Opel Discontinues Production Of Astra H, Zafira B In Russia

It’s a common practice for automakers to continue selling older generations of certain models alongside their newer generations. The practice allows General Motors sell the newer models at a premium alongside the older models, which sell for a lower price thanks to the development and tooling already being paid for long ago, thereby attracting customers who might not have been able to afford the latest model, and who would have probably purchased a used vehicle instead of a less expensive new model.

A prime example is the Buick Excelle lineup in China. There, GM sells the last-generation “original” Buick Excelle, which started life as a Daewoo Lacetti, alongside the current-generation Excelle GT (aka Buick Verano and Opel Astra Sedan) and Excelle XT (aka Opel Astra hatchback). GM does something similar in Russia with the Astra and Zafira: it sells the last-generation Opel Astra H lineup as the Astra Family alongside the current-generation Astra J, while also selling the last-gen Zafira B as the Zafira Family alongside the current-gen Zafira Tourer. But that’s over and done with, as the last-gen Astra and Zafira models were recently discontinued. So whenever dealers sell out of their existing Astra Family and Zafira Family inventories, that will mark the end of the Astra Family and Zafira Family models of their respective generations as new vehicles.

Opel launched the current-generation Astra, the Astra J, in 2009. It kept the previous-gen Astra H around in some markets, selling it as the Astra Family in Russia, where the compact range was offered in three body styles: five-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and five-door wagon. Customers had a choice of 1.6- or 1.8-liter Ecotec gasoline engines. The story is nearly identical with the last-gen Zafira (Zafira B), which was renamed to Zafira Famly with the introduction of the current-gen Zafira Tourer in 2011.

2014 Opel Zafira Family – Russia

Both the Astra Family and Zafira Family were produced by Autotor in Kaliningrad for GM-Opel. The models enjoyed decent popularity in Russia, registering 4,200 and 11,000 sales in 2013, respectively. However, prices for both vehicles jumped significantly at the beginning of 2014, nearly putting them on par with the current-generation models. The price jump could be attributed to sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia, causing a negative impact on Russian car sales in 2014.

But that doesn’t mean that the Astra Family won’t make a comeback in the future. In 2015, Opel (and sister brand Vauxhall) will introduce the all-new 2016 Astra range (Astra K). The model will be based on GM’s new D2XX global compact vehicle platform, have a new portfolio of engines and transmissions, introduce new technologies and drop the model’s weight. At that time, it’s possible that the current Astra J could become the new, lower-priced Astra Family/Classic model. The Zafira, however, might not be in for the same bright future as the Astra. Due to a lack of demand for MPVs thanks to shifting market demand in favor of crossovers, it’s possible that Opel will discontinue the Zafira entirely.