The New Vauxhall Astra interior revealed

These are the first offical pictures of the interior of the new Vauxhall Astra.

The new Vauxhall Astra is scheduled to go on sale in December, after being shown in the metal for the first time at September’s Frankfurt motor show.

Vauxhall says the interior ‘marks a major shift towards premium design and quality’.

Taking cues from the Insignia, the Astra interior uses Vauxhall’s recurring ‘wing and blade motifs’. The blade detailing can be seen in the shape of the door handles, for instance, and the gearshift and steering wheel mouldings. The wing design is most obvious in the wraparound dash design, where it arcs across the cabin into the door mouldings.

The interior also has ambient lighting, with the gearbox surround and center console illuminated from above and, depending on trim level, the door recesses are also illuminated.

Other standout details include the chrome trim on the main clocks and guages, as with the Insignia, and having the speedometer and tachometer angled towards the driver.

Vauxhall also says the Astra’s seats have industry-leading levels of adjustment. Ergonmic Sports Seats can also be specified, although they are standard on Elite models.

Specific detail has also been paid to storage compartments, with Vauxhall taking out patents on some of its designs.

After extensive research, Vauxhall compiled a list of the 20 most common items people stored in their cars. It then designed storage areas for these items – the new Astra has a hard-shelled sunglass case in the door opening, for instance, coin slots and a pen holder on the glovebox lid and a twin glovebox. Rear passengers also have access to a 12 volt socket for an MP3 player.

The boot also features a recess to store either a first aid kit or warning triangle, whiel Vauxhall’s Flex-Floor system can provide further under-floor storage.

The sixth-generation Astra is all-new, and shares nothing with the current model; the platform is new and the engine line-up has been lifted from the Insignia and Corsa range.

The first car to be launched at the Frankfurt motor show in September will be the five-door hatch. Joining the five-door next year will be an estate, followed by the distinctive three-door Sport Hatch model with its coupé-like styling, although we won’t see that car until 2011. The VXR, which will be based on the three-door, won’t come until 2011, either.

Like the current model, the three-door’s styling is very different from

that of the five-door. Wider rear wings, a lower roofline and a different front-end design with larger intakes will set the three-door apart, and the blade design in the car’s flanks has been reversed to sit behind the front wings, in the style of the Insignia.

via: autocar