With its GTC concept car, Opel has given the public a concrete preview of the shape of the new Astra which is to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.
The style, dynamic and boxy, comes from the marque's upmarket Signum. As well as its sharp-edged design, a particularly noticeable feature is the very flat windscreen.
While VW's Golf will be on sale just after its launch in Frankfurt, buyers of the new Astra will have to wait until next spring for their cars.
The new sharper look will be combined with huge headlamps and taillights as well as a prominent grille. However the new model will be built on the current Astra's platform, with refinements. It will be longer with a longer wheelbase than its prtedecessor, so it's likely to be particularly spacious.
Engines will be four-cylinder units only, including two GDIs, starting with a 1.4-litre drivetrain (75 bhp). The range will be topped with a 2.2-litre unit offering about 200 bhp. DTI diesel engines will be available between 1.7-litres (75 bhp) and a 125 bhp 2.2-litre unit.
Although material and build-quality are said to be greatly improved, Opel wants to offer the new Astra for just below the price of a Golf.
Six months after the launch of the three and five-door hatchback versions, Opel will begin the second phase of the Astra offensive by introducing the Caravan, which is expected to be offered with a similar range of engines.
The front-end design of the estate will be identical to that of the hatch, and the shape of the rear will not offer much by way of surprise - the car will wear only slightly modified tail-lights and a similar rear door, though reaching deeper into the bumper for easier lift-over.
Opel will also introduce a convertible with a foldable metal roof. An innovation first introduced on the Mercedes SLK back in 1996, it became a best-seller in the shape of the Peugeot 206 CC. Initial problems with these roofs have hopefully now been ironed out and they can transform pure cabriolets in solid and well-protected coupés by the push of a button. The new metal-roofed cabrio will replace both the current Astra coupé and the cabrio.
To prepare the way for the hard-top cabriolet, Opel will release a Corsa Speedster early next year equipped with a metal roof developed by the French firm Heuliez which also delivers the roofs for Peugeot's 206 and 307 CCs. The two sections of this roof fit into each other so they can be stored vertically behind the seats.
A separate coupé model of the Astra will be available, but it's likely to be renamed the Manta, harking back to the heydays of the 1980s Opel Manta and 1990s Calibra. The new Manta will be released in autumn 2005.
The last of the new Astra range will be the re-designed Zafira, due to hit the roads in early 2006. It will retain the current model's Flexspace system of seating, one of the vehicle's strongest points.