Bedford Astravan
| Vauxhall Astra | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Vauxhall Motors (General Motors) |
| Production | 1979–present |
| Assembly |
Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, United Kingdom Bochum, Germany Antwerp, Belgium Gliwice, Poland |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor |
Vauxhall Viva Vauxhall Chevette |
The Vauxhall Astra is a small family car that has been built by Vauxhall since 1979. For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand drive versions of the Opel Kadett for use in the UK. Since 1991, Opel has used the Astra nameplate on its B/C-platform. General Motors' Saturn division in the USA also offered a Belgian-built version of the Astra as a captive import from late 2007 until Saturn was discontinued following GM's 2010 bankruptcy.
The Astra name originated with Vauxhall's 1980 model, though the car had originally been launched almost a year earlier as the Opel Kadett D. This model replaced the Vauxhall Viva in the UK, along with some versions of the Vauxhall Chevette. However, the Chevette (itself based on the previous generation Kadett C) remained available as a budget alternative for several years afterwards, until the Vauxhall Nova was launched. The Astra was Vauxhall's first model to have front wheel drive. Not all trim levels were available with all body styles. Confusingly in the British market, both the Kadett D and the Astra were sold alongside each other until the consolidation of Opel and Vauxhall dealerships in the early 1980s, when the Opel badged versions were dropped.
Production began at Opel's West German plant at Bochum in August 1979, and the first British customers took delivery of their cars in February 1980.
The overhead-camshaft engine (not 1200) was a huge leap forward from the earlier generation of small engines used in Vauxhall and Opel cars in terms of power, economy and refinement. It was initially available in 1300 and 1600 forms, and later an 1800 fuel-injected version was added, used in the Mk 1 Astra GTE model, introduced in 1983. This version of the Astra was an alternative to the Ford Escort XR3, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Fiat Strada 105TC.
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