Opel Astra GTC revealed ahead of Frankfurt premiere

Opel Astra GTC revealed ahead of Frankfurt premiere

Opel/Vauxhall has released details on the Astra GTC ahead of the model’s world debut at the Frankfurt show in September. The GTC is a three-door variant of the C-segment Astra, but isn’t the same car with two doors lopped off – the only bits carried over from the five-door hatch are the door handles, wing mirror housing and roof aerial. This approach is also used by VW for the Scirocco and the Renault for the Megane Coupe – cars the GTC will rival.

The Astra GTC started life as the GTC Paris Concept from Paris 2010, and retains much of the showcar’s looks. However, it must be said that the showcar appeared incredibly realistic from the start, and its production future was never in doubt.

Opel Astra GTC revealed ahead of Frankfurt premiere

Prominent design cues include the Opel signature blade (started with the Insignia) and another line that sprouts from the door handles. The front and rear lights have “wing shaped” elements. All of these were also on the Paris Concept.

Opel is keen to highlight the GTC’s front High Performance Strut (HiPerStrut) suspension, similar to than on the Insignia OPC. Compared to the standard Astra’s McPherson strut, HiPerStrut reduces kingpin inclination and offset and has a shorter spindle length. This improves grip and reduces torque steer, offering GTC drivers the “sporty, crisp feel they expect, with enhanced precision and feedback.” In addition, HiPerStut reduces tyre flops, which allows the car to accommodate bigger wheels.

Opel Astra GTC revealed ahead of Frankfurt premiere

The rear suspension combines a torsion beam with a Watt’s link, something unique to Opel. Compared to the five-door, ride height is lowered by 15 mm. The GTC also has wider tracks, +40 mm in front and +30 mm in the rear. Opel’s adaptive FlexRide chassis control system with Standard, Tour and Sport modes is also available.

At launch, the Poland built Astra GTC can be had with a choice of four powertrains – one diesel and three petrol. The upgraded 2.0 CDTI has 165 hp/380 Nm and does 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds. Top speed is 210 km/h. Paired with a six-speed manual and start/stop, combined fuel consumption “does not exceed” 4.9 litres per 100 km.

Opel Astra GTC revealed ahead of Frankfurt premiere

Two of the petrols are 1.4 turbos with 120 hp and 140 hp. Both have 200 Nm of torque. There’s also a 180 hp 1.6 turbo that can reach 220 km/h. Not enough? There will be a high-performance OPC variant in 2012.

Gallery after the jump.

[zenphotopress number=999 album=2294]

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • vw_fan on Jun 07, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    quite nice.

    too bad no one is selling opel here.

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  • quottro on Jun 07, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    whoa, it really looked like the megane rs coupe…

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  • chrisoys on Jun 07, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    look like megane

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  • Come to malaysia?…

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  • mini cooper freak on Jun 07, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    They should bring opel here… I bet they will sell like hot cakes if price is right like what VW did.

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  • CHONG KAT on Jun 07, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    looklike gen2

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    • ya lo, both have headlamp, 4 wheel, bla bla bla…..

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    • Yaya, except that the interior way way more nicer than whatever p1 has there.

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  • WALASiZO on Jun 07, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    I can see some Hyundai/Kia elements on the design…

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  • sekali pandang macam fiesta + mazda 2.. cun!

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  • LOVE THIS CAR’S DESIGN SO MUCH!!!

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  • carlito on Jun 07, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    superb looking car. has a hint of renault megane rs, which is a good thing. pity in malaysia we have so many kiasu people who still prefer t & h and not forgetting proton & perodua for screwing us!

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  • Good looking!prefer this over fugly 1 series!

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  • Razor on Jun 07, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    how much more buttons can they clutter on the centre console man

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  • shawal on Jun 07, 2011 at 9:54 pm

    Its a good looking car, bt megane is more unique but the GTC’s interior trumps the megane ,but from its shown here, i think yellow its not its colour, red is better

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  • Speed Racer on Jun 07, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    i miss opel

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  • Ash Menon on Jun 07, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    Okay that center console is more crowded than Tokyo during lunch hour, but otherwise the design is spot on. I recognize bits and pieces of other cars’ influence, but they’ve meshed it together so perfectly that you just can’t stop staring at it.

    Damn you Opel, why can’t you come to Malaysia.

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    • Opel won’t come to Malaysia. Their parent company GM rather sells Daewoo’s and other crap, badged as Chevrolet, around the world. Instead of making Opel their worldwide car. Its hard to beleive that the Americans after 30 years of mismanaging GM still haven’t learned.

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  • redwings on Jun 08, 2011 at 12:06 am

    The front looks pretty safe but the back looks fierce..
    The red-color panel really stunning..matched the hot-hatch..

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  • SoMeOnE on Jun 08, 2011 at 2:00 am

    i personally feel that GM should have done a lil more research in this region regarding the individual perceptions of brands in general…..had they made Opel the Asia pacific branding of choice as opposed to Chevrolet ..sales may have been much much more compared to current levels…….

    imagine if the Cruze had an Opel badge as opposed to Chevy. (most engineering work on non american models for gm is done by Opel anyway)..im convinced that many people will perceive it as a ‘German’ on the cheap and see it as a real alternative to the usual japanese suspects….i know this is pure speculation but i truly believe the outcome would be different and a simple change of badge would have a significant impact …im convinced they would still be takers even if the Cruze was priced around 120k..

    Clever marketing and positioning will ensure common Joe believes it was a ‘steal’ for a “german’ marque………well thats how i would do it if i was running GM’s asian business….funny how a badge makes a difference eh?..lol..

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  • Whitekoup on Jun 08, 2011 at 9:35 am

    The line from the door handle exactly like my kia koup.

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  • wide, low and short = naise!

    now where they put that transforming button…?

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  • As I’ve learned about Opel, after owning a ’95 Vectra B 2.0-16v …It’s a damn good german engineering but it’s one of the most underestimated brands ever. Would you believe a 19 year old car doing 200km/h in heavy rain at 3am in the morning at Karak Highway with such composure that did’t even wake 4 passengers who’s fast asleep !!! really effective traction controls, abs, ecotec engine, original oem sparco seats, with a design that’s still evergeen till today. Even get copied by others … did the focus sedan & saab 93 reminded you of anything ? … long live Opel, too bad it won’t be coming to Malaysia

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  • I’m driving the VXR in Aust. One of the best hot hatch in its generation.

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  • tongek on Jun 09, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    harap satria seterusnya boleh sepanjang ini

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