MotorAuthority

New renderings of Opel's upcoming Astra wagon

Posted Mon Sep 22 2008 4:40 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Astra wagon expected to join lineup one year after hatch

A heavily camouflaged prototype of Opel’s next-generation Astra hatch was recently spotted racking up some laps at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit, and these latest renderings give us a good indication of what the final version could look like. The new model is crucial for GM as it will need to recover market share lost by the current model to Ford’s strong-selling Focus hatch as well as fend off the upcoming Fiesta compact.

The new Astra is expected to go on sale in Europe following its debut at next year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will eventually reach the U.S. one year later where it will be sold as a Saturn. Opel will also launch a new two-mode hybrid version although it won’t arrive until the end of 2010, which coincides with the U.S. launch of the Saturn version.

Apart from the hybrid, expect to see a similar powertrain lineup to the current model, which means a range of petrol engines developing between 75 and 240hp as well as a number of diesels with between 90 and 150hp.

The 2010 Astra will be based around GM’s Delta FWD compact platform and will once again be available in coupe, three and five-door hatchbacks and wagon, as well as a sedan in select markets. Since the Delta platform is shared with the Chevrolet Cruze, which will be built at GM’s Lordstown Ohio plant, there’s the possibility that the new Saturn Astra could also be manufactured in North America to keep costs low, however, there’s yet to be any official confirmation.

story Tags:

• 2010 Opel Astra
• Astra
• Astra Caravan
• Astra rendering
• General Motors
• Hatchbacks
• Holden
• Holden Astra
• Industry
• Opel
• Saturn
• Saturn Astra
• Spy shots

Reader Comments

• Thu Apr 10 2008 1:31 PM

  cj says

  shit this car is so old! this is like the first time we get somethign BEFORE America. Like the new Jag it's made here but American's get them first at a heavily discounted price

• Thu Apr 10 2008 1:48 PM

  chris says

  cj, what... the... heck... are.. you.. smoking. "the first time we get something BEFORE america"... so I take it you're in europe? have you not heard anything about what any of us in the new world have been saying? our ford line up here is 10 years old. all of it. GM is hardly better. EUROPE GETS EVERYTHING first. EVEN FROM AMERICAN COMPANIES.
  
  This car is supposed to be a SECOND GEN astra. so what the heck is so old about it?
  
  cj, if it wasnt for the low MSRP of american cars, USA would still be driving le barons and chevelles. Even cars that are made in canada sell for thousands of dollars cheaper in the states than they do in canada. deal with it. EVERY company discounts the USA, cause its the only way they can sell here. even merc and BMW do it.

• Thu Apr 10 2008 3:33 PM

  94 taurus owner says

  Very true. Sad isn't it.