Holden Astra
Manufacturer	General Motors
Also called	Chevrolet Astra Opel Astra Saturn Astra Vauxhall Astra
Production	1984–1989 1996–present
Body style(s)	2-door coupé convertible 3-door hatchback 5-door estate 5-door hatchback

The Holden Astra is a compact car currently being manufactured by General Motors and sold through the Holden brand. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries See also Opel Astra, Holden Astra Astra is a model-name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only Hatchback is a term designating an Automobile design containing a passenger cabin with an integrated Cargo space accessed from behind the vehicle by a single A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate Hatchback is a term designating an Automobile design containing a passenger cabin with an integrated Cargo space accessed from behind the vehicle by a single A compact (North America small family (European or c-segment car is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. The current Astra model is a rebadged Opel Astra. For a list of vehicles that have been badge engineered see List of badge engineered vehicles. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries

Contents 1 First generation (1984–1989) 2 Second generation (1987–1989) 2.1 HSV variant 3 Third generation (1996–1998) 4 Fourth generation (1998–2005) 5 Fifth generation (2004–present) 6 References

First generation (1984–1989)

The 1984 Holden Astra LB, was a rebadged Nissan Pulsar (badged as the Nissan Cherry in Europe), built in Australia and sold only on the Australian market. For a list of vehicles that have been badge engineered see List of badge engineered vehicles. The Nissan Pulsar is a Compact car / Small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1978 when it debuted as a Subcompact car The Datsun Cherry (チェリー known later as the Nissan Cherry was a series of small cars which formed Nissan's first Front-wheel-drive model line For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

The Pulsars sold in Australia at that time were related to the Nissan Langley, while the Astra had a Pulsar-like grille designed by Australian stylist Paul Beranger housing the Holden lion badge. The Nissan Pulsar is a Compact car / Small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1978 when it debuted as a Subcompact car GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. These versions were known as the LB and LC.

All versions were powered by a 1. 5-litre engine which was a Nissan design, locally manufactured, and were offered in two trim levels, the SL/X and the SL/E. Unlike its Nissan counterpart, the Astra was only offered as a five-door hatchback, with the three-door hatchback, four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body styles omitted from the range due to fears they would overlap with Nissan's own Pulsar range. Hatchback is a term designating an Automobile design containing a passenger cabin with an integrated Cargo space accessed from behind the vehicle by a single A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating Neutron stars that emit a beam of Electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves In a way this was similar to the Alfa Romeo Arna sold in Europe,which was also released in the same year. The Alfa Romeo Arna was a subcompact Automobile produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1983 and 1987

In 1986, the Astra was now known as the Holden Astra LC and there was no major mechanical changes, the car was facelifted with no trim level change. A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (literally surgical removal of wrinkles) is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure used to give a more youthful

Second generation (1987–1989)

The Pulsar was again used as the basis for the Astra. The Nissan Pulsar is a Compact car / Small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1978 when it debuted as a Subcompact car This model was now known as the Holden Astra LD. It was sold in Australia (but not New Zealand) between 1987 and 1989. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

The new Astra was launched in July 1987, and was discontinued in June 1989.

As with its predecessor, only a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan were available. A three-door hatchback version was never available, even though its Nissan Pulsar sister version had one, and there was no wagon version either (Nissan had two family car station wagons, a Pulsar wagon, and the Nissan Sunny California). The Nissan Pulsar is a Compact car / Small family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1978 when it debuted as a Subcompact car A family car is a Car classification used in Europe to describe normally-sized cars The Nissan Sunny is a small car from Nissan. It was launched in 1966 as the Datsun 1000 and although production in Japan ended in 2004 it remains in production today

Engines available for the Astra LD included a 1. 6 or 1. 8 litre engine, both of which were their own in-house design, rather than Nissan. In-house refers to the production of some Commodity or service, such as a Television program, using a Company 's own funds staff or resources All had fuel injection, and were badged 1. Fuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an Internal combustion engine. 6i or 1. 8i. They were known as the Family II series engines when used in the Australian-built Pulsars and Astras. The Family II is a Straight-4 Piston engine that was originally developed by Opel in late 1970s for use in the Opel Ascona B and Opel Kadett

This was ironic considering that by now Holden had dropped the Pulsar-based Astra for the less-successful Toyota Corolla-derived Nova. The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact / Compact cars produced by the Japanese Automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout The Holden Nova was a Compact car that was produced by Toyota in Australia between August 1989 and 1996 and sold under the Holden nameplate

—Trading Post Auto's/Auto Trader Australia

All Astra models had a disc/drum brake setup, whereas the equivalent Australian Pulsars had 4-wheel disc brakes as standard.

There were three versions available: SL, SL/X and SL/E. SL trim level was the entry-level variant, and it had a 1. 6-litre Family II engine, badged as 1. 6i. This had 5-speed manual transmission only. This came as a five-door hatchback only. SL/X trim level was slightly higher-specification than the SL variant, and was available with the 1. 8i engine only. Both 5-speed manual and automatic transmissions were available. SL/E trim level was the highest specification offered, and had both 1. 6i and 1. 8i engines available, and both transmissions were offered. This was equivalent to Nissan's GXE specification offered on the related Pulsar. ^[1]

The car was considered to be better than its 1983-1987 forebear by the Australian edition of Auto Trader. Auto Trader is an automotive sales website and classified magazine located in many countries and is owned by the Trader Media Group. ^[2]

HSV variant

Holden Special Vehicles also offered a version of the LD Astra marketed as the HSV Astra SV1800. Holden Special Vehicles, abbreviated HSV is the officially designated performance vehicle division of Australian motor Automobile manufacturer The SV1800 was available as a sedan or a hatchback with the majority using the sedan bodystyle. Approximately 65 total cars were sold. Upgrades from a standard Astra to the Astra SV1800 were limited to cosmetic changes. Engine specifications for the standard Astra LD and the Astra SV1800 were identical.

In 1989, all associations with Nissan were severed and a new agreement between Toyota and Holden was formed instead. (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. This agreement (part of the Button Plan created United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI). United Australian Automobile Industries ( UAAI) was a firm founded in Australia in 1989 as the result of an agreement between the Australian subsidiary

Third generation (1996–1998)

After the Button Plan had ended, Holden opted to return to marketing rebadged General Motors vehicles. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. The third-generation Astra, which was known as the Holden Astra TR was designed by Opel, another subsidiary of General Motors located in Germany. Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as Opel) is a German automaker part of General Motors. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

In 1995, Holden began selling the Astra again in the New Zealand market. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island This version of the Astra was named the Astra TR, and was imported from Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, United Kingdom. Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company It is a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM and is part of GM Europe. Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and cargo port in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England, situated in the south of the Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located However, this was merely a rebadging of an existing Opel/Vauxhall product: the Opel Astra had in fact been sold there since 1993. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries

In 1996, Holden then began selling the car in Australia. The Astra TR was Holden's version of the Opel Astra F. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries

Much like the rebadged versions from the 1980s, there was little difference between the Opel Astra F and the Holden Astra TR.

Fourth generation (1998–2005)

In 1998, the Astra was replaced again with a German-sourced version. Known as the Holden TS Astra, it was equipped with either a 1. 6, 1. 8 or a 2. 2 16V petrol engine and was offered in a City, CD, CDXi, the SXi and the SRi specifications. The SRi was three-door hatchback only, and the standard Astra was only available with a 1. 8 litre 16-valve engine. The TS Astra was similar to the Chevrolet Astra of the South American market, although only the latter received the sharper facelift — the European and Austarlian versions retained the softer curves of the original body. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a

The TS Astra model change followed that of the Opel Astra G range, including the sedan, hatchback and convertible. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries However, the Coupé by Bertone was not offered with a Holden badge. Gruppo Bertone is an Italian car styling and coachbuilding house which also manufactures cars The drivetrain was identical to other cars in in the Astra lineup, and as such, was not a bona-fide sports car. Like the Astra A, the Astra B was available as a wagon in New Zealand, but not Australia. In 2003, a 2. 0 litre Turbo engine became available. The standard Astra was only available with a 1. 8 litre 16-valve engine, and lived on until 2005 as the Holden Astra Classic, alongside the new model. The philosophy behind this was for Holden to remain competitive in the market until the cheaper Viva model was introduced. The Daewoo Lacetti is a Compact car made by the South Korean automaker GM Daewoo.

In Australia, both the 1996-98 Holden Astra TR and the 1998-04 Holden Astra TS were assessed in the 2006 Used Car Safety Ratings as providing "better than average" protection for their occupants in the event of a crash. ^[3]

Fifth generation (2004–present)

The fifth generation Holden AH Astra was now based on the Opel Astra H. See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries This five-door hatchback was sold in Australia from December 2004, selling alongside the Polish-built Astra G, which carried "Astra Classic" badges. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland However, the Astra Classic was dropped in late 2005, and replaced by the new Holden Viva, a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti. The Daewoo Lacetti is a Compact car made by the South Korean automaker GM Daewoo. It continues in Poland as the Opel Astra Classic. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

In August 2005, the Astra Wagon was released in Australia, with a 1. 9 CDTI option added in June 2008, the diesel Astra also marked the return of the Astra Wagon to the New Zealand market after a 4 year absence.

Diesel variants of the Astra were released in June 2006, which was a first for the Astra in Australia (But not New Zealand where the Astra A had previously been offered with a 1. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 7 litre Turbo Diesel). Two versions were offered: a six-speed manual option with a 110 kW (148 hp) 1. A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift or just 'stick' 'straight drive' or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in 9 litre CDTi engine, and a six-speed automatic model with an 88 kW (118 hp) version of the same engine. An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle In January 2007, Holden released the Astra SRi and Twintop. Both come with a 2. 2 litre petrol engine producing 110 kW (148 hp), available with the six-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The 5 Door SRi has since been dropped, but remains available as a 3 Door Coupe.

The current line-up consists of: CD, CDX, CDTi, SRi and SRi Turbo and the VXR. CDXi was dropped after the arrival of the CDTi, which is similar to the CDXi physically but is higher-specced inside.

AH models come with front and side impact airbags as standard inclusions.

From mid-way through 2006, the MY06. 5 revision was released which includes head-protecting curtain airbags as standard equipment for tbe CDX variants.

The SRi and CDTi variants have standard ESP (Electronic Safety Program - a type of stability control). Electronic stability control ( ESC) is a computerized technology that improves the safety of a vehicle's handling by detecting and preventing skids

In mid-2007 the Astra line-up received a facelift including tweaked front grille and lights on all models, and a power upgrade with the 1. 8 litre petrol engines from 92 kW (123 hp) to 103 kW (138 hp), meaning a power increase of 11%. The engines available in the SRi, SRi Turbo and CDTi remain unchanged.

References

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