First look: New Astra evolves the breed

THIS is the new fifth generation Astra small car that will go on sale in Australia sometime in the second half of 2004.

Shown here with Vauxhall badges in five-door form, the new Astra will first be seen in the metal at the Frankfurt motor show in September as an Opel but not go on-sale in Europe until the northern spring.

While only the five-door has been shown so far, expect three and four-door versions to roll out pretty rapidly along with a wagon in 2004, while a convertible is due for launch in 2005.

The replacement for the Zafira people-mover, which is based on the same platform, should appear in 2006.

While this is the first production car, a sexy three-door concept called GTC was shown at the Geneva motor show last March.

The new Astra is a key car for Holden. It has enjoyed outstanding sales success with the current generation since its September, 1998, launch, with all bodystyles except the coupe now on sale here.

But for General Motors’ two European subsidiaries this car is even more important than that. It must contest the vital European C-car category against the likes of the just launched Renault Megane and forthcoming Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3 (both also launched at Frankfurt) and the next generation Ford Focus due in 2004.

All those cars will also be coming to Australia - and facing up to tough competition like the top-selling Toyota Corolla.

The new five-door Astra – the first bodystyle in the current generation to appear in Australia – is bigger and roomier, growing by 140mm in length, 20mm in width and 16mm in height. The wheelbase is up by 5mm.

It is underpinned by a new platform which retains reworked versions of the current MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension and is aided by an electronic damping system.

Both petrol and turbo-diesel engines will be offered in Europe but Australia will only take upper capacity petrol units, including a turbo to replace the current 147kW four-cylinder just launched in the SRi hot hatch and upper-spec convertible.

Although skimpy on details, Vauxhall’s press release did say petrol engines up to 200hp (150kW) would be offered in the new range. These engines will have twin-port technology, which combines a variable intake manifold with a higher exhaust gas recirculation to boost fuel economy without any loss of power.

A new six-speed manual transmission will be offered. Along with a five-speed manual, an automatic and Easytronic automated manual transmission.

Other technology being admitted to for the new Astra is a light system, called Adaptive Forward Lighting, or AFL, and electro-hydraulic steering.

But it is the optional electronic assistance that Opel is crowing about most of all.

It says that the optional Continuous Damping Control (CDC) dampers react in real time to variations in the road surface or driving style and adjust themselves automatically to the prevailing conditions.

And with the Interactive Driving System (IDSPlus) system, the Astra’s driver can switch to a sport mode that regulates the damping characteristics as well as the response of the accelerator pedal and the power assistance of the steering.

With the automatic and Easytronic transmissions the gears are also selected at higher engine speeds.

All this engineering is clothed by an evolutionary bodystyle that retains the fundamental shape of the current car, albeit with sharper edges to emphasise the family connection to the new generation Vectra that has just gone on sale in Australia.

Features of the look include a high shoulder line, strong wedge shape, pronounced wheel arches and three-dimensional, clear-glass headlamps.

The large tail-lights have a special light-scattering, "translucent" technology. Fifteen-inch wheels are standard but options up to 18-inches will be available from the factory in Europe.

PRICING CONCERN IN EXPANDED RANGE

JUST looking at the sales figures is enough to tell you how important the current TS bodyshape Astra has been for Holden since its launch, replacing the unloved TR.

With its high quality build and European styling, Holden has been able to avoid the $19,990 driveaway danger zone, able to charge a premium for Astra and get away with it.

Such has been its strength as a nameplate, Holden has also been able to add four and three-door variations to the original five-door range, plus a high-priced convertible. Most recently have come high performance turbos.

Now, the pricing stretches from $21,490 for the base model 1.8-litre three-door to $49,990 for the top-spec turbo convertible.

A prime concern for Holden is trying to keep price increases to a minimum because if there is one certainty in life it is that the next generation Astra will cost more.

The exchange rate is a factor – and that could still improve – but Opel will continue to charge more for its products as it fights to regain profitability under its Project Olympia strategy.

The Opel-supplied Barina has already suffered a dramatic price hike in 2003 and the instant result in the price-sensitive light car class has been a sales drop of around 50 per cent year-on-year.

“We are hoping Astra doesn’t go up in price too much,” said Holden marketing executive John Elsworth.

“It’s a different car to today’s and the price will be different, but we won’t lock all that away for a while yet.

“We aren’t planning to go backward with sales, I can tell you now. From day one we have felt that Astra was a premium product and could be sold in volume at a premium price. We continue to have that attitude.” Where will the new Astra reside? Mr Elsworth isn’t saying but he points to Mazda’s public admission that the 323 replacement, the 3, will probably reside around the $22,000 kick-off mark as indicative.

“Cars like the 3 will reset the price to where the Astra is today,” said Mr Elsworth.

ASTRA SALES BY YEAR SINCE 1996
2002 27,388
2001 28,378
2000 18439
1999 8090
1998 3981
1997 4528
1996 1417