We were certain that this was a prototype for the new Opel or Vauxhall Astra GSi until we saw the car’s Buick waterfall-style front grille that left us with a similar expression to the GM engineer upon seeing our spy.
The bigger wheels and brakes, together with the dual exhaust pipes nestled on the corners of the red pin-striped diffuser, and the slightly longer roof spoiler, all hint at a sportier version of the new Astra that will be offered with Opel, Vauxhall and Buick badges (in China) rivaling the Ford Focus ST and VW Golf GTI.
Thing is, we’re not sure if the Buick grille was there for real or to mislead us. If it’s the former, a new question that arises is whether this Buick sports hatch is being developed for China or North America, where GM has been steadily adding Opel-derived models to the brand’s range.
We’ve spied test mules of the Astra GSi before, but this is actually the first time we’ve seen a prototype of GM’s five-door hot hatch with production parts.
As far as Opel and Vauxhall are concerned, the GSi model will sit between the 200PS (197hp) Astra (called SRi in the UK) and the forthcoming OPC (VXR for Vauxhall) that’s still a couple of years away, so it should deliver somewhere around 250-horses when running on petrol and probably less if there’s a diesel offering as well.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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