Photo: Opel
The Astra is nothing but the Chevrolet Cruze of Europe, a compact hatchback that does everything you can expect of it. But be that as it may, Opel and Vauxhall didn’t put too much effort into making the Astra as fun as its predecessor was in OPC flavor. Speaking of which, the J generation continued to be offered as the Astra GTC. But three years after the K came along, the GTC has been phased out.
From Autocar.co.uk: “The three-door, Astra-based GTC has also fallen as SUV demand rises." A spokesman told the British motoring publication that the seven-year-old model’s “business case is no longer viable.”
Having sold an estimated 40,000 examples across the Old Continent during this time, it’s safe to say the Astra GTC ends production on a sour note. The Zafira people carrier is dead too, having been replaced by the PSA-developed Grandland X.
“A brand spokesman told Autocar that the seven-seat Zafira Tourer, which has been on sale since 2011, was hit by a significant move away from MPVs and the growing popularity of SUVs.” And with that, Opel and Vauxhall can now focus on what’s in with the In Crowd. MPVs are biting the dust one after the other in Europe in particular because Generation X is old, leaving millennials to dictate the market.
In addition to a three-row flagship utility vehicle confirmed to arrive by the end of the decade under the careful development of the PSA Group, Opel is also working on realigning the OPC division to the industry’s current developments. To this effect, OPC (and Vauxhall’s VXR) will be reinvented by means of electrification.
Speaking of the automaker’s electrified future, the all-new eCorsa is coming in 2020, one year after the sixth generation of the subcompact hatchback will hit dealership lots. Both variants will be manufactured at the Zaragoza plant in Spain. Now specialized in EMP2-based vehicles such as the Crossland X, the factory opened in 1982 and celebrated the 13-millionth vehicle produced in April 2018.
Having sold an estimated 40,000 examples across the Old Continent during this time, it’s safe to say the Astra GTC ends production on a sour note. The Zafira people carrier is dead too, having been replaced by the PSA-developed Grandland X.
“A brand spokesman told Autocar that the seven-seat Zafira Tourer, which has been on sale since 2011, was hit by a significant move away from MPVs and the growing popularity of SUVs.” And with that, Opel and Vauxhall can now focus on what’s in with the In Crowd. MPVs are biting the dust one after the other in Europe in particular because Generation X is old, leaving millennials to dictate the market.
In addition to a three-row flagship utility vehicle confirmed to arrive by the end of the decade under the careful development of the PSA Group, Opel is also working on realigning the OPC division to the industry’s current developments. To this effect, OPC (and Vauxhall’s VXR) will be reinvented by means of electrification.
Speaking of the automaker’s electrified future, the all-new eCorsa is coming in 2020, one year after the sixth generation of the subcompact hatchback will hit dealership lots. Both variants will be manufactured at the Zaragoza plant in Spain. Now specialized in EMP2-based vehicles such as the Crossland X, the factory opened in 1982 and celebrated the 13-millionth vehicle produced in April 2018.
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