I miss when cars had tons of bodystyles

"Kar Wai Wong" (kingawesome467) 04/02/2019 at 16:06 • Filed to: Bodystyles, body style, Opel, Astra

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The 2009 Opel Astra Lineup: A wide selection of various types, ranging from the sporty 3 door, to the practical van!

The 2019 Opel Astra lineup: A measly two bodystyles on offer.

I mean, I get why, convertible sales aren’t exactly through the roof, and I don’t blame anyone for these decisions-it only makes sense. But man, I miss consumer choice, especially in today’s crossover or nothing environment.

CB > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:13

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Hah, convertible sales, through the roof. Classic.

fintail > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:15

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MB E has to be one of the few left - sedan, coupe, cabrio, wagon.  

Under_Score > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:19

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*German luxury automakers want to know your location.*

MM54 > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:19

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Circa 1970 you could get a Chevelle as:

* 2-door coupe
* 2-door hardtop
* Convertible
* 4-door sedan
* 4-door hardtop
* Station wagon (4-door, but if you go back a few more years, could be had as 2 or 4 door wagon)
* Pickup (El Camino)

And each of those in a couple different trim levels with several engine and transmission options (I6, smallblock (307, 350- 2bbl, 350- 4bbl) , big block (396, 454) , manual column shift, manual floor shift, auto column shift, auto floor shift)

Now, the Malibu is... a sedan. That’s all.

Milky > fintail 04/02/2019 at 16:20

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Also coupe-y 4 door and a  different faster coupe-y 4 door.

facw > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:38

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Also, if you are only going to offer two styles, why would you choose a 5-door hatch and a wagon? How many people out there would look at the wagon and say “I’d buy this, if only it were a foot shorter! ”?

Svend > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:39

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There was also the 2 door Coupe.

Along with the 2 door cabrio and the 2 door hard top (twin top).

So

2 door Coupe,

2 door soft top cabrio,

2 door hard top,

3 door hatchback,

4 door saloon,

5 door hatchback,

5 door estate and

3 door van.

Ford had a good range for the Mk2 and 2.5.

2 door hard top,

3 door hatchback,

4 door saloon,

5 door hatchback,

5 door estate,

5 door MPV (first called the Ford Focus C-Max but later becoming the Ford C-Max).

kanadanmajava1 > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:42

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Kadett B also came in many body styles.

Svend > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 16:48

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The previous gen 3 door Astra GTC is still on sale.

There has been many rumours they’ll make a 3 door based on the current gen, but nothing has materialised so far.

Svend > facw 04/02/2019 at 16:50

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In Europe the 5 door hatchbacks and estates are the most common vehicles styles due to practicality. 

facw > Svend 04/02/2019 at 16:56

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Right, but if you are only going to make two models, does it need to be those two? Are there really people who’d buy the 5-door but would refuse to buy the wagon if the 5-door wasn’t offered?

Svend > facw 04/02/2019 at 16:58

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The 5 door appeals to people from all back grounds from family car to daily driver, the estate is more a necessity car with having more space for the family with growing children, dogs or just need to move more stuff about. 

bhtooefr > facw 04/02/2019 at 17:02

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I suspect, in this segment, yes - the hatch is over a foot shorter, which opens up a lot more parking options in dense European towns and cities that weren’t designed for cars.

You'd have to go a size class down at least to get the same length out of a wagon, and that means either less passenger space, or going taller to make up for it (which is why CUVs are taking off in Europe, and why tall hatch/van things are ridiculously common in Japan).

Amoore100 > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 17:36

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I like how Volvo made it into four different models:

Kar Wai Wong > fintail 04/02/2019 at 17:43

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Props to the Germans for single- handedly keeping the non- sports car coupé alive .

Kar Wai Wong > CB 04/02/2019 at 17:46

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Yeah... I -I- totally meant that, uh-huh.

Kar Wai Wong > Svend 04/02/2019 at 17:46

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https://www.autoevolution.com/news/opel-ends-production-of-astra-gtc-zafira-126496.html

Nope. I will continuously lament the death of 3 door hatchbacks.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 18:01

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VW Mk3, since for all intents and purposes, the Jetta and Golf are the same car. You’re got your 3 door hatch, 5 door hatch, 5 door wagon, sedan, and a drop top for good measure.

Same car 5 ways under three model names.

Kar Wai Wong > Svend 04/02/2019 at 18:06

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Wow I never realised there was an Astra coupé, I guess I always thought they were convertibles. And well, I don’t think both hardtop and softop were offered at the same generation (are there any?)

And yeah Ford later realised that the Focus C-Max and the Focus are really two different cars, and don’t really count as a bodystyle change .

Kar Wai Wong > kanadanmajava1 04/02/2019 at 18:12

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4 slightly distinguishable variations on a coupé! Eat a door BMW!

Vítor > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 18:36

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The Mk6 Golf had a huge lineup as well:

3-Door ( Golf)

5-Door ( Golf)

Sedan (Jetta)

Wagon (Golf Variant)

Convertible (Golf)

Convertible (Eos)

Convertible (Beetle)

MPV (Golf Sportvan)

Coupe (Scirocco)

Coupe (Beetle)

While the Mk7 was just the 3-door, 5-door, Variant and  Sportvan and the Mk8 will apparently be only the 5-door

Svend > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 19:30

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Ye’, the soft top was the previous generation, my bad.

Renault did the same with the Renault Megane Scenic, later changing it to the Renault Scenic.

(The Renault Megane, another car that had many bodystyles)

Svend > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 19:41

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Thankfully there are still 3 door cars like the Vauxhall Corsa and the Ford Fiesta still about, granted they are Astra or Focus size, but they are steadily getting bigger. 

ranwhenparked > Kar Wai Wong 04/02/2019 at 21:42

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Customers used to expect choice.You also used to be able to order engines a la carte, separate from options packages. Oh, and options packages used to not exist either. You want air conditioning and automatic transmission, but no radio or power steering? Or, a radio and power steering, but rubber floor ma ts instead of carpet ? You got it.

Then automakers realized that their profit margins would be a lot higher if they cut back on options, and that customers didn’t really care anyway, as long as the whole industry did it together. 

duurtlang > facw 04/03/2019 at 02:50

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It’s quite simple:

these two body styles are by far the most popular

When there is no 5-door hatch, a large percentage of potential customers will shop elsewhere.

When there is no wagon, a large percentage of potential customers will shop elsewhere.

When there is a sedan or a convertible, they will not sell in significant numbers regardless . To a less extent this is true for a 3-door hatch as well. No one is interested in these body styles.

So, manufacturers always offer the 5-door hatch and the wagon. And maybe, just maybe, add a 3-door or a sedan.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Kar Wai Wong 04/03/2019 at 03:51

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VT-VZ Holden Commodore had 10 shapes. (convertible & hatch were concepts only though)

VE/VF Commodore reduced to only 5

Kar Wai Wong > pip bip - choose Corrour 04/03/2019 at 14:35

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Hey, wait, that 3rd pic, isn’t that a Caprice? As in a completely different model?

AMC/Renauledge > Kar Wai Wong 04/03/2019 at 16:05

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The last car available in the US with more than 3 distinct bodystyles offered simultaneously and attached to a common model name was the 2000-07 Ford Focus, I believe.

For 2008, Ford dumped the 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks and wagon and replaced them with a 2-door sedan, while the 4-door sedan continued.

So technically, the Focus was available in 5 bodystyles in the US, but only a maximum of 4 at any one point.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Kar Wai Wong 04/03/2019 at 16:43

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Lwb version of the commodore

Front doors interchange