New Astra Specs

[extralarge]

bigger engine = price hike especially considering the forcasted price the new astra are going to be at.

like the difference between the 1.8 and 2.2 engine in australia is already at least 3k difference..

wont be too many people out there willing to pay the already premium price + 3k..

[01CDsedan]

The 2.2 can't cost $3k more to make than the 1.8 - Holden could offer it for less if they chose to.

Hopefully the Astra won't go the way of the Vectra - high prices, duller performance, lower sales.

[imay]

Hey, 01CD. The Mazda3 costs more than the 323 it replaces. The new VW Golf is going to cost more than the model it replaces. What chance is do you really reckon there is that Holden is going to keep the cost of the new Astra at the same (or less) than the current model. Get real!
Totally new car, with more bits, more electronics, more chassis/suspension control modules, etc., etc. I predict the current Astra CDX price will be close to the base model of the new Astra. And I'd be even more surprised if Holden specified anything other than the current rumored engines (i.e. 1.8 and maybe a 2.0Turbo later). Anyone got any more recent info?
As nice as it may be, I reckon the majority of people on this site will be hanging on to their "G" model for a while longer. It would be interesting to hear from anyone planning to upgrade as soon as the "H" hits our shores.
Ian.

[Dregger]

i would if i could afford it

[Anonymous]

few more mods and i'll be quicker hehehe

[01CDsedan]

Hey imay,
Hold on for a moment and take a look at what I wrote - I didn't suggest that Holden would have the new Astra at the same price or a lower price than today's model. Obviously there will be an increase. What I am worried about is that they will do a Vectra on it, which means (at least in the case of the Vectra four) that the price will go up to an unrealistic level - ie, above that of its competitors and well above that of the old model, the performance will go down thanks to the extra weight, and sales will suffer accordingly. The Vectra's added equipment hasn't helped its sales, but its recent price cut has.

What I was getting at is that the $3k or so price premium for the 2.2 litre engine is an artificial premium that doesn't reflect actual production costs, and this premium could be reduced if Holden were prepared to sacrifice a little per-unit profit for greater sales overall.

If the current CDX price becomes the new base model price, then Astra sales will crash spectacularly - Astras starting at $27-28k? I hope not. I'd expect things to kick off at about $22-23k for the equivalent of today's City 4/5 door. Any more than that, and Holden's competitors will clean up.

[rjastra]

I'd expect things to kick off at about $22-23k for the equivalent of today's City 4/5 door. Any more than that, and Holden's competitors will clean up.

Look to the Mazda3 to get an idea of what the pricing regime maybe like.

$21500-$22000 for a base model.
$25-26K for the upspec model (CD)
$30K for the topspec (large engine) model (SRI/CDX)