(worldcarfans) - Opel's elegant four-door Astra sedan makes its world premiere at the Istanbul Motor Show (November 3 в€' 12, 2006), becoming the fifth model in the bestselling Astra range alongside the five-door hatch, station wagon, three-door GTC and cabrio-coupГ© TwinTop variants. This motor show is the largest in this region, and Turkey is also one of the most important sales markets for the classic compact sedan, says Alain Visser, Executive Director, European Marketing for Opel. The new model features a range of two gasoline and two diesel engines with output between 90 and 140 hp, and will go on sale in fall 2007, reports Trend.
Opel continues a tradition with the new Astra notchback model, as the first two Astra generations were both available with four doors and a large, separate luggage compartment. The Astra sedan will be produced in Gliwice, Poland, an ideal location to serve the Central and Eastern European markets for which the car has been primarily developed. The predecessor notchback model, Astra Classic, will also continue to be built there. The new model was developed at General Motors Europe's International Technical Development Center in RГјsselsheim, in cooperation with General Motors Brazil. Traditional four-door notchback sedans also play an important role in Brazil, the largest South American market.
The new sedan boasts the Astra's progressive, proportionally balanced design, dynamic lines and characteristic driving dynamics, together with high safety reserves. The new model's designers adopted the long wheelbase from the station wagon (2703 mm) for generous space in the rear and a large luggage compartment. With a length of 4618 mm and luggage compartment volume of 500 liters, the 1754 mm wide and 1458 mm high four-door sedan is positioned as an upper-end family car.