13.8.2001
Happy Birthday, Opel Astra!
Happy birthday, Opel Astra! Ten years ago, on August 12, 1991, a Magma
red Astra station wagon left the assembly line at Opel's Bochum plant
– the first of a new model line that took over from a succession
of legendary Kadett models. More than seven million Astras have since
been built at eleven production plants worldwide and sold in almost 90
different countries. 6.5 million Astras have been built in Europe, more
than half a million in Africa, Asia and South America.
The first-generation Astra (1991 – 1998) was the top-selling Opel
of all time. 4.42 million of them were built, superseding the previous
best-seller, the Kadett E (1984 – 1991) of which 3.8 million had
been produced. The current Astra model line could well set up a few records
of its own, since 2.59 million have already been made and sold. This is
the second Astra generation, launched in the spring of 1998. The Astra's
most recent offshoot, the Cabrio that was launched this March, is already
in such
strong demand that Opel will be increasing annual output at Bertone, where
this model is built, from 11,000 to 14,300 units from September 2001 on.
Another success: in the first half of 2001 the Astra station wagon was
the second most popular wagon in any category in Europe – alongside
the equally successful Zafira compact van, too. From 1993 to 2000 the
Astra was the undisputed – and uninterrupted - leader in European
station-wagon registrations.
The highest-volume Astra market is Germany, which took 79,498 units between
January and June 2001. After this came Great Britain (62,699), Italy (32,295)
and Spain (27,501). The most popular version in Western Europe is the
five-door Astra 1.6 hatch with 62 kW (85 hp) engine. Second and third
places in the public's favor are taken by the Astra wagon 1.7 DTI
(55 kW/75 hp) and the five-door Astra hatch with 1.6-liter, 74 kW (100
hp) gasoline engine. Outside of Europe, the largest markets are Brazil
and Australia: In the first six months of 2001, Chevrolet Astra sales
in Brazil reached a total of 22.028 while in Australia 19,636 buyers chose
a Holden Astra.
World Car – Eleven Plants on Four Continents
The Astra is a genuine 'world car'. It is built at eleven plants
on four continents. The six European plants are: Antwerp (Belgium), Bochum
and Eisenach (Germany), Ellesmere Port (Great Britain), Grugliasco (Italy),
the Bertone plant where the Cabrio and Coupé are built, and Gliwice
(Poland) where the Astra Classic is produced. Outside Europe, the Astra
has been built as a Chevrolet in Brazil since August 1998. It is assembled
from CKD ('completely knocked down') component kits in Argentina,
India, South Africa and Taiwan.