Vauxhall follows other models when being replaced by slashing the prices, making the Astra a great buy.

• New Astra in showrooms in October priced from £15,295 OTR
• Up to £2,200 less expensive than the outgoing model
• Class-leading powertrains achieve up to 91.1mpg and as low as 82g/km

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra will be in showrooms in October priced from £15,295 on-the-road.

The new model, built at Vauxhall’s manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, is up to £2,200 less expensive than the outgoing model with a simplified range. The new Astra range includes Design, Tech Line, Energy, SRi and Elite, with Nav versions of the SRi and Elite trims also available.

Range highlights include the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Turbo Start/Stop ecoFLEX model priced from £15,995 on-the-road. With an Easytronic five-speed automatic transmission, the same model achieves a class-leading 96g/km CO₂ emissions. 

The range-topping 1.6-litre (200PS) is available in SRi trim priced from £20,435 on-the-road. The diesel offering includes the 1.6-litre ‘Whisper Diesel’ (110PS) Start/Stop ecoFLEX model (prices start at £17,495 on-the-road) that achieves 91.1mpg and class-leading CO₂ emissions of 82g/km (provisional).

Each trim level features a high level of standard spec:

Design

Prices start from £15,295 on-the-road, £150 less than outgoing model

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• LED daytime running lights, 6 airbags
• Air conditioning
• R4.0 IntelliLink audio system with digital radio
• 7-inch colour touchscreen, USB & aux in
• Bluetooth connectivity, multi-function trip computer
• Cruise control and steering wheel controls
• Electrically operated front and rear windows  

Tech Line (over Design)

Prices start from £15,995 on-the-road, £775 less than outgoing model

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition
• Leather steering wheel, adjustable front armrest

Energy (over Design)

Prices start from £17,295 on-the-road, £625 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch 10 spoke alloy wheels
• Heated front seats and heated leather steering wheel

SRi (over Design)

Prices start from £17,895 on-the-road, £970 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch five twin-spoke alloy wheels
• Driving Assistance Pack (front camera system)
• OnStar, Sight & Light Pack
• Sports seats, sports switch
• Leather steering wheel
• Front foglamps

SRi Nav (over SRi)

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition 

Elite (over Design)

Prices start from £19,315 on-the-road, £1,960 less than outgoing model

• 17-inch multi spoke alloy wheels
• Leather ergonomic sports front seats with extendable seat cushions, tilt and four-way electrical lumbar adjustment
• Tilt and four-way electrical lumbar adjustment
• Heated front and rear outer seats
• OnStar, Sight & Light Pack
• Electronic climate control
• Front foglamps
• Electrically foldable door mirrors
• Two USB chargers for rear seat passengers

Elite Nav (over Elite)

• Navi 900 satellite navigation system with 8 inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition

Vauxhall is happy to announce the all new SEVENTH generation Astra Family car.

• First pictures of new Brit-built Astra ahead of Frankfurt unveil
• Up to 200kg lighter than outgoing model
• Smaller outside, bigger inside
• New engine portfolio including 1.4-litre (145PS) petrol
• First all-new Vauxhall with OnStar
• IntelliLink R 4.0 compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

These are the first images of Vauxhall’s seventh-generation Astra, which will reach production later this year from the company’s Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant in Cheshire.

Based on an all-new lightweight vehicle architecture with a new design, powertrains and technology, Astra will receive its world premiere at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show (September 17-27).

One the UK’s top-selling and best-loved cars, the Astra is a household name for British car buyers with over 2.9 million sold in the UK over the last 36 years with over 50,000 last year.

Depending on the model and trim level it will be up to 200kg (130kg on average) lighter than its predecessor. The completely new vehicle architecture plays a major role in the weight reduction. Every component was checked for compact design and lightweight materials. The body shell weight alone was reduced by 20 per cent from 357kg to 280kg.

Additional, chassis-related measures resulted in a further 50kg weight loss. These include high-strength and ultra-high-strength low-weight steels, compact subframes as well as weight reductions to the front and rear axle.

Powertrains

The all-new Astra features a powertrain portfolio including petrol and diesel units ranging from 100PS to 200PS.

The highlight of the engine range is the all-new 1.4-litre (145PS) ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo, a four-cylinder unit from the same family as the one-litre, three-cylinder engine seen in Corsa, ADAM and VIVA. The engine delivers maximum torque of up to 250Nm, with maximum power available between 1,800rpm and 4,000rpm.

Based on its construction, the new 1.4 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo also adds less weight to the car. The aluminium engine block weighs in at 10kg less than the forged steel block of the current 1.4-litre turbo.

There’s also a base-level 1.0 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo (105PS) petrol engine and a 1.6 CDTi ‘Whisper Diesel’ range with outputs starting from 110PS up to 160PS.

Design

Inspired by 2013’s Monza Concept, the lean design makes the new Astra look more athletic than ever before thanks to work carried out by a design team led by Brit Mark Adams.

Evolution of the Vauxhall design philosophy ‘sculptural artistry meets technical precision’ ensures that the new Astra catches the eye with a lighter, more agile appearance.

The Griffin in the centre of the chrome bar on the grill and the characteristic ‘blade’ raising towards the rear make the new Astra immediately recognisable as a member of the Vauxhall family. The front headlamps melt into the radiator grille to form a graphic unity.

The most significant design cue is the divided C-pillar, creating the impression of a floating roof. The interplay of light and shadow is emphasised by the horizontal crossbar above the brand logo linking the rear lights.

Smaller outside, bigger inside

The Astra does not just look smaller – it is smaller. With a total length of 4.37m it is almost 5cm shorter than its predecessor. With a height of 1.46m it is also 2.6cm lower. The dimensions have an impact on aerodynamics and efficiency with the new Astra boasting a drag coefficient below 0.30.

The wheelbase may have been reduced by 2cm but the amount of space inside increased. In combination with newly-designed seats, the passengers in the rear can enjoy an additional 35mm legroom. The distance between the front- and rear-seats is increased providing comfort and space.

The high-quality cockpit and the instrument panel seamlessly transfer the characteristic and aesthetic exterior design to the interior, ensuring that a new interior design generation is introduced in the new Astra. It features a clean look which includes a large colour touchscreen in the centre stack and a reduced amount of control switches and buttons.

Vauxhall OnStar

The new Astra is the first new Vauxhall model that will be available with the personal connectivity and service assistant OnStar from its launch.

OnStar offers customers a broad range of safety and comfort services. If an airbag deploys, OnStar will be alerted automatically. An advisor will then contact the vehicle to determine whether help is required. If there is no response, emergency responders are immediately sent to the exact location of the vehicle.

Drivers and passengers can reach OnStar 24/7 and 365 days a year. No matter whether they need roadside assistance or any other service – an OnStar advisor is always ready to help. OnStar also turns the new Astra into a 4G LTE mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Up to seven devices, from smartphones to tablets, can be connected simultaneously.

IntelliLink

Making its debut in new Astra is the new generation IntelliLink infotainment system that is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Each system builds off of the features smartphone users rely on most. Android Auto is built around Google Maps, Google Now and the ability to talk to Google, as well as a growing audio and messaging app ecosystem that includes WhatsApp, Skype, Google Play Music, Spotify, and podcast players. A full list of supported apps is available at Android.com/auto.

Apple CarPlay takes the iPhone features you’d want to access while driving and puts them on the vehicle’s display in a smart, simple manner, allowing drivers to make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music right from the touchscreen or by voice via Siri. Apple CarPlay supported apps include Phone, Messages, Maps, Music and compatible third party apps. A full list of those apps can be found at Apple.com/ios/carplay.

The functions can be controlled via the large, up to eight-inch touchscreen located high on the center stack, via remote control on the steering wheel (volume) or via voice control.

IntelliLux Led Matrix Light Headlights

The all-new Brit-built Astra will be the first Vauxhall to get glare-free IntelliLux LED Matrix Light.

Bringing premium technology to the mainstream, these new LED headlights provide outstanding night time performance enhancing safety for the driver and those around them.

Consisting of 16 LED segments (eight on each side of the vehicle) the LED matrix system automatically and constantly adapts the length and distribution of the light beam to every traffic situation.

It works in conjunction with the front camera system which detects the presence of other vehicles and then switches off the individual LED segments, preventing other road users from being dazzled.

As soon as the vehicle exits urban areas, the high-beam lighting is automatically switched on and it always remains on. This leads to a considerable increase in safety, as confirmed in a study conducted by the Technical University of Darmstadt and the European LightSightSafety Initiative.

The study showed that at driving speeds of 50mph, drivers detect objects at the side of the road around 30m to 40m sooner than with conventional halogen or xenon dipped beam lighting. This gives them around 1.5 seconds more time to react, for example when an animal walks into the vehicles path.

When the camera detects light sources from oncoming or preceding traffic, individual LEDs in the relevant zone are deactivated, simply “cutting out” the area around the vehicles. The rest of the road and its surroundings remain brightly illuminated.

In addition to the many automatic low and high beam pattern variations, IntelliLux LED also provides a special highway light mode that further increases safety at night. And a special welcome light function makes entering and exiting the Astra more comfortable in the dark.

Not only does the system illuminate the surroundings brighter than conventional lighting systems, it also has a considerably longer running life than headlamps with halogen or xenon lamps.

Another advantage is that mechanical movements are no longer necessary in the headlight – the individual LED segments turn on or off according to the situation, which also contributes to a durability that far exceeds the lifespan of a car.

Equipment

As well as OnStar and next generation IntelliLink, other technology available on the new Astra includes:

• Traffic Sign Assistant
• Lane Keep Assist
• Lane Departure Warning
• Following Distance Indication
• Forward Collision Alert with Collision Imminent Braking
• Cruise Control with Speed Limiter
• Advanced Park Assist
• Rear View Camera
• Side Blind Spot Alert

There’s also an 18-way adjustable driver’s seat. It has massage function, ventilation and seat-width setting. And the rear passengers can also look forward to more comfort than before with the two heated outer back seats available.

The Eleventh Generation Astra, German Engineering, British Built, the best of both worlds.

• 11th generation Opel compact car to star at Frankfurt Motor Show in September
• Opel Group CEO Dr. Neumann promises an efficient, lightweight and spacious car

Continuing an eight-decade long tradition of Opel compact models, Opel Group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann will unveil the all-new Astra at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (September 17 to 27, 2015). Currently, only fully camouflaged engineering development prototypes can be seen, but Dr. Neumann promises that the new Astra will feature “an awesome design”, highest efficiency and an abundance of innovations.

Dr. Neumann has set new development priorities for this 11^th generation Opel compact car that has been created from a white sheet of paper, resulting in a revolutionary car that is much more efficient in all respects.

Space is used in an efficient way: while its exterior dimensions will be reduced, the space devoted to the new Astra’s occupants in its cockpit will be increased substantially. The engineering teams in charge of the development of the new Astra have also dramatically reduced its weight. 

This will make it more agile and have an extremely favorable impact on its fuel consumption. Dr. Neumann also confirmed that, as the result of the greatest powertrain offensive in Opel’s history, the new Astra will be powered only by state-of-the-art engines of the new generation.

The compact models Kadett and Astra, of which more than 24 million have been produced so far, have been the core of Opel’s portfolio ever since the first compact vehicle drove off the assembly line. 

“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 Dr. 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.”

Vauxhall to increase employee base with new vehicle launches.

• 300 new jobs at Ellesmere Port Astra plant in Cheshire
• Second shift and 250 new jobs at Luton van facility in Bedfordshire

As its business grows and with another new model on the horizon Vauxhall has confirmed that it will take on 550 new employees at its manufacturing sites in Ellesmere Port and Luton, the first significant new-hire programme for a decade.

Around 300 new jobs will be secured at the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire.  The plant currently operates on two shifts but as sales volumes build more employees are required to cope with increased output at the facility. The new jobs will be phased in over the first quarter of 2015.

In 2012, Ellesmere Port won the contract to build the next generation, all-new Astra.  Production of this model begins towards the end of 2015. The agreement runs into the next decade and secured a £125 million investment.

Also looking forward to a bright future is Vauxhall’s Luton plant where a second shift is to be added in January 2015, creating around 250 new jobs. The Luton facility builds the recently launched all-new Vivaro van and will be taking on these new employees to increase output next year.  In 2011, Luton won the contract to build the new Vivaro, entailing a £185 million investment.

“This is great news for Vauxhall and for British manufacturing,” said Tim Tozer, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “Both of our UK manufacturing plants have won long contracts with all-new product and as the business strengthens, we now need to take on more people to build these exciting new Vauxhalls.”