2010 Opel Astra 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter Turbocharged

2010 Opel Astra 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter Turbocharged

Clearly influenced by the Insignia, the sixth generation Astra hatch is based on GM's new Delta platform that also underpins the Chevy Volt and Cruze models and it comes with a new set of engines including 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol units.
The new Astra is crucial for Opel as it will need to recover market share lost by the current model to Ford’s strong-selling Focus hatch as well as fend off the Fiesta compact. It may or may not see U.S. sale as a Saturn given that brand's uncertain future, but with Europe's love for hatches and the increasingly tight fuel and emissions standards - not to mention the taxes that go with them - the hatch will be key for Opel's sales at home.
The 2010 Astra will be based around GM’s Delta FWD compact platform and will once again be available in coupe, three and five-door hatchbacks and wagon, as well as a sedan in select markets. Since the Delta platform is shared with the Chevrolet Cruze, which will be built at GM’s Lordstown Ohio plant, there’s the possibility that the new Saturn Astra - or perhaps an Astra under one of GM's other brand banners - could also be manufactured in North America to keep costs low. There’s yet to be any official confirmation, however.

2010 Opel Astra 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter Turbocharged

European buyers of the Astra will be able to select from a broad selection of gasoline and diesel engines. Aside from an entry-level 1.4-naturally aspirated engine and the Insignia-derived 1.6-liter Turbo with 180HP, the Astra's petrol range will also include GM's new 1.4-liter turbocharged unit. It will be offered with outputs ranging from 120 hp to 140 hp and torque values of 175 to 200 Nm. General Motors says that the 1.4 Turbo engine will deliver fuel savings of up to 8 percent compared to the naturally aspirated 1.6 and 1.8-liter engines that it will replace.
The diesel range comprises of 1.3-liter, 1.7-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged units ranging from 95 to 160HP while Opel also plans to introduce an ecoFLEX version with low CO2 emissions and improved fuel economy sometime in 2010.
Apart from the hybrid, expect to see a similar powertrain lineup to the current model, which means a range of petrol engines developing between 75 and 240hp as well as a number of diesels with between 90 and 150hp.

2010 Opel Astra 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter Turbocharged

The new Astra is expected to go on sale in Europe following its debut at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Opel will also launch a new two-mode hybrid version although it won’t arrive until the end of 2010. Opel's own brand difficulties, including a partial sell-off of GM's interest, could slow development down, however.
And no, we do not know if the Astra will make it across the Atlantic and arrive in one form or another in U.S. showrooms due to the instability in GM's current situation and of course, the pending sale of the American automaker's stake in the Opel / Vauxhall brands.