Opel Astra

The Astra is a small family car of the General Motors Corporation, badged as an Opel in India, continental Europe and the Republic of Ireland; a Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, a Holden in Australasia, and a Chevrolet in Latin America. In Russia, it carries Opel and Chevrolet badges. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1024, 181 KB) Beskrivning Opel Astra. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1024, 181 KB) Beskrivning Opel Astra. ... A Ford Focus, classed as a small family car. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Opel is an automobile maker in Germany. ... Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and peninsulae. ... Vauxhall Motors is a UK car company. ... This article is about the Australian car manufacturer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Oceania. ... Chevrolet (Shev-ro-LAY), or Chevy for short, is a brand of automobile, now a division of General Motors. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

The Astra is now built in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, India, Poland and Russia, as well as being assembled in CKD (completely knocked-down) kits in other countries. It competes against the Ford Focus and VW Golf. In the mid- to late-1980s, it was badged as a Pontiac in the United States of America. CKD is a three-letter acronym that stands for Complete, Knocked Down. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... VW Golf Mk. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ... This article concerns the automobile; for the Native American leader, see Chief Pontiac, for the city in Michigan, see Pontiac, Michigan. ...

Astra history

There have been five main versions of the Astra:

• 1979–84 Vauxhall Astra Mk 1/Opel Kadett D/Chevrolet Kadett
• 1984–present Vauxhall Astra Mk 2/Opel Kadett E/Daewoo Le Mans/Daewoo Racer/Daewoo Cielo/Daewoo Nexia/Pontiac LeMans/Passport Optima
• 1991–8 Opel Astra A/F/Opel Kadett (South Africa) F/Vauxhall Astra Mk 3/Holden Astra TR/Chevrolet Astra
• 1998–present Opel Astra B/G/Vauxhall Astra Mk 4/Holden Astra TS/Holden Astra Classic/Chevrolet Astra (Brazil)/Chevrolet Viva (Russia)
• 2004–present Opel Astra C/H/Vauxhall Astra Mk 5/Holden Astra AH (uses the GM Delta platform).

This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Astra is a General Motors (GM) small family car, badged as an Opel in continental Europe, a Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, a Holden in Australasia, and a Chevrolet in Latin America. ... 1936 Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett was a small family car built by the German Opel company between 1937 and 1940, then from 1962 to 1992. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett was a compact-sized automobile from the German Opel company, which is part of General Motors’ European division, offered between 1937 and 1940, then from 1962 to 1990. ... 1965 Pontiac Le Mans The Pontiac LeMans was an intermediate-sized automobile offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981, replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year after the fuel crises of the 1970s. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Categories: Automobile stubs | Holden vehicles ... The Astra is a General Motors (GM) small family car, badged as an Opel in continental Europe, a Vauxhall in the United Kingdom, a Holden in Australasia, and a Chevrolet in Latin America. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Delta is General Motors new compact front wheel drive automobile platform. ...

1979

The Astra name originated with Vauxhall's 1979 model, though the car was designed and built a year earlier in Germany as an Opel Kadett. This model replaced the Vauxhall Viva in the UK, along with some versions of the Vauxhall Chevette. However, the Chevette remained on the price list for several years afterwards until the Vauxhall Nova was launched. The Astra was Vauxhall's first model to have front-wheel drive. 1936 Opel Kadett The Opel Kadett was a small family car built by the German Opel company between 1937 and 1940, then from 1962 to 1992. ... The Viva was a model of car produced by Vauxhall Motors in a variety of models from 1963 to 1979. ... The Chevette is a model of car manufactured by Vauxhall in the UK from 1975 to 1983. ... 2003 Vauxhall Corsa 2004 Opel Corsa The Corsa is a small car or supermini produced by General Motors in Europe. ... Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ...

The car featured a new unified engine for Vauxhall/Opel, featuring an all-aluminium head, overhead camshaft and hydraulic valve lifters. The engine was a huge leap forward from the earlier generation of small engines used in Vauxhall and Opel cars in terms of power, economy and refinement. It was initially available in 1300 and 1600 forms, and later an 1800 fuel-injected version was added, used in the Mk 1 Astra GTE model, introduced in 1983. Vauxhall now had a serious rival for the Volkswagen Golf, and it quickly became popular with buyers. A 1200cc version which used the older Opel OHV engine was also available. General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Atomic mass 26. ... Double overhead cams control the opening and closing of a cylinders valves The camshaft is an apparatus used in piston engines to operate poppet valves. ... Table of Hydraulics and Hydrostatics, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

There were three bodystyles for the first generation Vauxhall Astra, saloon,hatchback and estate, both available with three or five doors (two or four for saloon). The saloon models were styled exactly like the hatchbacks, except they had a different rear window and a conventional bootlid. There was also a van version which was badged the Bedford Astravan. Unlike the previous Opel T-Car, no coupe was offered. A Ford Taurus, a recognizable sedan. ... Peugeot 306 Hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access A hatchback is an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... A van is a vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. ...

1984

1989 Vauxhall Astra SRi Mk 2 five-door.

The Mk 2 Astra used the same range of engines and running gear as the Mk 1, but with a completely restyled body with much better aerodynamics. A new GTE using a 2 L fuel injected model was also introduced, and early models of these featured an all electronic dash with digital speedometer. This was largely received as a gimmick, and later models reverted to traditional analogue instrumentation. A special twin-camshaft version of the engine was also developed and a high performance version of the GTE was created around it. This engine developed 156 hp in standard form, giving spritely performance. The Mk 2 was long-lived, and was available in estate, hatchback, saloon (sedan) and cabriolet versions. The Mk 3 model was essentially an evolution of the Mk 2, rather than a redesign. 1989 Vauxhall Astra Mk 2 SRi 5-door. ... 1989 Vauxhall Astra Mk 2 SRi 5-door. ... This article is about the branch of Physics. ... A gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something stand out from its contemporaries. ...

This model formed the basis of the Daewoo Cielo, Racer, Nexia and LeMans, and its export versions, the Asüna SE (Canada), Asüna GT (Canada), Passport Optima (Canada) and Pontiac LeMans (Canada, New Zealand and USA). After the demise of the Geo marque in the United States, General Motors continued to sell Isuzu and Suzuki imports under the Asüna name in Canada from 1993. ... 1965 Pontiac Le Mans The Pontiac LeMans was an intermediate-sized automobile offered by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1962 to 1981, replaced by the downsized Pontiac Bonneville for the 1982 model year after the fuel crises of the 1970s. ...

The second generation Vauxhall Astra, sold in the rest of Europe as the Opel Kadett, was voted European Car of the Year for 1985. It fought off stiff competition from the Ford Escort and Volkswagen Golf. The Ford Escort was a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1967 through 2003. ... The Volkswagen Golf (Mk I and Mk V badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in North America) is a compact car / small family car manufactured by Volkswagen. ...

1991

Phase 1 Opel / Vauxhall Astra Mk 3 five-door hatchback. Registered in 1994.

Phase 2 Vauxhall Astra Mk 3 five-door hatchback. Registered in 1996 or 1997.

The world car version of the Astra (model A, though some claim this is the model F, continuing the Kadett lineage) was released in 1991. It was offered as a three- or five-door hatchback, a sedan (saloon), and station wagon (estate), known as Caravan. A cabriolet was also offered, designed and built by Bertone in Italy. Image File history File links 1994AstraLS.jpg Summary This is a photo of my Mk3 Phase 1 1994 registered Opel / Vauxhall Astra, from Ireland. ... Image File history File links 1994AstraLS.jpg Summary This is a photo of my Mk3 Phase 1 1994 registered Opel / Vauxhall Astra, from Ireland. ... Image File history File links Vauxhall Astra Mk 3 Hatchback P reg, taken at a Vauxhall dealership. ... Image File history File links Vauxhall Astra Mk 3 Hatchback P reg, taken at a Vauxhall dealership. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Peugeot 306 Hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access A hatchback is an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... Bertone is an Italian car styling and coachbuilding house, which also manufactures cars. ...

In South Africa, the Kadett name was retained for the Astra hatchback range until 1999, which included a two L turbo called the 200TS, 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 (1992 and 1993) even though they were versions of the same car. Air foil bearing-supported turbocharger cutaway made by Mohawk Innovative Technology Inc. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

South African nomenclature was denoted in decilitres, so the Astra and Kadett ranges featured 140, 160i, 180i and 200i models.

This model 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 in fact a rebadged Nissan Pulsar, sold in Australia in the mid-1980s It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Oceania. ... This article is about the Australian car manufacturer. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Categories: Automobile stubs | Holden vehicles ... Nissan Motor Co. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

The Astra MK3 consists of two main revisions and was revised in 1995, with the launch of vauxhall/opel's new Ecotec Engine. For a short period a sub model which consisted of parts from both revisions was produced. The sub model used all the new Ecotec running gear and the new outer styling but many parts from the previous revision to use up some of the older stock from the earlier revision.

It should be noted that the MK3 Ecotec lump was favored in rally stock over the newer MK4 Engine for a period as the MK3 engine was famed to be more reliable and lasted longer better under heavy driving.

In the UK Vauxhall offered the following ranges: MERIT - LS - GLS - CD - CDX - Si - SXI - S (Sport) - GSI

In later Sport and GSI models (1995+) Lotus Sprung Suspension was used to give better ride.

1998

2000 Vauxhall Astra Mk 4 five-door, in the UK, in the 1.6i 16v Sport specification, in Star Silver.

The Astra B (or Astra G) was launched in Europe in 1998. It was available as a 3- and 5-door hatchback, 4-door saloon and two special versions: the Opel Astra Coupé and the Opel Astra Cabrio, both of them designed and built by Bertone. The biggest innovation is the introduction of a natural gas-powered engine. Its chassis was tuned by Lotus and formed the base of a seven-seater compact MPV badged the Zafira. Vauxhall Astra (registered in 2000), seen at a Classics Rally at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, in June 2003. ... Vauxhall Astra (registered in 2000), seen at a Classics Rally at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, in June 2003. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Peugeot 306 Hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access A hatchback is an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... Saloon may refer to: Any bar, especially in the American Wild West. ... The MK4 Astra Cabrio was introduced in 2001 and was built by Italian Design House and Coachbuilder Bertone. ... Bertone is an Italian car styling and coachbuilding house, which also manufactures cars. ... Many stoves use natural gas. ... A modern minivan - 2004 Chrysler Town & Country Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan, people carrier, multi utility vehicle (MUV),or multi purpose vehicle (MPV) is a type of vehicle which has a body that resembles a van, but which has rear side doors, rear side windows, and interior... The Zafira is a car from General Motors, branded as an Opel in Europe, except for the UK, where it is branded as a Vauxhall. ...

In some markets, such as Australia and New Zealand, the Polish-built Astra B was sold as the Astra Classic alongside the Astra C, as a rival to Korean imports. It has now been repleced by the Daewoo Lacetti, but has been re-badged as a Holden Viva. It currently continues as the Chevrolet Astra in Latin America. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

In 2004, GM-AvtoVAZ, GM's joint venture with VAZ, launched the Chevrolet Viva, a four-door version of the Astra B GM-AvtoVAZ is a joint venture between General Motors and AvtoVAZ set up in 1999. ... This page is about a car manufacturer. ...

2004

Opel Astra

GM Europe launched Astra C/H (Mk 5 in Vauxhall terms and AH series in Holden terms) at the end of 2003 and early 2004, depending on the market. Based on the platform of the outgoing model, its size has been increased, the engines improved and the styling and interior made distinctly more dynamic. Handling has been further improved with each engine provided with its own Lotus tuned suspension settings. It is so far available as a five-door hatchback, a five-door Caravan station wagon and a sporty three-door hatchback, designated the GTC for European markets, Sport Hatch in the UK and the Coupé in Australia. The smaller useful capacity of the boot/trunk in the hatchback version compared to the previous model has been criticized. This has boosted sales of the station wagon derivative. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (922x519, 89 KB) Opel Astra H, eigenes Bild File links The following pages link to this file: General Motors Astra ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (922x519, 89 KB) Opel Astra H, eigenes Bild File links The following pages link to this file: General Motors Astra ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars based in Hethel, Norfolk, formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. ...

The GTC has the option of a Panorama windscreen (unique for a production car at the time of its launch) which extends into the roof area.

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 the electronic Continuous Damping Control (CDC) and the AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting). This article is about the continent. ...

2005

The new Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid appears. 2004 Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle Honda Insight, the first hybrid gas-electric vehicle sold in North America 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle using an on-board Rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled propulsion power source for vehicle propulsion. ...

By the end of 2005 estate and coupe versions were also launched. Estate may refer to: Estate (law), a term used in common law to signify the total of a persons property, entitlements and obligations Immovable Property, Real Estate or Real Property Estate (house) may mean the grounds surrounding any very large property, such as a country house or mansion Estate... 1995 Buick Riviera coupe A coupé (from the French for cut) or coupe is a two or four-seater car with a fixed roof and two doors. ...

2004 Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle Honda Insight, the first hybrid gas-electric vehicle sold in North America 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle using an on-board Rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled propulsion power source for vehicle propulsion. ...

Coming to America?

It has been rumored that the Astra will be coming to the United States in 2008 or 2009 as a replacement for the Saturn Ion. Given that General Motors has aligned its Saturn brand with the European brands Opel and Vauxhall, it is thought that the Astra will be the first of several models to be shared between all three companies. GM North America has not confirmed or denied anything, but it has been said that Opel leaked the information. It is not certain what version of the Astra the American market would receive, or what would happen to the current Spring Hill, Tennessee plant that builds the current Ion if American sales were to occur. The Saturn ION is a compact car sold by General Motors Saturn brand. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM, is the worlds largest automaker and has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Opel is an automobile maker in Germany. ... Vauxhall is an inner city area of south London in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Opel is an automobile maker in Germany. ... Spring Hill is a city located in Tennessee. ...

External links

• Opel Astra (2004) Specifications and Road Test
• AstraNation.com - International Astra Owners Club [forum]
• Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid.
• Used Vauxhall Astra information