Holden Astra News

Those two are among those believed to be among those appointed to sell their GM stabelmate, Opel, when it hits Australia in September.Instead, the German brand will be stocked by multi-brand dealers, some of which sell other European luxury brands. Carsguide believes 16 dealers have so far been appointed and that only two are Holden. However, Opel Australia spokeswoman Michelle Lang says they are "still in the process" of appointing dealers."You'll have to wait another three or four weeks for the full list," she says. "We currently have contracts coming back and the legal processes are under way. "All I can say is we are really pleased with the calibre of dealers." Lang says their target number of dealers is "only 16 or 17 in the first year". "We may be looking at that as time goes on, but they will be metropolitan dealers to begin with. "I can't comment on that (Holden dealers) yet. It's a bit premature at the moment. "Some dealers are multi-dealers that have other German brands." Even though it is part of the American GM stable, Opel is considered a German brand with German engineering and design and manufacture in European countries such as Belgium, Britain, Poland, Russia and, of course, Germany. The brand will launch in Australia with three model ranges - Corsa, Astra and Insignia. Carsguide believes the Corsa may start at under $20,000 to gain a foothold on the showroom floor, but Lang says she cannot confirm. "Your informants are telling you more than I can tell you," she says. The initial launch model line-up will consist of Corsa three- and five-door small hatch, the Astra five-door, Tourer (wagon) and GTC coupe, and the Insignia Sedan and Tourer.Astra was last sold in Australia by Holden in March 2010 when it was built in Belgium and replaced by the Korean-built Cruze. The Astra models coming to Australia will be built at GM's Vauxhall plant in England after workers at the Liverpool plant recently voted on cost savings that included operating 24 hours a day. Opel's hero car, the Astra GTC, recently won the design category of the 2012 Plus X Awards in Germany. It was one of eight awards for the German brand. 

The Commodore VF, Holden Colorado 7 and Opel Astra GTC have all been caught on camera in recent weeks during test runs out of Melbourne. The hottest hit was scored by Ben Williams, who shot the camouflaged Commodore (below) during country runs with a group of current cars and - surprisingly - a full-sized Dodge. "I saw the car in country Victoria. It was with a group of Commodores. There was also an American car (above)," says Williams. The Colorado 7, which plugs a giant hole in Holden's SUV lineup later this year, is caught wearing a different style of disguise in a Melbourne carpark. "I saw this car at my local shopping center car park. I think it's a new SUV for Holden," says Jon Walker. Holden has already announced preliminary details on the car, which is based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer and will be the first full-sized SUV for the brand in almost a decade." “Australians are buying more SUVs than ever before. The Colorado 7 will be a perfect fit for customers looking for the increased packaging flexibility and lifestyle benefits of clever interior storage, seven seats and rugged off-road performance," says Holden's John Elsworth. But there is nothing yet on the exact specification or the crucial pricing. Mathieu Lewis only manages a quick glimpse at a speedy yellow coupe but he knows what he's got.  "I spotted the new Opel Astra GTC on Punt Road in Melbourne. It's a rough photo I managed to get of it through the mirror," he says.  Opel has no details yet on its sales plan for the hot hatch, but is surprisingly happy it has been snapped.  "Yes, it is one of our GTCs, the very first to arrive in the country," says Michelle Lang, spokesperson for Opel Australia. "I'm not surprised it was spotted - it's a head turner."  

It has styling that mimics the larger Insignia and is expected to break cover at the Paris Motor Show in September, although there is no confirmation - yet - for Australian sales.

Opel Australia has confirmed the three-door sports turbo compact will be completing the launch line-up. It will run possibly a 1.4 or 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine the former with around 100kW, the latter with 132kW and six speed manual only. Following its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt last year, the Astra GTC presents an ultra-sporty and stylish model to Australia, joining the exciting launch range comprising the Astra Hatch and Tourer, Corsa 3 and 5 door, and Insignia Sedan and Tourer. The Astra GTC will be the "hero" of the range. According to Opel, GTC designers wanted the car to be the ultimate expression of Opel's design language `sculptural artistry meets German precision'. The new Astra GTC stands out with sharp design and driving capabilities. On the outside, sculpted shapes with precise accents add drama to clean, sweeping coupe lines. And on the road, all Astra GTC versions benefit from a premium front axle layout with HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) that combines with the clever Opel patented Watt's link rear axle to provide stability and the sharpest driving precision. Few sporty cars in the segment offer such a sophisticated front axle architecture.  

Three years after Holden axed the Astra, the nameplate still rates higher among car buyers than even the market-leading Mazda3. More than 80 per cent of the 2.16m Australian planning to buy a new car in the next four years are still aware of the Astra badge, according to the latest Roy Morgan Automotive Currency Report. Top of the polls is the VW Golf with 82 per cent, followed by Toyota Corolla with 81.9 and then Astra on 80.3, down from a market-leading high in 2007 of 84.6 per cent. Mazda3 was the top-selling car last year, beating Holden Commodore by 817, but it rated only fourth in the survey with 75.9 per cent. The last generation Astra was imported by Holden from GM's European subsidiary, Opel, but was axed in 2009 in favor of the Thai-built Cruze. Roy Morgan spokesman Norman Morris says the high awareness of the Astra augers well for the launch of Opel in Australia this year and the return of the popular small car. With awareness being one of the key factors for purchase consideration, this is great news for Opel who will be able to focus their media spend (advertising) on unknown models such as Insignia, Corsa and Meriva," Morgan says. The Cruze, which is now made in Australia, has increased awareness from 28.4 per cent in 2009 to fifth place today with 68.8 per cent. It is followed by another rising star, the Hyundai i30, with 45.2 per cent, up from 14.7 per cent at its launch in January 2008.

Switching from Holden to Opel badges from early 2012 also means there will be more emphasis on cars with pace and panache. So the upcoming Opel Astra GSI, caught by Carparazzi during pre-launched trials in Europe, is likely to be a pacemaker and a hero car for the start-up brand. The GSI is developed from the Astra hatch already previewed in Europe as the Opel response to the latest Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The Astra is promised as a benchmark small car and the GSI will be the headliner for the badge, taking up the slack from the current car not sold in Australia. Carparazzi shots reveal a GSI, even with camouflage, that trumpets a bolder front end with a different bumper, air intakes and daytime   running lamps. At the rear there is an extra exhaust pipe and a massive rear bumper,   and the pictures also show the car rides up to 10 millimetres lower than the regular Astra. Carparazzi says the new GSI will be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo motor delivering 141 kiloWatts, be good enough to top the current model's speed of 230 km/h and its sprint of 8.2 seconds from standstill to 100 km/h.

The German brand is on a drive for global expansion and is aiming for conquest sales from Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen with a starting lineup of three cars. The Astra will be Opel's born-again hero downunder and joined by the compact Corsa and award-winning mid-sized Insignia.  The plan is confirmed today by the heads of General Motors' two brands, Nick Reilly of Opel and Mike Devereux of GM Holden. Holden is helping with the move but Opel is genuinely going alone, with no commitment to Holden dealers and no intention of integrating its small-car lineup with the cheaper Korean-made cars that dominate the Holden range. It is aiming to become an upscale contender as Opel looks for incremental sales in a wide range of countries - from China to Israel- to boost its production and spread its influence. "This is not just an Australian play," says Reilly, a man who ironically brought Daewoo into the Holden family.  "It's important for Opel. It's an important brand statement." He believes there are buyers in Australia who will pay extra to have an Astra over a Cruze and a Corsa over a Barina, with more opportunities in the future with specialist cars including the Zafira wagon and Meriva minivan. "We're not trying to beat the mainstream brands. Our time is just at the right time," Reilly says.  Holden is already doing preliminary work for Opel on everything from the model lineup and pricing to the dealer set-up, but Devereux is unwilling to share any detail. "We insisted it should be considered as a separate business," he says.  "Holden is our play in Australia and will be forever." Opel is aiming for a short-term sales total below 10,000 cars, rising to around 15,000 within five years.

Following Vauxhall's recent announcement of its stunning GTC Paris concept at this year's Paris Motor Show, the company has now revealed first pictures of the car's interior.Design head Mark Adams describes the concept as, 'bold, pure and iconic' with sweeping lines and shaped contours to complement the car's sporting intent.The images show a 'positive/negative' trim application across the front of the cabin, bespoke front seats with titanium inserts and high quality cabin materials. The small black leather racing steering wheel has metal inserts and door grabs and gearshift mould feature polished chrome.The GTC Paris gives a strong hint at what buyers might expect from the next Astra 3-door when it's unveiled at the show this week.

... now it means buying cars from almost anywhere else. Sales figures for January released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reveal that Australian-made vehicles were a poor fourth in terms of buyer preference.While we have long favoured imports from Japan, last month more buyers bought cars from Korea and Thailand in preference to those made manufactured in Melbourne and Adelaide. In fifth position, German imports recorded one of their best-ever sales months.  With the tariff having been reduced from 10 to five per cent, importers are sharpening their prices, posing a still more acute threat to the locals.Last month 26,311 vehicles from Japan sold in Australia; 13,130 from Korea; 10,777 from Thailand; 9741 locally made and 6066 from Germany.  While not the worst-ever numerical return in a month for Australian-made, fourth is an ordinary result for the local industry which the federal Government assists to the tune of $6.2 billion.While Holden can claim the Commodore was January's best-selling model on 3241 and Ford can point to an improved performance from the Falcon compared with January 2009, both models are hugely reliant on bargain sales to fleets rather than more profitable private sales.  Moreover, Holden's other bestsellers -- such as the Cruze, Barina and the Captiva -- are made in South Korea and re-badged for local buyers.Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan in Melbourne, was on top in the January monthly market with 14,564 vehicle sales, ahead of Holden with 10,468 and Ford on 6730. Mazda, was the fourth most popular car maker on 6658. Hyundai, with 6208, was fifth.Although they were several thousand behind the locals, sales of German imports are only going north, with a 78 per cent increase on January, 2009.  While the prestige brand Audi recorded a record 1328 sales, the impetus was due largely to manufacture of the Carsguide Car of the Year-winning Volkswagen Golf moving from South Africa to Germany, where its derivative Tiguan soft-roader is also made.COUNTRY OF ORIGINVehicle sales figures for January26,311 ... Japan13,130 ... Korea10,777 ... Thailand9,741 ..... Australia6,066 ..... Germany 

A staggering 225 out of the 243 private-plated cars chosen by MPs and Senators have six or eight-cylinder engines, in contrast to the national trend towards smaller, more fuel efficient models. Only a handful of MPs drive low-emission hybrids.The list, published today on The Punch, shows the most popular car among federal politicians is the Ford Territory, Australia’s answer to the SUV and possibly the heaviest Aussie-built passenger car ever made. It was chosen by 81 MPs, including many who live in suburban electorates. The Federal Government’s own Green Vehicle Guide gives the Territory a woeful 2.5 stars out of five.The details, released under Freedom of Information laws and current as of March 1 this year, show only 10 MPs drive low-emission hybrids. All MPs and Senators are entitled to at least one private-plated vehicle for personal use as part of their salary package. They can choose from a list of 35 cars valued at up to $48,990 or with approval from the Special Minister of State, select a “non-standard vehicle”.Apart from the Territory, other popular vehicles include the Holden Berlina and Calais vehicles or the Toyota Aurion V6. Some of the Toyota Landcrusiers, preferred among some country-based MPs, are diesel or in the case of one or two six cylinder cars, dual fuel LPG operated. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was embarrassed into swapping his private-plate Territory for a hybrid Toyota Prius in 2007 when, as Opposition Leader, it was revealed he was calling for action on greenhouse while driving a Territory.Special Minister of State Joe Ludwig, a Territory driver, said the government was examining “cleaning up” the parliamentary entitlements framework, including the private-plated vehicle scheme. An independent committee would report to him next year with some recommendations intended to “reduce cost and increase transparency”.A more in-depth report and the full list is available at The Punch