Holden Astra

Holden Astra
Production period:	since 1984
Class :	Compact class
Body versions :	Sedan , hatchback , station wagon , convertible
Previous model:	Holden LG Nova
Successor:	Holden LE Nova

The Holden Astra is a compact class passenger car that was offered from 1984 to 1989, from 1995 to 2009 and again since 2015 by the Australian automobile manufacturer Holden , the subsidiary of General Motors there . The vehicles from 1984 to 1989 were sister models of the Nissan Cherry and Sunny models . From 1989 to 1995, the Toyota Corolla- based Holden Nova replaced the Astra. An Astra was offered from 1995 to 2009, which corresponded to the current European Astra models from Opel and Vauxhall . From 2015 to 2016, another model based on the Opel Astra J was sold, which had previously been offered under the brand name Opel from 2012 to 2013. The Opel Astra K has been offered as the Holden Astra together with the Chevrolet Cruze J400 since 2016 .

Year by year

LB / LC Astra (1984–1987)

LB Astra (1984–1986) LC Astra (1986–1987)
Holden LB Astra
Production period:	1984-1987
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.5–1.6 liters (51–52 kW)
Length:	3960 mm
Width:	1620 mm
Height:	1390 mm
Wheelbase :	2415 mm
Empty weight :

Main article: Nissan Cherry N12

When the LB Astra was introduced in August 1984, it was the first Holden that was not built in Australia, but together with the Cherry , from which it was descended, at Nissan in Japan . The Astra was not exactly the same as the Cherry, but had equipment lines specific to Australia. The exclusively as a five-door hatchback car was available as a simpler SL / X or better-equipped SL / E to order. In each case it was powered by a 1.5 liter inline four-cylinder ohc engine with an output of 51 kW. A manual five-speed gearbox or, if desired, a three-speed automatic relayed the engine power to the front wheels. The role of the 4-door sedan was occupied by the RB Gemini , which was also manufactured by Holden himself , so that one body shape was sufficient for the Astra.

In February 1986 the mildly revised LC Astra was presented. While there were hardly any changes outside, the engine had increased to 1.6 l displacement and produced 52 kW. A cheaper SL model was added at the lower end of the range . The SL / X and SL / E had the radiator grille and bumpers in the same color as the car, while the SL continued to show black plastic parts.

model	designation	Vehicle type	Construction period
LB-8LP68	Astra SL / X	5-door station wagon	08 / 1984-02 / 1986
LB-8LQ68	Astra SL / E	5-door station wagon	08 / 1984-02 / 1986
LC-8LN68	Astra SL	5-door station wagon	02 / 1986-09 / 1987
LC-8LP68	Astra SL / X	5-door station wagon	02 / 1986-09 / 1987
LC-8LQ68	Astra SL / E	5-door station wagon	02 / 1986-09 / 1987

The LC Astra was manufactured until September 1987.

LD Astra (1987-1989)

LD Astra (1987-1989)
Holden LD Astra SL / X hatchback (1987–1989)
Production period:	1987-1989
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.6–1.8 liters (55–79 kW)
Length:	4035-4255 mm
Width:	1655 mm
Height:	1380 mm
Wheelbase :	2430 mm
Empty weight :

Holden LD Astra SL / X Sedan (1987–1989)

HSV LD Astra SV1800 (1988)

Main article: Nissan Sunny B12

Back in July 1987, the new LD Astra was presented. It was also based on a Nissan model, the Sunny B12 . A number of sheet metal parts and both engines were supplied by Holden and were also used in the sister model, the Nissan Pulsar . These engines were the same as in the Holden Camira , injection engines with 1.6 l displacement and 55 kW or 1.8 l displacement and 79 kW.

The equipment lines also remained the same. The station wagon continued to be offered as LS, SL / X or SL / E. In October of the same year, a 4-door sedan was added, which was available as SL / X or SL / E.

In September 1988, Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) presented a tuned version of the LD Astra. Almost all of the only 65 copies were based on the sedan. The changes were limited to spoilers, rally stripes and a modified wheel suspension.

model	designation	Vehicle type	Construction period
LD-8LN68	Astra SL	5-door station wagon	07 / 1987-08 / 1989
LD-8LP68	Astra SL / X	5-door station wagon	07 / 1987-08 / 1989
LD-8LP69	Astra SL / X	Sedan 4 doors	10 / 1987-08 / 1989
LD-8LQ68	Astra SL / E	5-door station wagon	07 / 1987-08 / 1989
LD-8LQ69	Astra SL / E	Sedan 4 doors	10 / 1987-08 / 1989

In 1989 the LD Astra was discontinued in favor of the LE Nova , which was built on the basis of the Toyota Corolla .

TR Astra (1995-1998)

TR Astra (1995-1998)
Holden TR Astra hatchback (1995-1998)
Production period:	1995-1998
Body versions :	Sedan , hatchback , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.6–2.0 liters (74–100 kW)
Length:	4051-4278 mm
Width:	1688-1696 mm
Height:	1410-1475 mm
Wheelbase :	2515 mm
Empty weight :	933-1615 kg

Main article: Opel Astra F

After the joint venture with Toyota - and with it the Holden model LG Nova - had to be abandoned in the course of 1995, the Astra was offered in this vehicle class based on the group model Opel Astra F as the TR Astra . Of the models made in Great Britain (as Vauxhall Astra) and Germany, Holden only produced the 5-door station wagon and the 4-door sedan.

There were three equipment lines: The basis was the City with a 1.6 l engine (74 kW) and a manual five-speed gearbox. Above this was the GL with a 1.8 liter engine (85 kW), which could also be equipped with an automatic transmission on request. The top model was the GSi with a 2.0 l four-cylinder (100 kW) and five-speed gearbox , which was only available with a hatchback .

These models were also exported to New Zealand from 1996 , where they replaced the Vauxhall Astra F that had been available there until then. There was also the 5-door station wagon that was not offered in Australia.

TS Astra (1998-2005)

TS Astra (1998-2004) TS Astra Classic (2005)
Holden TS Astra CD 1.8 hatchback (2001-2004)
Production period:	1998-2005
Body versions :	Sedan , hatchback , station wagon , convertible
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.6–2.2 liters (74–147 kW)
Length:	4110 mm
Width:	1709 mm
Height:	1425 mm
Wheelbase :	2614 mm
Empty weight :	1187-1375 kg

Holden TS Astra Notchback (2002)

Main article: Opel Astra G

The switch from the Opel Astra F to the Opel Astra G in Germany was followed by the Australian GM branch. The TS Astra , presented in 1998, took over from Europe not only the well-known 4 and 5-door models, but also the 3-door station wagon and the 2-door convertible. The Bertone Coupe and the station wagon were not available in Australia. Of the models made in Great Britain (as Vauxhall Astra) and Germany, Holden only produced the 5-door station wagon and the 4-door sedan. The 5-door station wagon was again only available in New Zealand, and only until 1999.

The equipment lines were now called City , CD , CDXi , SXi and SRi . For the City there was only the 1.8 l engine, the SRi was only available as a three-door. From 2003 the top engine was a turbocharged 2.0 l R4 with 147 kW.

In December 2004 the model range was replaced by the new AH Astra, only the simplest model with a 1.8 l engine remained on offer as the Astra Classic for one year until it was replaced by the cheaper Holden Viva .

AH Astra (2004-2009)

AH Astra (2004-2009)
Holden AH Astra Twin Top (Cabriolet, 2006-2008)
Production period:	2004-2009
Body versions :	Sedan , hatchback , station wagon , convertible
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 1.6–2.2 liters (77–177 kW) Diesel engines : 1.7–1.9 liters (59–110 kW)
Length:	4249-4515 mm
Width:	1804 mm
Height:	1435-1500 mm
Wheelbase :	2614-2703 mm
Empty weight :	1210-1613 kg

Holden AH Astra Hatchback (2007)

Holden AH Astra Kombi (special model for Holden's 60th birthday in 2008)

Main article: Opel Astra H

The AH Astra was introduced in December 2004 and was the Opel Astra H derived. All variants made in Germany were now produced, only the engine range differed slightly from the German one. From 2006 there were also diesel engines.

There were now the equipment lines CD , CDX , CDTi , SRi , SRi Turbo and VXR . The CDTi replaced the previous CDXi.

In mid-2009, the import of the European Astra H to Australia and New Zealand was terminated. In the lower middle class, Holden now relied on the Chevrolet Cruze imported from Korea , which was sold in Australia as the Holden Cruze . The Astra was instead in Australia in September 2012 as the Opel offered, but already taken a year later due to poor sales figures from the market.

PJ Astra (2015-2016)

PJ Astra (2015-2016)
Holden PJ Astra VXR (2015-2016)
Production period:	2015-2016
Body versions :	Station wagon
Engines:
Length:	4466 mm
Width:	2020 mm
Height:	1482 mm
Wheelbase :	2675 mm
Empty weight :

After the Opel Astra J was initially offered unsuccessfully as an Opel from 2012 to 2013 , the same model was again available as the Holden Astra from 2015 to 2016, parallel to the Chevrolet Cruze, which was known as the Holden Cruze . It was only available as a three-door hatchback variant in the two equipment lines OPC and VXR, which were offered at far lower prices than the Opel models before. The VXR was powered by a 280 hp 2.0 liter engine.

BK Astra (since 2016)

BK / BL Astra (since 2016)
Holden Astra BK Hatch (since 2016)
Production period:	since 2016
Body versions :	Sedan , hatchback , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.4-1.6 liters (110-147 kW)
Length:	4386-4702 mm
Width:	1807 mm
Height:	1457-1510 mm
Wheelbase :	2662-2700 mm
Empty weight :

At the beginning of 2015, Holden announced that it would sell the Opel Astra K as the Holden Astra from 2016 . This should initially be offered in parallel to the Holden Cruze, but Holden announced in January 2017 that it would sell both models under the name Astra in the future, with the hatchback version of the Astra and the notchback version of the Cruzes being taken over. The hatchback variant has been available as the "new Astra Hatch" since December 2016, while the sedan was launched in June 2017 as the "new Astra Sedan". A station wagon version also followed in October 2017.

In June 2019, Holden took the sedan and station wagon from the market.

Holden Astra BL Sedan (2017-2019)

Web links

Commons : Holden Astra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

• Terry Bebbington, Michel A. Malik: 45 Years of Holden. Australian Publishing and Printing Company, Sydney NSW 1994, ISBN 0-947216-31-6 .
• The Holden Heritage . Edition July 2001. Brochure published by the factory on its own history.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Marton Pettendy: European Astra skips Australia. In: GoAuto. John Mellor, August 31, 2009; accessed August 31, 2009 . 
2. ^ Opel Australia closure: how it happened and where to from here . CarAdvice.com.au.
3. ^ Aiden Taylor: 2015 Holden Astra GTC and VXR - new car sales price . In: CarsGuide .
4. ↑ 2017 Holden Astra spy pics . WheelsMag.com.au.
5. ↑ New Holden Astra revealed, 2016 launch confirmed . WheelsMag.com.au.
6. ↑ 2017 Holden Cruze, 2017 Holden Astra competing for hearts, wallets . WheelsMag.com.au.
7. ↑ 2017 Holden Astra sedan first drive review . Drive.com.au.
8. ↑ Stephen Ottley: Holden will never be number one again - get over it. In: carsguide.com.au. December 27, 2019, accessed January 4, 2020 .