25 Years Ago: Launch of the Opel Astra G

• Spring 1998: Completely newly developed second generation Astra reaches customers
• Safety first: With DSA chassis, ESP, H7 headlights and fully galvanized body
• Powerful into the 2000s: Astra OPC, Astra V8 Coupé and Astra OPC X-treme
• Astra today: Latest generation debuts plug-in hybrid and battery-electric variants

In 1991, Opel presented the Astra F as the successor to the Opel Kadett and marked the start of a new chapter in the company’s success story in the compact class. The Astra F became an absolute bestseller and the most-produced Opel model of all time. The successor, launched in 1998 had all the best prerequisites to continue the success of its predecessor. The Opel Astra G was rolled out with many innovations: It was the first Opel with a fully galvanized body. In addition to the 30 percent higher light output of the transparent H7 headlights, active driving safety was provided by the newly developed DSA (Dynamic Safety Action) chassis. In addition, customers could choose from a wide range of body variants. And the Astra G also displayed its performance car potential in the following years as a powerful Astra OPC and as an Astra V8 Coupé, which competed in both the German Touring Car Masters and the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring.

The Astra G thus has many parallels to the latest generation Astra. With it, Opel has opened another, completely new chapter of its compact class success story. The current Astra not only impresses with its bold and clear design including the characteristic Opel Vizor brand face and fully digital, intuitively operated Pure Panel Cockpit. The winner of the “Golden Steering Wheel 2022”¹ is also electrified for the first time: with powerful plug-in hybrid variants and the battery electric Opel Astra Electric coming soon. The locally emission-free range-topping Opel Astra GSe (fuel consumption according to WLTP²: 1.2-1.1 l/100 km, CO₂ emissions 26-25 g/km; each combined) shows how particularly dynamic driving fun can be combined with a sense of responsibility.

Rüsselsheim goes Hollywood: From development to market launch of the Astra G

Given the big shoes the Opel Astra G had to fill at the end of the 1990s, it is no surprise that the development process of the car was ground-breaking. Repeating the success of the predecessor was paramount for Opel. That’s why the development team decided to look for some completely new inspiration when planning the second Astra generation. The film “Jurassic Park”, which had already become a huge box office hit, proved to be a great help for the designers. The Astra G had little to do with the dinosaurs themselves – rather the team used a computer-aided design program called ALIAS, which was originally developed for computer-animated films such as the Hollywood blockbuster. With the help of the software, the designers could create the new model in a virtual, three-dimensional computer world.

In the spring of 1998, the Astra G was launched as a three and five-door hatchback and an estate – all with a coupé-like design. The four-door notchback saloon, the coupé, the Astravan commercial vehicle and the convertible followed shortly afterwards ensuring that all important body styles were covered. The all-new second generation Astra shone with its own design including the then-characteristic trapezoidal grille, a dynamic wedge front with the windscreen pulled forward and an extended roof line as well as a high belt line and a coupé-like appearance on the three-door model. This was also reflected in the best-in-class aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.29.

Outstanding overall package: DSA chassis, fully galvanized body and ample space

Comfort and safety had the highest priority during development and the Astra G was characterised by the dynamic chassis and drive technology as well as almost doubled torsional and flexural rigidity thanks to the use of high-strength steels. All this combined with intelligent lightweight construction measures, so that the vehicles – combined with powerful, efficient engines – offered a lot of driving pleasure.

The DSA chassis, which was newly developed, played a part in the active driving characteristics. It also ensured maximum driving stability in critical situations such as braking on different road surfaces. “With the Opel DSA chassis, the front wheel with the better grip offers controlled manner toe-in, causing a counter-steering effect and thus counteracting the tendency to yaw,” stated the Rüsselsheim-based carmaker at the time. The safety chassis also combined comfort with agile and safe handling – even with a full load. From 1999, the introduction of ESP further increased safety. And the patented pedal release system, which protects against serious foot or leg injuries in the event of an impact, was also standard in every Astra G.

The 1998 Astra also set standards in its segment when it comes to interior spaciousness. The wheelbase, which is around ten centimetres longer than on its predecessor, allowed for more space, especially more head and knee room in the rear. In the hatchback variant, the luggage compartment volume increased to 370 litres while the Astra estate boasted up to 1,500 litres. At the same time, the Astra G made a "quantum leap in terms of quality", as the Frankfurter Rundschau at the time confirmed. The main contributors to this improvement include high-quality interior materials along with the low noise and vibration levels. Above all, however, the body, which was fully galvanized for the first time, ensured an increased quality impression and high value.

Competition ambitions: The Astra G as OPC and V8 Coupé

At the same time, the second Astra generation showed that it could do much more than just master everyday tasks perfectly. It became a popular piece of sports equipment – and thus aroused the emotions of particularly ambitious drivers. Almost at the same time as the Astra G was introduced, the Opel Performance Center, or OPC for short, was launched under the direction of Volker Strycek. The first model from the performance professionals was the 1998 Astra OPC with 118 kW/160 hp. Four years later, the team showed that much more is possible with the further refined Astra OPC, which could reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. The further developed version had 147 kW/192 hp under the bonnet – and was available both as a three-door model and as an estate.

But that’s not all: Starting in 2000, Opel also got involved in the German Touring Car Masters with the specially developed Astra V8 Coupé – and immediately took second place in the championship with the high-tech racing car. More competitions followed, such as the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. And at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show, Opel presented the sports car as a 326 kW/444 hp Astra OPC X-treme concept, which promised top acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and could be driven on normal roads.

Opel Astra and Astra GSe today: Outstanding driving pleasure – with responsibility

Opel is once again tapping into this sporty heritage with the current Astra – in a contemporary, future-oriented and above all responsible way. The new top-of-the-range Astra GSe² and Astra Sports Tourer GSe² are powerful, dynamic – and electrified. Because today GSe stands for “Grand Sport electric”. The models of the new Opel sub-brand offer everything that sporty but also responsible drivers desire: top performance, a sporty chassis and an electrified drive for locally emission-free driving. All this combined with a stunning design.

In addition, just like their Astra siblings, they come with numerous state-of-the-art technologies that make driving more relaxed and that customers previously only knew from higher segments – such as the latest version of the adaptive, glare-free Intelli-Lux LED^® Pixel Light with a total of 168 LED elements. The interior of the latest Astra generation is just as ground-breaking. With the fully digital Pure Panel, all analogue displays disappear. Instead, the state-of-the-art human-machine interface (HMI) offers an intuitive operating experience with an extra-wide touchscreen. The Opel developers attached great importance to the fact that the driver receives all the necessary information and has direct access all useful operating options, but is not burdened with superfluous data or functions. Important settings such as air conditioning can still be set directly with just a few adjustments of the controls.

The outstanding seating comfort is also typical of Opel. The front seats, developed in-house, are certified by AGR (Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V.) and, with their exemplary ergonomics, make long journeys relaxing. The driver is supported by state-of-the-art assistance systems from the head-up display to the Intelli-Drive 1.0 system, which combines many driver assistance systems, to the 360-degree all-round view called Intelli-Vision. In addition, the latest Astra makes a clear design statement: more dynamic than ever before, with clear, exciting lines without superfluous flourishes and with the new, characteristic brand face, the Opel Vizor.

^[1] AUTO BILD edition 45/2022 and BILD am SONNTAG edition 46/2022, category for “Best car up to €50,000”.

^[2] Values determined using the more realistic WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure) test method which replaces the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) test procedure. A vehicle’s consumption, CO2 emissions and range not only depend on the efficient use of energy by the vehicle but are also influenced by driving style and other non-technical factors. The information on consumption and emissions does not refer to an individual vehicle and is intended solely for purposes of comparison between the various vehicle types.