Vauxhall Astra - A sales success

Vauxhall Astra has been a sales success story which cannot be ignored and is one of the reasons behind Vauxhall's optimism for its dynamic new contender. The company is confident that its combination of dynamic design, style, driver appeal and new technology will meet the needs of large numbers of customers.

In particular, Vauxhall is hopeful that new Astra will bring a new and potentially younger raft of customers who may not have previously  considered buying an Astra - those who want their car to look modern, to give real driver enjoyment and to feature the latest technology while also having enough practical and thoughtful features to make it enjoyable to live with day to day.

The new Astra distances itself from the nearest competition through styling, driving dynamics and technical innovation and with the compact segment currently one of the most significant in Europe, is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of customers.

This will be reflected in the model line-up but also through practical solutions like the 40/20/40 split rear seat and the new Hill Start Assist (HSA).

A number of other technologies break new ground in the compact class. For example, an adaptive IDSPlus suspension system with  electronic damping control can be chosen, as can the remarkable AFL (Adaptive Forward Lighting) system which debuted on Vauxhall Vectra Estate last year - both available in this particular segment for the first time.

Vauxhall Astra's striking new design is also key. With the Zafira and Meriva taking care of the more practical demands of the compact MPV segment, Vauxhall's designers were able to put real emotion and dynamism into the final look of Astra.


Lower medium segment changes

The segment has changed fundamentally over the years. The classic three-box-body with engine, passenger and luggage areas was first superseded by more popular compact hatchback models.

A significant group of buyers then started to demand more flexibility, which led to the emergence of models like the Vauxhall Zafira - still the best selling compact MPV five years on from its launch.

This change has been reflected in the pattern of registrations. Although the conventional hatches experienced only a slight drop in sales across Western Europe from 2.9 to 2.6 million between 1993 and 2002, the classic saloon saw a drop in sales in the same  period of nearly 500,000 cars.

In comparison, the winners were estates - with growth from 431,000 to 730,000 cars - and MPVs, a segment which emerged only at  the start of the 1990s but which had grown to 985,000 units by 2002.


Sales forecasts

Across Europe, something in excess of 210,000 new Astras are expected to be sold this year, rising to 500,000 in 2005, the first full year of sales.

The UK will be one of the biggest markets for the new Astra. It goes on sale on May 1 and Vauxhall predicts around 48,000 to be sold in the remainder of 2004.

Particularly popular engine choices for UK buyers will be the new 1.6 Twinport 105 hp petrol and 1.7 100 hp CDTi diesel units.

Across Europe, Germany is predicting 44,000 sales in 2004, Spain is expected to sell around 29,000, France 19,000 and Italy 16,000 new Vauxhall Astras.

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