Opel has revealed the all-new, sixth generation of the Astra. The success story of Opel’s bestseller began 30 years ago with the descendant of the legendary Kadett. With the all-new Astra, the German manufacturer is now opening the next chapter: for the first time, the compact class model is available with electric drive. The new Opel Astra is also a design statement for the brand. Dynamic as never before, with sheer, taut surfaces, detoxed of superfluous elements and with the new brand face – the Opel Vizor. With the next compact class generation, Opel shows that the Astra is ready to define a new era. Opel will offer the new Astra in two performance levels as a plug-in hybrid. In addition, there are versions with highly efficient petrol and diesel engines in combination with friction-optimised six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions.
Thanks to the especially short front overhang, the new Astra is only 4.0 mm longer than the previous model, despite the considerably increased wheelbase of 2,675 mm (+13 mm). Notwithstanding the muscular, confident stance, the new Opel Astra’s practical boot with adjustable floor still offers the driver and four passengers 422 litres of luggage volume. The new Opel Astra will launch this year as a sporty five-door with a low-slung look and yet more space than its predecessor. With a length of 4,374 millimetres and width of 1,860 mm, it hits the sweet-spot of the compact sector. For example, the Astra can turn night into day: the latest evolution of the adaptive Intelli-Lux LED® Pixel light comes straight from Opel’s flagship Insignia and, with 168 LED elements, leads the way in the compact and midsize market sectors. The new generation was designed and developed at Opel’s headquarters in Rüsselsheim where production will begin this autumn.
The new Opel Astra will be available from the start of sales with powerful plug-in hybrid electric drive as well as highly efficient petrol and diesel engines, electrifying Opel’s compact class model for the first time in the brand’s history. Power ranges from 81 kW (110 hp) to 96 kW (130 hp) with the petrol and diesel variants and up to 165 kW (225 hp) system output with the plug-in hybrid variants. A six-speed gearbox is standard on the petrol and diesel power units, with an eight-speed automatic transmission (electrified on the plug-in hybrids) optional on the more powerful engines. The new Opel Astra is based on the third generation of the highly flexible EMP2 multi-energy architecture, with Opel DNA built in from the start of development. This means that the handling is composed as well as dynamic and that the new model – like every Opel – is “Autobahnproof”. In other words, high-speed capability was a primary development objective.
After the Mokka, Crossland and Grandland SUVs, the new Astra is Opel’s first hatchback to interpret the brand’s bold and pure design philosophy. The Opel Vizor (the new face of the brand first seen on the Mokka and the central exterior design element) follows the Opel Compass where the vertical and horizontal axes – the sharp crease in the hood and the wing shaped graphic of the daylight running lamps. Stretching across the front, making the new Astra look even wider, the Vizor also seamlessly integrates technologies such as the ultra-slim Intelli-Lux LED® headlamps and the front camera of the Intelli-Vision system. Viewed from the side, the next-generation Astra looks especially dynamic thanks to the pronounced forward rake of the C-pillar. The Blitz emblem also doubles as the latch for the tailgate, which is made of state-of-the-art composite material. This technology is not only light in weight and rigid, it also allows the precise execution of design details such as the especially slim tail lamps.
