GM reveals eye-catching Astra GTC
Here's the first look at GM's upcoming rival for the VW Scirocco and Renault Megane Coupe. It's expected here next year wearing Opel badges...These are the first official images of GM's slinky new Astra GTC coupe, which will make a cameo appearance at next month's Goodwood Festival of Speed before being officially unveiled at September's Frankfurt motor show.
Previewed at last year's Paris motor show as the GTC Concept, the newcomer was penned by Brit crayon wielder Mark Adams and is the latest in a long line of Euro-focused GM coupes, such as the Astra GTE, Firenza and Chevette 2300HS.
Holden has been making noises for some time about bringing in Opel products to Australia from 2012 – albeit this time wearing Opel badges – so the GTC appears set for a local debut next year.
The rakish coupe was conceived to throw down the gauntlet to the likes of VW's Scirocco and Renault's Megane Coupe, with GM touting the Astra GTC's "heady mix of dynamic excellence, dramatic design features and competitive pricing".
Even in entry-level trim, the Astra GTC adopts the sophisticated front suspension from its upmarket Insignia VXR sibling, which features GM's HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut), combined with a Watt's link rear axle.
In fact, GM claims the only elements the GTC shares with its Astra hatch and Sports Tourer siblings are the door handles and the roof aerial – even the wheelbase and tracks are different.
Compared with the Astra hatch, the GTC's ride height has been lowered by 15mm, while the wheelbase has grown by 10mm, from 2685mm to 2695mm. Meanwhile, the tracks are widened to 1584mm (+ 40mm) front and 1588mm (+ 30mm) rear. GM says this allows the option of larger rims (up to 20-inch), as well as improving stability.
Notwithstanding its chop-top appearance, the company claims the Astra GTC offers enough room to accommodate four adults and their luggage (370 litres with the seats in place, 1235 litres when folded).
European buyers will be able to choose from a range of engines, spearheaded by a 1.6-litre turbo petrol unit with 132kW, enabling the GTC to hit a top speed of 212km/h.
The 2.0 CDTi turbodiesel is no slug either, with a 0-100km/h split of 8.9sec and v-max of 209km/h. Its 380Nm dollop of torque is also said to make for a relaxed cruising gait, resulting in an overall consumption figure of 4.9L/100km.
A high-output VXR model will join the range in 2012, but the company hasn't as yet divulged any tech specifics on the hotshoe variant.
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