facelift) File:Chevrolet Vectra 2.4 CD 2011 (12112590263).jpg, Hatchback (facelift) File:Chevrolet Vectra 2.4 CD 2010 (14439978435).jpg, Sedan

Notes

References

External links

Official Opel Astra website (Ireland)Glossary of Technology and Innovations pertaining to the Opel Astra TwinTop
{{Chevrolet (South America) timeline 1980 to date Euro NCAP small family cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles Astra Compact cars Convertibles Coupés Cars of Germany Hardtop convertibles Hot hatches Sedans Station wagons Police vehicles 2000s cars 2010s cars Cars introduced in 1991 Touring cars Bertone vehicles Articles containing video clips nah:Opel Astra F