OPEL ASTRA

:''See also Vauxhall Astra, Holden Astra, and Saturn Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries.''
The 'Opel Astra' is a small family car designed and manufactured by Opel, the European subsidiary of General Motors.
It is branded as an Opel in continental Europe, Japan, the Republic of Ireland, the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, and India, as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, as Holden in Australasia, and as Chevrolet in Latin America. In Russia, it is sold as both an Opel and Chevrolet. Starting in late 2007, the vehicle will be exported to the United States and Canada, and be sold as a Saturn.
The Astra is now built in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, India, Poland, Ukraine and Russia, as well as being assembled in CKD kits in other countries.

Contents

Naming convention

Astra F/A

Astra G/B

Astra DTM

Astra XTreme

Astra H/C

Astra OPC/VXR

External links

Naming convention

As of 2006, there have been three generations of the vehicle. In a fashion typical for Opel models, they are designated with subsequent letters of the Latin alphabet. Opel's official convention is to continue the Opel Kadett lineage, thus referring to the first generation of Opel Astra as the ''Astra F'' (the last Opel Kadett was the Kadett E). Another convention used by GM starts with ''Astra A'', adopting the notion that the Astra is a separate model. Models sold as Vauxhall, Holden or Chevrolet have different generation designations reflecting the history of those nameplates in their home markets and their naming conventions.

Astra F/A

The Astra F debuted in 1991. With the Kadett E's successor, Opel adopted the Astra nameplate, which was already used by Vauxhall for the Kadett D and E (see Vauxhall Astra). It was offered as a three or five-door hatchback, a saloon (sedan), and an estate (wagon), known as the Caravan. A cabriolet was also offered, designed and built by Bertone in Italy. This car offered in centre,est Europe and Turkey for name Astra Classic for 1998 to 2002. The Astra F finished production in 2002.
The model was launched in South Africa in 1992, where it was produced under licence by Delta. However, the Kadett name was retained for the Astra hatchback until 1999. The South Afican Astra included a variant with a 2.0 L turbocharged engine called the 200tS which was produced in limited numbers in both sedan and hatchback guise. The engine (C20LET) in the 200tS was sourced from the Calibra 2.0 L turbo 4wd found on European markets, but local engineers converted the 6 speed drivetrain to front wheel drive only and as such was unique to that market. Sedan and station wagon models were offered under the Astra name. Controversially, the Kadett and Astra in South Africa won the title of 'Car of the Year' in two consecutive years (1993 and 1994) even though they were versions of the same car. South African nomenclature was denoted in decilitres, so the Astra and Kadett ranges featured 140, 160i, 180i and 200i models.
The Astra also became available in Australasia badged as a Holden, first in New Zealand in 1995, and then Australia in 1996. The first models were imported from the UK, but the current model is imported from Belgium. The original Holden Astra was originally a rebadged Nissan Pulsar, first sold to Ronan in the mid-1980s.
The Astra F consisted of two main revisions and was revised in 1995, with the launch of Opel's new Ecotec engine. For a short period, a submodel which consisted of parts from both revisions was produced. The submodel used all the new Ecotec running gear, but many parts from the previous revision were used in order to use up leftover parts. Other main changes included mildly-altered exterior styling, and availability of new specification models.
Aside from the South Africa-only 200TS, the lead model was the GSi - a 2.0l 16v petrol injected model with 147bhp, available as a 3-door only. It also featured sports bodykit and interior. The GSi too was updated in 1997, with the engine being replaced for a lower-powered but more modern 'Ecotec' version.
'Common Engine Lineup for Astra F'

Engine Model	Displ.	Power	Torque	Fueling System	Valvetrain	Compression Ratio
1.4i	'1389cc'	44kW @ 5200rpm	103Nm @ 2800rpm	MPi	OHC	lack of data
14NV	'1398cc'	55kW @ 5800rpm	110Nm @ 3000rpm	Carb	SOHC	9.4:1
14SE	'1398cc'	60kW @ 5600rpm	115Nm @ 3400rpm	MPi	SOHC	9.8:1
C14NZ	'1398cc'	44kW @ 5200rpm	103Nm @ 2800rpm	SPi	SOHC	9.4:1
X14NZ	'1398cc'	44kW @ 5200rpm	103Nm @ 2800rpm	SPi	SOHC	9.4:1
C14SE	'1389cc'	60kW @5800rpm	113Nm @ 3400rpm	MPi	SOHC	10.0:1
C16NZ and X16SZR	'1598cc'	55kW @ 5200rpm	125Nm @ 2800rpm	SPi	SOHC	9.2:1
C16se	'1598cc'	74kW @ 5800rpm	135Nm @ 3400rpm	MPi	SOHC	9.8:1
X16SZ	'1598cc'	52kW @ 5000rpm	128Nm @ 2800rpm	SPi	SOHC	10.0:1 (9.6:1 for X16XZR)
C18NZ	'1796cc'	66kW @ 5400rpm	145Nm @ 3000rpm	SPi	SOHC	9.2:1
C20NE	'1998cc'	85kW @ 5400rpm	170Nm @ 2600rpm	MPi	SOHC	9.2:1
X14XE(Ecotec)	'1398cc'	66kW @ 6000rpm	125Nm @ 4000rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.5:1
X16XEL(Ecotec)	'1598cc'	74kW @ 6200rpm	148Nm @ 3500rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.5:1
C18XE	'1794cc'	92kW @ 5600rpm	168Nm @ 4800rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.8:1
C18XEL (Ecotec)	'1798cc'	85kW @ 5400rpm	168Nm @ 4000rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.8:1
X18XE (Ecotec)	'1794cc'	85kW @ 5400rpm	170Nm @ 3600rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.8:1
C20XE	'1998cc'	110kW @ 6000rpm	196Nm @ 4600rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.5:1
X20XEV (Ecotec)	'1998cc'	100kW @ 5400rpm	185Nm @ 4000rpm	MPi	DOHC	10.8:1

Astra G/B

The Astra was launched in Europe in 1998. It was available as a 3 and 5-door hatchback, 4-door saloon and two special versions: the Astra Coupé and the Astra Cabrio, both of them designed and built by Bertone. The Astra G/B saw the introduction of a natural gas-powered engine. Its chassis was tuned by Lotus and formed the base of a seven-seater compact MPV, the Opel Zafira.
The manufacturing of Astra G/B continued at GM's Gliwice plant in Poland after the debut of the next-generation Astra H/C, with the older model being branded as 'Astra Classic' in a similar fashion to its predecessor, catering to the lower end of the market. Apart from European markets, these models were sold in Australia and New Zealand as 'Holden Astra Classic', until they were replaced by the Holden Viva in 2006.
The Astra G/B continues as the locally-built 'Chevrolet Astra' in Brazil. It was facelifted in 2003, and is sold in Brazil and other Latin American markets. In Brazil, the Astra G/B remains as the leader of its segment in sells since 1999. The GM Brazilian 2.0 8v engine which equips the Astra has the "flexpower" technology, that allows the car to run on both gasoline/alcohol fuels, providing 121/127 hp (G/A) @ 5.200 rpm.
A taxi version of the Brazilian sourced model, powered with diesel is sold in Chile as the 'Chevy Taxi', and a gasoline powered one as the 'Chevy Urban'.
In 2004, GM's Russian joint venture, GM-AvtoVAZ, launched the 'Chevrolet Viva', a four-door version of the Astra G/B. It is sold through Chevrolet dealers in Russia, while Opel dealers sell the newer Opel Astra H/C.

Astra DTM

The Astra G series was also the basis for the Astra touring car, raced in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series. Although several cars were entered in the races, only one, driven by Manuel Reuter, placed significantly; it took second in 2000. The car's bodywork featured gull-wing doors that were each supported by two gas struts. The race cars were mostly powered by 4.0L V-8 engines with nearly 500 horsepower.

Astra XTreme

The Astra XTreme, a concept presented at the 2001 Geneva motor show, was a single-production V8 powered Astra based on the G-series Astra DTM. Like the DTM race car, it featured a 4.0L V8 engine, producing 444 horsepower, gull-wing doors supported by gas struts., carbon fiber panels, and race-specification interior with five-point seatbelts.

Astra H/C

GM Europe launched Astra H/C in March 2004. Based on the then-new Delta platform, its size was increased compared to the previous version. Each engine is provided with its own Lotus-tuned suspension settings.
The Astra H/C was first launched as a five-door hatchback, which by the end of 2004 was joined by a five-door Caravan estate and a sporty three-door hatchback, designated the GTC for European markets, Sport Hatch in the UK and the Coupé in Australia. The GTC has the option of a panoramic windscreen (unique for a production car at the time of its launch) which extends into the roof area.
Chevrolet do Brazil did not launch the Astra H/C production, keeping the previous model as Chevrolet Astra sold in many South American countries (yet the newer model is sold as Chevrolet Astra in Mexico and from 2006 in Chile), but it has developed a 4-door sedan based on the Astra H/C, which has been launched as the Chevrolet Vectra in 2005. On 19 October 2006 at the international auto show in Istanbul, Turkey, Opel launched this version of the sedan, to be manufactured in Gliwice as an Opel for several Eurasian markets. At that time, a 3-door van variant of the wagon was introduced by Vauxhall in Britain. In May 2007, GM Brazil announced the launch of the 5-door Astra H/C, as the Chevrolet Vectra Hatchback, to differentiate from the already existing Astra G/B, which will remain in production.
A first for any major European car is the availability of digital radio on some versions of the new Astra, while for the Astra product class first are electronic Continuous Damping Control (CDC) and AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting). In 2005, the new Opel Astra Diesel-Electric Hybrid appeared. By the end of 2005, estate and coupé versions were also launched.

Astra OPC/VXR

During 2005 Opel introduced the OPC version of the Astra GTC (Astra VXR in the UK) which is powered by an updated version of the 2.0L turbo ecotec engine producing 240PS(177kW) and 320Nm of torque. Standard features of the OPC version include sports bodykit and interior, a six-speed manual gearbox, xenon headlamps and 18" alloys wheels amongst others.
In 2006 to coincide with April Fools Day, Vauxhall announced a new piece of technology to tame its high-powered VXR models. As a response to critics who claimed the Astra VXR was too powerful, a fully-branded detachable padded mat was to be made available.
This padded mat used Velcro fasteners to attach itself to the carpet beneath the accelerator pedal and prevented the throttle from being depressed fully and instantly reduced the power output to the lower levels of some rivals.
The product was cunningly named "Accelerator Pedal-Retarding Intervention Lump" (or AP-RIL), and was priced at just £104.06 (1-04-06), or 'about the same as two tanks of fool', it did not stop some half-sharp Vauxhall enthusiasts on Internet forums to insist the product was in fact real and even went as far as "confirming" the products authenticity with Vauxhall staff members.

External links

★ Official Astra website at opel.de

★ Official Astra website at opel.ie

★ Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid.

★ Glossary of Technology and Innovations pertaining to the Astra TwinTop.

★ Chevrolet VIVA produced by GM-AVTOVAZ