2009-09-29

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The Story So Far: The Nine Previous Generations

• 1936: First Kadett is launched
• 1962: Kadett celebrates its comeback with its own plant in Bochum
• 1991: Astra is the new name for Opel’s compact model

Rüsselsheim. Opel is the only German automaker that can look back on such a long tradition in the compact car segment. The first Kadett was introduced in 1936 and, with more than 100,000 units sold by 1940; it helped shape the European compact class. Here is a short overview of the nine predecessor generations of the new Astra:

First Kadett (1936 – 1940): Its self-supporting unitary body was as revolutionary as its price of 2,100 marks. The first Kadett had 23 hp, was available as a two or four-door sedan or convertible, and was extremely successful: 107,608 units were built before the beginning of WWII. After 1947 it was reincarnated as the Moskwitch – a further 247,439 units were built in Russia.

Kadett A (1962 – 1965): Comeback as independent model line with its own plant in Bochum. The one-liter car was available with 40 or 48 hp as a sedan, coupé or station wagon and boasted a large luggage compartment and safe vehicle handling.

Kadett B (1965 – 1973): One size bigger – and with up to 90 hp as the rallye Kadett – the new edition became a bestseller with 2.6 million units sold. It was available as a two- or four-door sedan, a coupé, station wagon, or as the high-end Olympia version.

Kadett C (1973 – 1979): The cleanly designed version of the 1970s came with two new body variants: In addition to two- and four-door notchback sedans, station wagon and coupé, the fastback (City) and Targa (Aero) versions entered the scene. Injection premiered in the GT/E (up to 115 hp) and a total of 1.7 million units were built. The Kadett was branded outside Europe the Chevette.
 
Kadett D (1979 – 1984): Revolution under the hood – for the first time, the Kadett had front-wheel-drive; a 1.3-liter engine with the overhead camshaft began its long career and a diesel (1.6 liter, 54 hp) was available. While the coupé and convertible took a break, a van was offered for the first time. Altogether 2.1 million units were built.

Kadett E (1984 – 1991): The last Kadett was the most aerodynamic sedan in the world at the time (cD GSI: 0.30) and extremely versatile. It came as a hatchback and notchback, station wagon, Combo truck. Bertone built a convertible and 270 hp racing versions created a sensation at the Deutschen Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft (DTM). The basis was the GSi four-valve engine with 150 hp, practically unimaginable in the compact class at the time. There was even a prototype with electric propulsion called “Impuls”. The “Car of the Year 1984” sold nearly 3.8 million units.

Astra F (1991 – 1997): New name, new luck – the new name was taken over from the British sister brand Vauxhall and became uniform throughout Europe. There was a new turbo-diesel (1.7 liter, 82 hp)engine, driver and front passenger airbags. ABS was standard; the convertible came without a roll bar, a small screen on the center console was a world novelty, and a small-volume production run of 500 Astra station wagon CNGs with natural gas propulsion made a strong environmental statement. Named Impuls 3, ten electric-powered Astras were part of a test on the island of Rügen and covered more than 350,000 kilometers between 1993 and 1997. The sales success was overwhelming: With 4.13 million units, the Astra F remains the best-selling Opel of all time. Some of the cars were built in a new plant in Eisenach.

Astra G (1998 – 2004): The model family grew – for the first time since 1979 a coupé was added, and the Zafira van – based on the Astra architecture – revolutionized the family car market. The first OPC model (2 liter, 160 hp) was introduced, the diesel selection expanded (up to 2.2 liters, 125 hp), Twinport technology made the gasoline models more efficient, the CNG station wagon went into series production and the ECO 4 model was the first fully-fledged four-liter car on the market. The Astra G continues to be produced as the “Classic” in Gliwice, Poland, making the 3.95 million unit total sales result provisional.

Astra H (since 2004): The new Astra generation was a technology leader from the start. From electronic damper control to the AFL headlamps, it introduced many innovations for the first time in the compact class. Attention-getting features: The folding hardtop convertible TwinTop that combines convertible and coupé, the panorama windshield that offers a whole new perspective in the sporty GTC model, and the Astra OPC: At 240 turbo hp, it was the most powerful front-wheel-drive production model in the world at its launch in 2005. To date, around 2.5 million Astra H units have been built.

Contact:

Nathalie Van Impe
+ 49 6142 7 66166 (office)
+ 49 151 174 73959 (mobile)
nathalie.van.impe[at]de.opel.com

 

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