New Astra’s clever tech
September 16th, 2009 by Richard Aucock
VAUXHALL’S new Astra will debut a host of clever technology when its hits the road later this year.
The new car, unveiled officially at the Frankfurt Motor Show yesterday, will feature a clever ‘Opel Eye’ system that reads the road ahead.
The camera, mounted on the front of the dashboard, can tell drivers when they stray out of a lane and even read speed limit signs and display these on the dash.
The new Astra, which is available to order now, is the 10th generation of the vital model. It has been consistently in the top three best selling models across Europe throughout its production run and remains vital to the marque’s future.
At the launch, Opel’s Carl-Peter Foster said: ‘The new Astra is a very important model for us. The new version will play a key role in our future.
‘We intend to work alongside GM as we go forward and can only be successful by drawing on the economies of scale that partnership offers. To the doubters I would say let us get on with it and prove we can be successful.’
The new Astra will be launched in five door guise but an estate and feisty three-door are coming soon. Fuel usage has been improved by 12 per cent and although there won’t be a sub-100g/km car at launch, the maker is working on getting a model in that free road tax bracket soon.