After launching an all-new Astra hatchback in 2009, Opel-Vauxhall is finally getting around to launching a sedan version of the model. Published on Carscoop, the four-door Astra only covers up some of the rear fascia, which at the very least appears to carry a similar tail lamp pattern as the hatchback model.
We’re not entirely sure what the differences will be for this model compared to the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano, which share a similar biology, though each vehicle is a distinctly different animal. The Astra sedan will likely share the same powertrain options as the hatch, which includes 280 horsepower turbocharged four-pot in the range-topping OPC/VXR model. Still, we hope that the chrome ass-brows seen on the Verano are spared from the Opel when it comes to market somewhere around the end of the year or early 2013.
Comments
Oh you mean like a Verano with different badges? MAYBE some different head light and tail light treatments and most likely better handling. Why is this taking so long to get to the roads? I would fall off the ledge I am sitting on if it differs all that much from the Verano. Not a horrible thing. It is a great car. Looking at the sales of the Insignia sedan, though is a sedan variant really all that necessary?
Ya I don’t get the Sedan version here, what’s the point and what’s going to set it apart, how will this set itself apart from say a VW, is the interior going to blow our minds, will the exterior be super sexy and make me want to move to Europe so I can have one… Doubt it… For me Sedans are blahhh, give me a vehicle with some utility…
The point is to offer choice. If you’re the only brand not offering the choice of a sedan, even though demand for such a vehicle compared to hatchbacks and wagons is moderately low, then you will miss out on sales and be less profitable.
Overall, this goes back to the plant utilization aspect of the business. Producing a sedan variant doesn’t cost any more than making a hatch or wagon, but increases utilization, sales, and market share — all very good metrics to improve.