Vauxhall's new Astra will have a price entry point of £15,675 when it arrives in the UK before the end of the year.

The entry 1.4 Exclusiv petrol model, coming after the rest of the launch range early next year, comes equipped with air conditioning, ESP anti-skid control and an auxiliary input for the CD/radio, though the car is more than £700 more expensive than the entry 1.4-litre Studio Ford Focus.

That pattern continues through the range, with the Focus a few hundred pounds cheaper than its new rival, while Vauxhall claims it has kept price rises over the outgoing model down to £270 for the entry model and just £10 or £15 on other versions.

The 110PS 1.7-litre diesel comes in at £18,015 in Exclusiv trim, while the top of the launch range is the £23,695 2.0-litre diesel Elite automatic.

The firm claims the new range is 13.3% more efficient across the range than the outgoing Astra line-up, and Vauxhall also said insurance groups are down on its predecessor as a result of the firm's focus on cost of ownership.