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Gearing up for a debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September is this, the new Opel Astra. Still under heavy disguise, this new five-door hatch is smaller (26mm lower, 49mm shorter, 23mm out of the wheelbase) and as much as 200kg lighter than the outgoing Astra, yet Opel's engineers claim that they have found more cabin space. Better cabin quality too, apparently - the current button-cluster-bomb effect will be ditched for a more simple, hopefully more elegant layout, which will include, as an option, GM's OnStar connectivity service, which ties your phone to your car and both to the internet.
Under the bonnet:
New engines will include the 115hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit from the Corsa (which replaces the old 115hp 1.6 petrol) and the 1.4 petrol turbo gets an extra 5hp bringing it to 145hp. The new line-up of 1.6-litre diesels will also be available of course.
The official word:
"With each Kadett generation, Opel made individual mobility accessible to millions of people around the world, and several generations of Astra have brought innovative technologies from the upper class into the affordable compact segment," said Opel's CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. "Each generation has raised the bar in safety, comfort and efficiency. The new Astra will once again set standards in the compact class. Amongst others, it will be the first new Opel model to be launched with Opel OnStar's unique connected service that is ready to help and rescue you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."
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