If the Next Astra Looks Anything Like this, the Focus is in Deep Shit

"Tim (Fractal Footwork)" (fractalfootwork)
03/10/2014 at 19:00 • Filed to: Economics, Vauxhall Astra, Opel Monza, Autocar, Ford Focus, OppositeLock

With design language filtering from the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! we saw at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, this Autocar sketch of the future Vauxhall Astra twists our heads around from the boring Vauxhall/GM we are used to thinking of.

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In the oligopolistic market that is the automotive industry, manufacturers can only survive by stealing away consumers from other brands. In the hatchback market space in particular, consumers already know they want a hatchback; the only main differentiating factors are (1) horsepower, (2) fuel efficiency, (3) electronic capability (iPod connectivity, bluetooth, etc), and (4) styling (not necessarily in that order).

1, 2. Horsepower & Fuel Efficiency

Autocar seem to think that GM have managed to stay atop their competition with their new set of engines, ranging from the recent fad of 1.0 Liter 3-cylinder engines, yet still retaining a 2.0 Liter option for the potential performance variant.

One of the most interesting options for the Astra will be a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine. Good for 114bhp and 124lb ft of torque from well below 2000rpm, the engine will arrive first in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and new !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! this year.

The biggest mainstream engine is likely to be a 1.6, although the range-topping VXR coupé might get a powerful 2.0-litre unit.

I predict that fuel efficiency will begin to drop as a key factor for consumers, especially with CAFE standards being as rigorous as they are (54.5 mpg by 2025) and all manufacturers being forced to comply.

3. Electronic Capability

Electronic capability is a relatively recent requirement that automakers are scrambling to fill, some better than others. Vauxhall can tick the Steve Jobs box with Apple's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , as GM are one of the first to apply it. The Ford Focus, on the other hand, is stuck with an unfathomable Microsoft system that (a) looks terrible, (b) is near impossible to use, and (c) doesn't work half the time.

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4. Styling

The last box for Vauxhall/GM to tick would be styling. The new !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! marks a shift for the European GM arm, from producing boring commuting vehicles to realizing that perhaps creating some excitement for a base vehicle might draw some consumers.

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This Astra sketch looks more like a shooting brake than a traditional hatchback, and because of this I am inclined to somewhat reject the hatchback bubble model. If the the next Vauxhall Astra looks anything like these sketches, it could steal market share, not just from other hatchback models, but even from other segments; this was never something I saw the Ford Focus doing, and that should scare the blue oval.

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[ Images and quotes from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ]

DISCUSSION (17)

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/10/2014 at 19:12

We probably wouldn't care since it wouldn't come to the US. Remember the Saturn Astra?

jkm7680 > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
03/10/2014 at 19:15

The Astra would have worked, minus the Saturn bit.

duurtlang > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/10/2014 at 19:21

A few points; this being a European market vehicle CAFE standards don't apply. What does apply is gasoline that's still over $8 a gallon (US gallon). Many countries apply CO2 taxation, and CO2 emissions are directly related to fuel economy. As a result I suspect European consumers will continue to buy vehicles that are more and more frugal. Unlike the US where fuel remains very cheap and governmental regulations lax in comparison.

Secondly, the Astra is mostly sold as a wagon, not as a hatchback. The hatch comes second and the sedan (if even offered) a very distant third when it comes to compacts. That, at least, is true where I live. The same is true for direct competitors like the Focus and Megane. A shooting brake like concept can just be a precursor to the upcoming wagon.

Third, having Apple hardware is a major liability. On average Apple has less than 20% of the European phone market while Android's got well over 60%. A car manufacturer will shoot itself in the foot by offering such hardware, unless of course they offer an alternative for other OSs.

desertdog5051 > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/10/2014 at 19:26

A beautiful design. But will the Generous Motors brass have the balls to build it?

vdub_nut: scooter snob > jkm7680
03/10/2014 at 19:27

The reason it didn't work here was because of the exchange rates (caused them to barely make money on the thing), and the fact that the american market DEMANDED an automatic. There was only one engine/trans combo that was US emissions compliant and could use an autotragic.

oldirtybootz > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/10/2014 at 19:29

I was all prepared to say how this is unrealistic for production, but looking at the current Astra GTC, I could definitely see a slightly toned down version of this sketch as the next GTC. Make it a Buick and I'd be interested.

jkm7680 > vdub_nut: scooter snob
03/10/2014 at 19:29

The Astra had manual here! Here's one. If I misunderstood let me know Hehe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saturn-Ast…

duurtlang > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
03/10/2014 at 19:31

Take a good look at the Buick Verano and the current Opel Astra sedan. Look at the sides, the greenhouse, the dash and even the door cards, everything but lights and bumpers. I'm on my phone so you'll have to use Google yourself.

So why wouldn't the next Astra not come to the US?

vdub_nut: scooter snob > jkm7680
03/10/2014 at 19:32

I know it had a manual here, but the US market demanded it also be available with an auto. Sure, they could have sold it with other engines that were manual only (marginal extra sales, lots of cost to get it certified, mileage tests, etc.), or developed a stronger automatic (a slightly larger amount of sales, but even higher output to develop).

IIRC, most Astras here had manuals. Fuck GM. With a rake.

jkm7680 > vdub_nut: scooter snob
03/10/2014 at 19:36

Haha, I'd buy one, go to Europe, buy some Opel badging, and there you go! I just don't know which Gm product in America that it would work better with. With a Chevrolet, I feel that it would look too much like a Daewoo.

Haha, Fuck them with a rake.

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > duurtlang
03/10/2014 at 19:37

I guess I was assuming that because Vauxhall is a part of GM, who has to comply with CAFE standards in the US with Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, and because most cars share platforms with overseas models, those overseas models will follow the lead (even if the euro models are more efficient) of the US models.

KirkyV > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/11/2014 at 13:17

I doubt they'd have all that significant an impact, honestly. To be competitive in Europe, cars already have to be fuel efficient and light on emissions, because fuel is expensive and emissions taxes are high. Indeed, in the past, plenty of American manufacturers have brought over their European divisions' models purely for the sake of meeting CAFE standards; that's why Ford imported a few Mk1 Fiestas back in the seventies.

Besides, GM doesn't actually do all that much platform sharing between European and American models, so far as I'm aware. There used to be a few Daewoo-based Chevys that were sold in both markets, but with Chevy pulling out of Europe, all that's left are a couple of Buicks that started life as Opels.

GrauGeist > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
03/14/2014 at 12:54

One can be certain that the next-gen Astra is being designed with US & OZ sales in mind, in addition to EU, China, and other global markets. CAFE will matter when the new Astra makes its way to the US, in whatever form it takes.

Note that the Astra is already in the US, via the Chinese Buick Excelle, as the Buick Verano. I'm sure the next gen Verano will be designed in from the beginning.

GrauGeist > oldirtybootz
03/14/2014 at 12:56

By the time this car goes production with a Buick grille and other cues, I doubt it'd need much toning down - styling will have moved on and it'll be fine.

steevkay > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
03/14/2014 at 13:10

I do, I thought it was a good looking hatchback. Somewhat plain now, but at the time, it was clean, simple and pretty (to me).

This Astra almost made me wish Saturn was still around (kinda saw them as a NA Vauxhall/Opel, since some cars from those brands ended up under Saturn, like the Vauxhall VX220/Saturn Sky). I suppose it'll come up now under Chevrolet?

oldirtybootz > GrauGeist
03/14/2014 at 13:21

It just looks too low slung for a production FWD hatch. The overall design is realistic.

GrauGeist > oldirtybootz
03/14/2014 at 14:22

Height looks like 52" on huge 20" tires - that's not out of the realm of possibility.