Holden Astra 2019 News

The new year has really only just begun, but already our list of dearly departed cars is growing longer, with the Mercedes-Benz X-Class joining cars like the Commodore and Accent in the new-car graveyard.Well, the Nissan Navara-based X-Class is not entire

Holden has fallen out of the top 10 most popular car brands in Australia for the first time, as September sales figures revealed, slipping to 11th place last month with just 2863 new registrations.Compared to the same month last year, Holden's sales are d

Some of General Motor (GM)'s global vehicles will carry more of an Australian flavour thanks to the strong localisation and tuning talents of the Holden engineering team.Speaking to CarsGuide, Holden vehicle development manager Jeremy Tassone said the loc

Once a dominate force in Australia’s automotive landscape, Holden has since slipped to out of favour with many buyers since the cessation of local car manufacturing in 2017.

The Holden Astra hatchback range has seen the addition of a new limited-run Black Edition model, based on the RS variant.

Holden has condensed its three-body-style Astra line-up to just one, the hatchback, by dropping the wagon and sedan versions due to low volume and supply issues respectively.

The Holden Astra 2019 range has been reworked, with changes to the model line-up and car’s equipment, and the six-speed manual gearbox option no longer offered on mid-level R+ and RS models.Still priced from $21,490 plus on-road costs - though currently available for $20,990 drive-away - the 2019 Astra range has seen the deletion of the R+ manual and RS manual, but the R and RS-V manuals remain available. Typically manual models are kept to the base variant, often teamed to a lower-output engine, as is the case with the Astra. In R and R+ guise, it runs a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, while the higher-spec RS and RS-V models have a more potent 1.6-litre turbo.  But Holden says it will retain the base manual R model, and offer a high-grade RS-V manual to appeal to enthusiasts."The rationale of sticking with a manual transmission in the RS-V was to cater for the ‘purist’ element of driving enthusiasts," said Holden spokesperson, Daniel Cotterill.There aren't many aesthetic changes, but R and R+ variants feature redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels and a slightly redesigned front bumper. Aside from the transmission offer adjustments, the 2019 Astra range continues unchanged in terms of mechanicals. The 110kW/240Nm (auto)/245Nm (manual) 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine continues to be offered in the R and R+, while the 147kW/280Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol is offered in the upper-spec RS and RS-V models. The 1.4-litre donk is rated at 5.8L/100km on a combined cycle, with the larger 1.6-litre engine rated at between 6.3L and 6.5L/100km.Standard equipment continues as before, with the base $21,490 (all prices below plus on-road costs) Astra R offering 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, automatic headlights with LED daytime running lights, a 7.0-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and DAB+ digital radio.The $23,740 R+ then adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and Holden Eye, which includes autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning, lane departure warning with lane keep assist and a following distance indicator.The $27,240 RS adds the larger engine, as well as different 17-inch wheels, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry and start, automatic parking with front parking sensors and heated and electric-folding mirrors.The top of the Astra range is the $30,740 RS-V, which has 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, LED tail-lights, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, remote start for the automatic and LED ambient lighting. Available optionally on the RS-V is a $1990 Touring Pack with adaptive cruise control, high speed AEB and a sunroof. The previously available Matrix LED headlights have been shelved for 2019.So far in 2019, Holden Astra sales are up by 1.3 per cent to 1,845 units, commanding 7.0 per cent and seventh place in the small car segment. The small car segment has sold 26,302 units so far in 2019, which is down 20.2 per cent compared with this time last year. 2019 Holden Astra pricing (plus on-road costs):R manual: $21,490R auto: $22,490R+ auto: $23,740RS auto: $27,240RS-V manual: $30,740RS-V auto: $31,740

The Holden Commodore and Holden Astra model lines are here to stay, according to General Motors Holden chairman and managing director, Dave Buttner.