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Vauxhall has reduced the pricing on its seventh-generation Astra by thousands of pounds and dropped CO2 down to 82g/km.
The entry-price for the new Astra is £15,240 and Vauxhall has used a similar strategy to its new Insignia and Corsa, to position its lower-medium model as a whole-life cost segement leader.
All of what Vauxhall calls "significant fleet trims" have had their prices reduced to ensure they are competitive on company car tax and whole life costs.
Pricing has dropped by £815 on the entry level Design model from £17,755 to £16,940 and there's a £1290 reduction on Tech Line, £2200 cut on SRi and £2935 price drop on Elite. It means that even the top trim Astra is now below £21,000.
Vauxhall says the reduction in P11D and CO2 equates to a saving of £2488 on an 82g/km Astra Design or £2686 on an 82g/km Astra Tech Line, based over 3 years and 60,000 miles.
Vauxhall is also quoting a £2025 uplift in residual values compared to the previous generation model and £675 above the facelifted Ford Focus comparing an Astra SRi and Focus Zetec.
The Astra is a massively important vehicle for Vauxhall in the UK and the new model is expected to boost its fleet volumes by 30%.
This would put the Astra into a fight with the Ford Focus to be the top-selling fleet model in the UK. Vauxhall needs the new addition, which goes on sale in October, to increase volumes by around 10,000 units to become market leader.
Vauxhall registered 40,812 Astras with fleets last year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and this was a 17.4% drop compared to 2013. This compares with 53,825 Ford Focus models sold to fleets in 2014.
The Astra's low CO2 output is thanks to a 200kg weight saving due to a reduction in the size of the 1.6-litre diesel engine, tyre weight, battery weight, braking system and exhaust weight and optimized structure design.
From launch fleets can choose from six engines, including two diesel and four petrol. The Q4 2015 launch line-up includes a 94g/km 110hp 1.6 diesel and a higher powered 136hp 99g/km version. There will also be a 105hp 1.0-litre turbo with a CO2 output of 99g/km, a 1.4-litre turbo with 150hp and CO2 of 124g/km and a 1.4i 100hp with 124g/km.
The 91.1mpg 82g/km 110hp 1.6-litre diesel follows in Q1 2016 and will also be joined by a higher powered 160hp 1.6-litre diesel with a CO2 ouput of 108g/km and a 200hp 1.6 turbo petrol, which is the only Astra over 130g/km at 146g/km.
The trim lines have been simplified slightly, with Astra ditching SE, Tech Line GT and Bi-Turbo trims. The new trim walk up is Design, Tech Line, SRi, SRi Nav, Elite and Elite Nav.
All trims feature either a seven or eight-inch touch screen and standard equipment includes Bluetooth and USB connectivity, digital radio, LED daytime running lights, front and rear electric windows, automatic headlights, air-con and cruise control.
All Astra models also Apple Car play or Android Auto compatibility. This technology lets drivers link their smartphone to the car and use apps like sat nav for free. Customers that want built-in sat nav can opt for Nav models which adds a Navi 900 Intellilink system with an eight-inch screen.
Vauxhall's Onstar in-car connectivity technology will be available with a free 12 months trial on all Astra models and the top SRi and Elite trims get it as standard. Vauxhall is rolling out Onstar across its entire model range and expects to have it available as standard on higher trim levels across all models by summer 2017.
The technology, which offers benefits including in-car 4G wifi, a UK-based concierge service that can send navigation destinations direct to the car's system, vehicle diagnostic checks and the ability to alert emergency services in the case of an accident, will arrive in the UK in October.
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