Holden has announced that its Cruze sedan
replacement will be called the Holden Astra sedan when it arrives locally in
May this year. The Astra
sedan will be built with a comfort ride in mind, sitting beneath the Astra
hatch in terms of pricing and sportiness.
The D2 architecture is described as
German-engineered, Korean-built and Australian-tuned. Holden’s decision to
stick with the Astra badge across the range stems from its history in
Australia. First used in 1994, the Astra badge is synonymous with this type and
size of car from Holden.
It’s expected to feature Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto, along with a rear-view camera and the option of 7- and 8-inch screens.
With a coefficient of drag of 0.295 and a 120 kg weight saving over the previous
generation D1 architecture, the Astra sedan is expected to offer much better
fuel efficiency and performance over its predecessor.
Fitted with a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
petrol engine, the directly injected unit produces 150 Hp of power and 245 Nm of
torque when mated to a manual transmission and 240 Nm of torque when paired with
the automatic.
While Holden is yet to confirm specifications and
pricing, we do know that the US specification Cruze sedan measures 4666 mm in
length and 1791 mm in width. That makes the Astra sedan 37 mm longer and 6 mm
narrower than its predecessor.
Holden’s input also stretched to design, with the
Australian design team responsible for the front fascia and grille, which
differentiates it from the Chevrolet Cruze sedan. The Astra sedan represents
the 13th of 24 new vehicles Holden is committed to launching locally by 2020,
with things like the Equinox and Captiva replacement on the horizon.
