Opel to Debut New Astra at Frankfurt, Offer It With Choice of 8 Fuel-Effcient Engines

Opel to Debut New Astra at Frankfurt, Offer It With Choice of 8 Fuel-Effcient Engines

By Scott Doggett August 25, 2009

Opel announced today that it will debut at next month's Frankfurt auto show the completely updated Astra small family car  that will launch later this year.

The model, which the European subsidiary of General Motors has produced since 1991, will be offered with a choice of eight engines, ranging from 95 horsepower to 180 horsepower, that are 12 percent lower in fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions that the current line-up of Astra engines.

The new Astra has grown slightly to provide a roomier interior and, at the same time, it has benefited from engineering enhancements that allow it to improve fuel efficiency and performance.

Also sharing the stage in Frankfurt with the new Astra will be the Ampera, the European version of its Chevrolet Volt, which Opel unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March of this year.

The two extended-range, plug-in hybrids are the same under the skin. The Ampera will be sold in most of Europe starting in 2011 while Vauxhall, GM's British unit, will build and market a right-hand-drive version for the U.K. starting in 2012 (providing GM and its European marques are still a team then).

The Volt is slated to launch at the end of 2010.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.