Opel makes it official: New Astra in line for South Africa
All-new Astra L said to have been a constant topic of discussion for South Africa. Image: Opel
In a surprise turnaround, Opel's parent company, Stellantis, has confirmed that it is poised to bring the Astra back to South Africa after initially ruling out its entry due to declining demand for C-segment hatchbacks.
Unveiled three years ago as the internally named Astra L, the first generation not to made or produced by long-time former parent company General Motors since being founded by UK sister brand Vauxhall as a rebadged version of the Kadett D in 1979, rides on the same EMP2 platform as the Peugeot 308, but with differences in dimensions and inside.
Not coming…
The second model at the time, after the Mokka, to incorporate the Blitz's Bold and Pure styling language, the unexpected u-turn comes shortly after a response on X, following its global announcement about the chances of it returning to South Africa.
ALSO READ: Comeback star: Long awaited all-new Opel Astra officially revealed
'We have received confirmation that the new Astra will not be made available in South Africa,' the response.
… until now
Speaking to The Citizen on the sidelines of the new Grandland's unveiling at Montecasino in Johannesburg on Wednesday (9 July), which also formed part of Stellantis' annual Media Connect event, Opel Middle East and Africa Head, Falk Zimpel, said that the investigation in bringing the Astra to market 'is in an advanced stage'.
Interior adheres to the same detox principle as the Mokka and new Grandland. Image: Opel
Admitting that the model's reintroduction to South Africa had been a topic of much discussion, Zimpel added that the arrival was expected to take place next year, although an exact date of reveal wasn't disclosed.
What to expect?
Assembled exclusively at Opel's home plant of Rüsselsheim in Germany, the Astra L also became the first to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although this would be an unlikely option for the local market.
Similar to arch-rival Volkswagen's reinstated Golf 8.5, the local market Astra is likely to only become available with the long-serving 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech turbocharged petrol engine, also used in the Corsa.
Astra L is the first in the nameplate's now 46-year history not to have been produced by General Motors. Image: Opel
In Europe, the blown three-pot comes in two states of tune: 81kW/205Nm and 96kW/230Nm, with the standard transmission being a six-speed manual and, in the case of the latter, an optional eight-speed automatic.
Neither is expected to receive consideration: the 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid, which produces a combined 132 kW, nor the performance all-wheel-drive GSe, which adds a second electric motor for a total output of 165 kW.
Additional no-nos are the 1.5-litre Blue CDTI turbodiesel, the 1.2-litre mild-hybrid or the Astra Electric.
Golf vs Astra resumes
As it stands, the combination of the more powerful PureTech and eight-speed automatic would present the clearest option in rivalling the Golf, which itself makes use of the older 1.4 TSI engine rather than the newer 1.5 TSI Evo, paired to an eight-speed Tiptronic 'box.
For the moment, no further details are known; however, some may emerge either before year-end or in the early part of 2026.
NOW READ: It is a no: New Opel Astra won't be coming to South Africa
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