New Holden Astra but we may not get it

The wraps came off the Opel-designed Astra hatch this week ahead of its September Frankfurt motor show debut but the small car faces an uncertain future locally.

GM-Holden is currently reviewing its small car line-up, which means the newest Astra may not have a future in Holden’s Australian lineup, particularly given the imminent arrival of the petrol and turbo-diesel Cruze sedan.

The Cruze arrives in GM-Holden dealers next month.

The company has halted imports of the current Astra for two months because of currency fluctuations and pricing problems with Opel, the European arm of General Motors.

GM-Holden executives say there is room for both models but the Astra needs a favourable business case to be profitable.

Initially available as a five-door hatch, the Astra will also be available as a wagon, cabrio and two-door GTC coupe.

The new car’s design team was led by vice president of GM Europe Design, Mark Adams, the British designer responsible for last year’s European car of the year-winning Vauxhall Insignia, which has replaced the Vectra in Europe.

With a strong, cab-forward design, steeply-raked windscreen and sloping rear roofline, the hatch borrows some of the design cues found in the Insignia.

Like the Insignia, the Astra went through more than 600 hours of wind tunnel testing aimed at delivering strong performance, economy and overall refinement.

Adams says he wanted the car to have the same premium cues as the Insignia “inside and out”.

The hatch is 4400mm long and has a 71mm longer wheelbase and all-new chassis to improve passenger room and packaging.

The car gets wider front and rear tracks and a new rear axle design to improve stability and agility. Opel says the rear axle also enhances ride comfort.

Opel has held off showing off the car’s interior but like the Insignia, it is expected to be curvy and driver focused with a wrap-around dashboard and high quality materials.

In Europe the Astra will be available with a range of Euro 5 petrol and turbo-diesel four cylinder engines.

The highlight of the engine line-up is an all-new, 104kW/200Nm turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol four, part of Opel’s commitment to engine downsizing and reduced emissions/fuel consumption, while retaining the performance of a larger capacity vehicle.

The 1.4T joins a turbo-charged 1.6-litre four cylinder that delivers 134kW and replaces the existing 1.8-litre four. The four diesel engines range in capacity from 70kW to 120kW.

Like the Volkswagen Golf, the Astra has moved up a notch with equipment.

It will be available with the latest-generation adaptive headlights, which have bi-xenon lights that change in intensity depending on speed.

A similar system was introduced on the Insignia.

The hatch will also be available with GM’s optional FlexRide three-mode active damping system.

It has three damper settings, standard, sport and tour, yet is also fully adaptive to driving style and cornering speed.

The Astra is GM-Holden’s most popular small car and most popular car after the Commodore. In the UK it accounts for 30 per cent of all Vauxhall sales.