This is the first picture of the new Vauxhall Astra, captured for the first time completely undisguised.
Spotted at a GM testing facility in Germany, the car in our exclusive spy pic is a styling model, but it shows how the new Vauxhall Astra will look when it goes on sale at the end of this year.
The new Vauxhall Astra’s true windowline is visible for the first time, as are the rear lights and the real shape of the rear window. Until now we’ve only seen heavily disguised Vauxhall Astras on test.
See our full gallery of pics of the disguised Vauxhall Astra
Underneath the Vauxhall Astra uses GM’s new Delta platform, shared with the new Chevrolet Cruze and destined for al GM’s mid-size cars including the Chevrolet Volt and Vauxhall Ampera.
Unlike the current Astra’s chassis, which is a reworked version of the previous car’s platform, this one is all-new and should offer greater refinement and better handling.
The suspension layout is the same, however, with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.
Inside, the dash and centre console are heavily influenced by the Insignia, with a three-dial instrument binnacle and the same wraparound dash that curves the dashtop into the door trims.
Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory, where the new Astra will be built later this year, has already been fitted out with the tooling and production lines needed to manufacture the car.
Dan Stevens
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