Opel Officially Reveals 2012 Astra GTC, Coming Next Year

This is General Motors’ brand new Opel Astra GTC revealed more than two months ahead of its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-September. The newest member of Opel’s ever-growing Astra family will go on sale across Europe including the United Kingdom where it will be available as a Vauxhall later this year. Recent reports also suggest it may come to the States under the Buick brand.
GM’s European subsidiary is confident about its new Astra GTC with Vauxhall going as far as to claim that it will “lay down the gauntlet to VW’s Scirocco and Renault’s Megane Coupe with a heady mix of dynamic excellence, dramatic design features and competitive pricing".

The production version of last year’s Paris Motor Show concept GTC sports a far more athletic appearance than the rest of the Astra range thanks to the uniquely designed body that includes a more rakish roofline. According to Opel, the only elements the GTC shares with its five-door and estate siblings are the door handles and roof aerial as even the wheelbase and tracks are different.

Compared to the five-door Astra, the ride height of the GTC is lowered by 15 mm while the wheelbase grows by 10 mm, from 2,685 to 2,695 mm and both tracks are wider, at 1,584 mm (+ 40 mm) in front and 1,588 mm (+ 30 mm) in the rear.

Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall say the Astra GTC is a more driver’s car than the five-door model as the company’s engineers having made several changes to the chassis including the adoption of the HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) setup used on the 325HP Insignia OPC / VXR instead of the standard McPherson suspension.

At the rear, the GTC continues to use a Watt’s link axle, while as an option, Opel offers the fully-adaptive FlexRide chassis control system with a choice of three settings - Standard, Tour or Sport.

Moving on to the available lineup at launch, the Astra GTC can be ordered now with a choice of four engines. However, Opel said more powertrains will be offered around its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show adding that the sportiest versions including the future high-performance OPC model will follow in 2012.

For now, diesel options are limited to a 2.0-liter CDTI common-rail turbo unit delivering 165HP and 380 Nm of torque in overboost function. It is fitted with a diesel particulate filter and a six-speed manual transmission, plus a new Start/Stop system. With this engine, the GTC can reach 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.9 seconds en route to a top speed of 210 km/h (131 mph), while returning a combined fuel consumption of 4.9 lt/ 100 km (48 mpg US or 57.7 mpg UK) with corresponding CO2 emissions of 129 g/km.

The most powerful engine is a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit with 180-horses linked to a six-speed manual gearbox offering the GTC a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph). A 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine available with 120HP and 140HP completes the petrol lineup.

In Britain, buyers can place their order now for the Astra GTC with prices ranging from £18,495 for the 120HP Sport 1.4 Turbo to £22,430 for the 165PS SRi 2.0 CDTi. For more details on UK pricing, check out the list below.

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Vauxhall Insignia gains New 1.4-Liter Turbo Petrol

It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.
Beginning with the petrol model, the 1.4-liter turbocharged unit, which is also offered in the Astra, delivers 140-horsepower and 200Nm of peak torque, while returning 51.4mpg UK (5.5 lt/100km) in the hatchback and saloon models and emitting 129g/km of CO2. In the UK, the Insignia 1.4 Turbo is priced from £18,680 for the ES Hatchback up to £27,110 for the SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer.
For the new model year, GM’s Vauxhall unit updated the Euro 5 compliant 2.0 CDTi diesel engines in the Insignia ecoFLEX model. The four-cylinder unit is available with 130PS or 160PS power outputs, and for the first time, is offered with Start/Stop technology. The underbody aerodynamic measures and low rolling resistance tires help to improve fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
When equipped with the 130-horsepower version, the Insignia ecoFLEX achieves a top speed of 129mph (209 km/h), with 0-60mph (96 km/h) taking 10.4 seconds. The 160HP model records a 137mph (220 km/h) top speed and a 0-60mph sprint time of 8.9 seconds. Compared to the outgoing ecoFLEX diesel, CO2 emission have dropped by 10 percent, from 129g/CO2 to 115g/CO2.
Prices for the Insignia ecoFLEX diesel models start from £20,345 for the ES 2.0 CDTi 130PS Start/Stop Hatchback and go up to £29,385 for the top-of-the-range SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer 160HP.

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Opel Astra GTC May Come to the U.S. as a Buick

It seems the success of the Buick Regal, which is essentially a rebadged Opel Insignia, has determined GM management to consider bringing another Opel to the U.S., the Astra GTC hatch. Buick will soon have a compact sedan in its range, the Astra-based Verano due to be launched this fall, but it also wants a sporty hatchback with enough power and fine handling to lure young buyers.
According to a report from Car & Driver, the Opel Astra GTC is almost certain to come to the U.S. The model will be launched in Europe at the Frankfurt auto show this September and will go on sale shortly after with four-cylinder engines ranging from around 100 horsepower to more than 250 horsepower in the OPC high-performance model.
In the U.S. however, the car is expected to be offered with the same engines found in the Verano, which uses GM’s Delta platform that forms the base for the Astra and the Chevy Cruze: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 177 horsepower and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with around 220 horsepower. Both engines will be mated to six-speed automatic and manual transmissions. The name that will be used by Buick's version of the Astra GTC is yet unknown.
Aside from the Astra GTC, Buick might also adopt another Opel model that is currently under development, the replacement for the Astra Twin Top coupe-cabriolet. The new convertible will compete against the recently launched VW Golf Cabriolet. If Buick decides to offer the Opel convertible it will become the first Buick droptop since the Reatta

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All-New 2012 Opel Zafira 7-Seater

Meet the new Opel Zafira Tourer, which was revealed today in its final production form before a global premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this fall. General Motors’ European division had previewed its new range-topping people carrier as a concept model at the Geneva Salon this past March.
The Zafira nameplate was first launched onto the market in 1999 with Opel having introduced a second-generation model in 2005. Now in its third iteration, the new Zafira will attempt to expand its customer base by adding a more impressive design and a more premium feel to the mix of qualities that are typical of the minivan segment.
“The Zafira is Opel’s flexibility icon, and we wanted to bring more emotion and premium qualities into its third generation,” says Mark Adams, Vice President, Opel/Vauxhall Design. “The Opel Zafira Tourer makes a statement with its sleek, sporty look and premium feel.”
Surprisingly, the Zafira has remained faithful to the original concept’s exterior design, while also keeping close to the look of the automaker’s existing range. The streamlined shape is highlighted by the front end that features distinctive twin “boomerang” graphics sweeping from the headlights to the fog lamps and Opel’s typical “blade” sculpts on the body sides.
The interior mimics the styling of the concept model mixed with bits and pieces found on other Opel models such as the latest Astra. To improve the interior ambience, the Germans have added new color and trim options while also offering an available panorama windscreen that flows into a glass sunroof that extends all the way to the back of the vehicle.
Opel’s trademark Flex7 seating system has been improved on the new Zafira as it gains three independent seats in the middle row that can be folded flat and moved separately of each other sliding longitudinally by up to 210 mm. Furthermore, there’s an available Lounge Seating system, which allows the back of the middle seat in the second row to fold down and rotate to offer armrests for the passengers in the outer seats.
According to the company, the Zafira Tourer offers 710 liters load volume in a five-seat configuration, or 65 liters more than the current model, and up to 1,860 liters (+40 liters) when the two rear rows of seats are folded down.
The 2012 Zafira rides on a new platform with an increased wheelbase and tracks. The wheelbase is now 2,760 mm (+ 57 mm), while the front and rear tracks measure 1,584 mm (+ 96 mm) and 1,588 (+ 78 mm) respectively.
When it goes on sale in Europe towards the end of the year, the new Zafira will offer buyers three versions of Opel’s 2.0-liter CDTI common-rail turbo diesel engine with 110HP, 130HP and 165HP, along with two 1.4-liter ECOTEC turbocharged gasoline engines delivering 120HP and 140HP. All engines will be offered with the German firm’s Start/Stop technology.
Opel said that soon after the market launch, it will expand the range with more fuel-efficient ecoFLEX model as well as variants powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The company added that a few months later it will introduce more engines including a brand new gasoline unit.
The presentation of the new Zafira does not translate to the end of production for the current model as Opel has decided to continue selling the second generation MPV alongside its replacement as a more affordable proposal in the compact minivan segment.

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Vauxhall Insignia VXR

Following last month’s presentation of the Opel Insignia OPC Unlimited, Vauxhall introduced its own version of the performance sedan with the VXR moniker featuring the de-restricted package. The Unlimited option removes the standard Insignia VXR’s 155mph (250 km/h) restrictor, allowing Vauxhall’s range-topper to exploit its all-wheel-drive chassis and 325HP turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 engine to the full topping out at 170mph (274 km/h).

As you would have thought, the 0-60mph sprint time remains unchanged with the Insignia VXR Unlimited hatch equipped with a 6sp manual completing the dash in 5.6 seconds.

The package is priced at just £250 and is available with either manual or auto transmissions, and in Hatch, Saloon and Sports Tourer body styles. The Unlimited option also adds blue Brembo logo on the car’s front brake callipers and a newly-designed tachometer and speedometer, showing higher increments.

“For those owners who enjoy driving on the continent, the Unlimited option lets them experience the Insignia VXR’s true top speed, combined with the peerless stability and secure handling that only an all-wheel-drive chassis can offer,” said Stuart Harris, Vauxhall’s Group Product Manager.

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