Photo: Opel
It's become a time-honored tradition that some European companies keep their old cars alive and in production, mainly for emerging markets. Renault has the Clio Campus, Audi used to offer the old A4 to SEAT and Opel has the famous Astra Classic. After a very successful couple of years, the boxy old Astra sedan is finally being put to pasture in Russia, along with the Zafira.
Both were assembled in the Kaliningrad factory by Autotor, but due to sanctions imposed by western governments, he Russian car business is in free fall this year. Sales of these cars will continue for a while, since dealers have a stockpile of these things.
In 2009, Opel launched the Astra J, the model currently on sale. But the previous generation they launched in 2004 was kept alongside it and later was called the Astra Family. In Russia, this compact was offered as hatchback, sedan and wagon with a simple choice of 1.6 or 1.8-liter petrol engines.
It's no all bad news though. Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall are widely expected to introduce an all-new version of the Astra in 2015. It's going to be based on an all-new platform and feature a fresh batch of engines, so the current Astra J could become the new classic model.
In 2013, the Astra and Zafira Family were hugely popular with Russian customers, registering 4,200 and 11,000 sales respectively. However, prices increased significantly at the beginning of 2014, to the point where they are on par with the latest models.
While the Astra's future looks bright, Zafira is hit by lack of demand for MPVs. Opel is either going to kill it off completely or turn it into an MPV.
In 2009, Opel launched the Astra J, the model currently on sale. But the previous generation they launched in 2004 was kept alongside it and later was called the Astra Family. In Russia, this compact was offered as hatchback, sedan and wagon with a simple choice of 1.6 or 1.8-liter petrol engines.
It's no all bad news though. Opel and its sister brand Vauxhall are widely expected to introduce an all-new version of the Astra in 2015. It's going to be based on an all-new platform and feature a fresh batch of engines, so the current Astra J could become the new classic model.
In 2013, the Astra and Zafira Family were hugely popular with Russian customers, registering 4,200 and 11,000 sales respectively. However, prices increased significantly at the beginning of 2014, to the point where they are on par with the latest models.
While the Astra's future looks bright, Zafira is hit by lack of demand for MPVs. Opel is either going to kill it off completely or turn it into an MPV.
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