Opel Astra

Opel Astra
Overview
Manufacturer	Opel [a]
Also called	Chevrolet Astra Holden Astra Saturn Astra Vauxhall Astra
Production	1991–present
Body and chassis
Class	Compact car/small family car (C)
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Opel Kadett Vauxhall Astra
Successor	Chevrolet/Holden Cruze (for Chevrolet, Saturn and Holden Astra) Chevrolet Cobalt (South America) Opel Combo (for Opel Astravan H) Opel/Vauxhall/Buick/Holden Cascada (for Opel Astra H TwinTop)

The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. As of 2021^[update], the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Insignia large family car.

Initially, the Astra was available in hatchback, saloon, and estate (station wagon; known as the Astra Caravan, later the Sports Tourer) forms. A panel van (sedan delivery; Astravan) and a convertible (Astra Cabrio) also appeared in the early 1990s. These body styles were later followed by a coupé (the Astra GTC) in 2004, and the sporty Astra OPC appeared in 2005. The Twin Top retractable hardtop convertible replaced the soft top convertible in 2006, while the Caravan was renamed to Astra Sports Tourer since 2009.

The Astra is branded the Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom. It was rebadged and sold as the Saturn Astra in North America between 2008 and 2009, as the Buick Excelle XT from 2009 until 2015 and as the Buick Verano/Hatchback GS in China from 2015 until 2021. The Holden Astra was discontinued in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, and was replaced by the locally assembled Holden Cruze. It briefly returned to the Australian market in 2012, for the first time badged as an Opel,^[1] but was discontinued after Opel withdrew from the country a year later.^[2] In 2015, Opel reintroduced the Astra GTC and Astra VXR to Australia and New Zealand in 2015, again bearing the Holden badge. Between 2017 and 2019, the Astra nameplate was also used for the Holden version of the Cruze sedan.^[3][4]

After Opel was sold by General Motors to PSA Group, the Astra K continued to be produced under license until it was replaced by the Astra L. The Astra L was released after the merger of the company to form Stellantis.^[5][6][7]

The Astra nameplate originates from Vauxhall, which had manufactured and marketed earlier generations of the Opel Kadett (the Kadett D and Kadett E) as the Vauxhall Astra since March 1980. Subsequent GM Europe policy standardised model nomenclature in the early 1990s, whereby model names were the same in all markets regardless of the marque they were sold under.

As of 2021, there have been six generations of the Astra (or eleven generations of the Kadett/Astra family as a whole). In a fashion typical for Opel, they are designated with subsequent letters of the Latin alphabet. Opel's official convention is that the Astra is a logical continuation of the Kadett lineage, thus, the first generation of Opel Astra became the Astra F rather than the Astra A since the final Opel Kadett was the Kadett E. The Mk1 and Mk2 Vauxhall Astras are sometimes called the Astra D and Astra E by enthusiasts to mark the continuity with their sister models.

Models sold as Vauxhall, Holden, or Chevrolet have different generation designations reflecting the history of those nameplates in their home markets and their naming conventions.

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