Astra VXR will be replaced

General Motors Europe has hinted the new Opel Astra could come with two hot hatches to fight the Ford Focus ST and RS, thanks to a recent sales resurgence of hot hatchbacks in Europe.

News that Opel is secretly working on new 184kW GSI version of the next-gen Astra was broken by British magazine, Autocar, after GM Europe boss, Karl-Thomas Neumann, hinted the famous (in Europe) Astra GSi name could return to rival the Focus ST.

Powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol that’s already available in the larger Opel Insignia, the new Astra will match the Ford Focus ST’s 184kW but, thanks to the new model’s weight savings that’s said to shave between 120-200kg off the kerbweight, the Astra could be significantly quicker.

To cut costs the GSi will only be, at least initially, available as a five-door hatch, although a GSi wagon could go on sale later to rival the Focus ST wagon or SEAT Leon ST Cupra.

Meanwhile, GM Europe is also said to be readying a VXR replacement that enthusiasts worried might be off the cards following the revelation the new car did without the old Astra VXR’s torque-steer cancelling Hyper-strut front suspension.

According to Autocar, GM Europe is developing an even more powerful 220kW hatch to rival the soon-to-be-launched Focus RS and Volkswagen Golf R.

As far as timings go, the new 184kW Astra GSi will not be available when the Opel hatch goes on sale this September in Europe but should arrive around the middle of 2016 -- not that it matters to us Down Under.

Any Astra is believed to be years away from its launch in Australia as a Holden.

Holden insists the Cruze will remain in production right through to 2017 as the brand's small car offering in hatch and sedan form.