2017 Holden Astra Priced From $25,312, Available Starting December 2016

The 2017 Holden Astra will be an important launch for the brand. If the 2016 Holden Spark arrived ready to ignite change, the more purposeful Astra hatchback will begin serving as what to expect from Holden’s entire range moving forward.

And it’s arriving sooner than some may expect. The brand announced the 2017 Holden Astra will go on sale this December with a price of $25,312. In the process, the brand has launched a Holden Astra webpage for locals to become familiar with the newest addition to the lineup and even place themselves on a waiting list for the car.

The 2016 European Car of the Year will do its best to assimilate into Australian culture and driving style, but the brand expects a very positive response.

“Astra’s combination of state-of-the-art technology, style and performance, coupled with very attractive pricing, will shake-up the small-car segment and redefine what a Holden small car can be,” Holden Executive Director of Sales, Peter Keley said.

The 2017 Astra will arrive in R, RS and RS-V trim levels with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine standard, and an optional 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder engine. A manual gearbox is offered on all three trims, too.

As for the drive itself? Holden thinks the new Astra will have no issues on harsher Aussie road surfaces.

“Holden and Opel share very similar D.N.A. but we still made sure our engineers were involved in developing Astra and setting targets, right from the start of the program,” Holden’s Director of Vehicle Performance, Ian Butler, said.

“We’ve engineered our own unique Australian chassis input which, when combined with the new 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine options, we’re confident will excel on the variety of road surfaces in Australia.”

The first Holden Astra has already rolled off the assembly line in Gilwice, Poland, ready to really perpetuate Holden’s import-only strategy from here on out.