► New 2016 Vauxhall Astra caught
► Full gallery of fresh spyshots
► Expect to see it in autumn 2015
Following hot on the heels of the new Corsa and Viva, Vauxhall and sister brand Opel are now turning their attention to the next model up: the Astra hatchback.
Our new spy photos capture the new mid-sized hatchback on test in Europe ahead of a planned debut in autumn 2015.
Lighter, cleverer: it’s the new Astra
Vauxhall is promising to trim some of the weight out of the Astra this time round, to the benefit of emissions, fuel consumption, performance and handling. Some sources are mooting a crash diet programme losing as much as 200kg.
The so-called C-sector is one of the most competitive arenas in the European marketplace, with strong competition from the likes of Ford’s Focus and the VW Golf, not to mention much-improved Korean and Japanese brands.
Three-, five-door and estate Astras are expected in the 2016 model line-up. GM has invested heavily in the Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire, UK, which will continue to build Astras for sale around Europe.
New three-pots a’coming
With lighter weight come downsized engines. And the most technically interesting of the lot is the new 1.0-litre three-cylinder already seen on other small Vauxhalls.
A power output of around 114bhp is said to be sufficient to provide competitive performance, while CO2 will be pegged around the 90g/km mark.
Larger engines will be offered, naturally; expect a choice of capacities up to 1.6 and 2.0 litres – especially for the expected Astra VXR version.