Stellantis’ ‘big plans’ for Opel going ahead without new Astra

On the comeback trail since being taken over by the PSA Group, now Stellantis, from long-time former parent company General Motors (GM) in 2017, resurgent Opel is set to stay put in South Africa for the foreseeable future, albeit without one of its most popular nameplates.

Why no new Astra or 308?

Announcing on the side-lines of the South African market launch of the Alfa Romeo Tonale in Cape Town last week, that the marque’s recent struggles had been as a result of supply shortages.

Stellantis South Africa’s Sales and Marketing Head, Brain Smith, told The Citizen that while “big plans” are in place from next year, it won’t involve the introduction of the all-new Astra.

Reiterating comments made in July last year, following an enquiry on Opel’s twitter page, Smith stated that the downturn in the segment the Astra competes in makes little to sense for it being present in relation to the popularity of the comparative Crossland.

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“We had a look a few opportunities but unfortunately, a lot of buyers have moved into C-segment SUVs or B-segment hatches as affordability starts to pinch. So, with the decline, we didn’t feel like there was space for a C-segment player such as the Astra,” Smith said.

“The Opel brand still has a tremendous following in South Africa and while many still have fond memories of Astra, we as Stellantis, don’t see a market for it at the moment.”

At the same time, Smith stated that the same reasoning applies to the Astra’s sibling, the Peugeot 308, which won’t be coming to South Africa either despite it “being a great car” from a spec and technological standpoint.

Corsa and Grandland standing strong

The absence of the Astra in South Africa for the first time since its inclusion to the Opel brand in 1991 after debuting in 1979 as UK sister brand Vauxhall’s version of the Kadett D won’t, however, extend to the Corsa that has, in recent months, made-up of bulk of the Rüsselsheim marque’s sales as more units become available.

“The supply on Corsa has eased-up and thus, we are looking at a more stable flow of models next year,” Smith said, adding that the same applies to the new Mokka that has accounted for a fair percentage of Opel’s sales since bowing locally in April this year.

Reports and indeed spy images from Europe have since confirmed a facelift Corsa to be in the works for next year which, more than likely, points a South African market launch at some stage well before The Blitz goes wholly electric in 2027.

In addition, Smith also confirmed that the facelift Grandland, now without the X suffix, will make its debut in the first quarter of next year, but without the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain mentioned as the replacement for the shelved turbodiesel in July last year.

“The plug-in hybrid is not part of the Grandland range. It remains a car we’ve worked hard on and while there are fuel quality constraints, we are conscious of where the market is heading with plug-in hybrids. But at present, the PHEV is not for 2023 unless we see fundamental changes in fuel quality legislation,” Smith said.

Full line-up of Opel models can be viewed here.