These are the first full blown photos of GM's all-new Opel / Vauxhall Astra that is destined to make its world debut as a five-door hatchback at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009. Along with the photos of the five-door model, Opel also released two sketches depicting the new Astra GTC which looks more like a fastback coupe than your traditional three-door hatchback, and the more practical and spacious Astra Estate.
As expected, the new Astra's exterior styling echoes that of the well received Insignia with details such as the shape of the headlamps, the roofline and the concave surfacing on the doors all pointing towards the larger Opel. Overall, the new Astra hatch looks sportier and more dynamic in an upscale sort of way compared to the current generation model.
While Opel has yet to release photos of the interior, previous spy shots reveal that the Astra's interior is heavily inspired from the Insignia with the dashboard featuring four deeply positioned instrument dials in front of the driver and a swoopy central console with an elevated lower part.
All three variants of the Astra are based on GM's new front-wheel-drive Delta platform that is also found on the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt models. However, from what we learnt, the chassis has been modified by Opel's engineers to offer more dynamic handling to Opel's trio.
The 2010 Astras will be available with numerous diesel and gasoline powertrains including GM's an all-new 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol engine that will be offered with outputs ranging from 120 hp to 140 hp and torque values between 175 and 200 Nm.
The 5-door hatchback versions of the newly developed Astra will find their way to Opel showrooms across Europe by the end of the year, while the GTC coupe and the Estate variants should follow by mid-2010.
It remains to be seen when, or better yet if, General Motors will bring the Astra to the States.
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