Astra Preparing Sport Hatch For 2011

By Jay Williams - 08/July/2009

Luton, England – Chief designer of the new three-door Astra sport hatch Malcolm Ward has revealed that new model will look almost identical to this sketch.

In common with the  last three-door Vauxhall Astra, this Astra Sport Hatch will feature much more aggressive styling, including a low slung roofline, when it debuts in 2011.

The sport hatch will also feature massive air intakes, LED daytime running lights and sport alloy wheels (that look very similar to the current Holden GTS alloy wheels).

Malcolm Ward, head designer, said: “It will be a very dramatic execution and very, very close to the sketch. Think about the current three-door then think about where the new car will go.”

The new Astra five-door has spent 600 hours in the wind tunnel to ensure it is smoother than before.

Vauxhall is taking the economy gains that can be had from better aerodynamics very seriously and utilised a number of clever design touches to improve efficiency.

A spokesman said it would be “significantly more aerodynamic” than the previous model.

Powerplant for the 2011 three-door Astra sport hatch will likely be the same as that found in the Astra five-door. So we should expect to see three engine variants, a naturally aspirated 1.4-litre, a turbocharged 1.4-litre with 88kW (120hp) to 103kW (140hp), and a 1.6-liter turbo with  132kW (180hp).

We may even see a diesel engine in the 2011 three-door Astra sport hatch, with four different variants from which to choose.

At this point we have little information on the high-performance Opel Astra OPC (and Vauxhall Astra VXR) and when it will be unveiled, until then we can only speculate.

Related Links:
- Opel Astra (2010)
- Opel Astra Leaked (2010)
- Opel Ampera Concept (2011)
- Opel Insignia (2009)
- Holden Astra Diesel (Road Test)
- Holden Astra SRi Turbo (Road Test)
- Opel Corsa OPC (2007)
- Opel GT (2007)
- Opel Vectra OPC (2006)