The sporty-looking Opel Astra GTC was only just introduced in Frankfurt last week, but there are already reports suggesting that it could be one of the compact cars General Motors said it would build at an unspecified plant in the U.S. under the details released Tuesday of its tentative pact with the United Auto Workers (UAW).
According to Auto Observer, in a meeting with journalists and analysts at Opel’s Rüsselsheim headquarters in Germany, the firm’s CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, said “I could easily see it as a Buick” referring to the Astra GTC.
It would make sense from a marketing standpoint since Buick would automatically gain a new contender in the small sports car segment against the likes of the Hyundai Veloster, while also widening the reach of the brand to a younger audience.
Furthermore, the fact that the soon-to-be launched in the States new Buick Verano is essentially the sedan version of the Opel Astra series, means that the production costs can be minimized as the two cars will share many common components.
In the European market, the three-door Astra GTC will launch with a choice of five engines delivering between 100HP and 180HP, including a 1.7-liter CDTI exoFLEX diesel available with 110HP and 130HP, both fitted with a fuel-saving Start/Stop system.
But the icing in the cake will be the Astra GTC OPC (VXR in the UK), which is rumored to carry a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine pushing close to 300-horsepower, and is expected to be introduced in the second half of 2012.
If GM makes the move to sell the Astra GTC as a Buick in North America, then it is almost certain that it will offer the OPC as its flagship GS model.
Story sources: Auto Observer
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