Vauxhall To Phase Out The Zafira And Astra GTC

It’s not just in the US that passenger cars and minivans are being replaced by crossovers and SUVs. The trend is evident in Europe, too, where Vauxhall (and potentially Opel by extension) has axed two of its models.

Autocar reports that both the Zafira Tourer and Astra GTC are being discontinued at least in the UK as customers flock to more rugged-looking vehicles.

A spokesman for Vauxhall told the magazine that the Zafira Tourer is being phased out in the context of “a significant move away from MPVs and the growing popularity of SUVs,” and that the GTC “was highly successful when there was demand for three-door coupés” but that such demand no longer exists.

An MPV (as the Europeans call their minivans), the Zafira has been a mainstay of Vauxhall and Opel’s lineup since 1999, and is currently in its third iteration, introduced in 2011. Meanwhile the GTC was based on the previous-generation Astra, but was not replaced when the new Astra arrived in 2015. That means it’s been carrying on in its current form since 2011, leaving it more than a little long in the tooth at this point.

Now part of the PSA Group, Opel and Vauxhall aren’t giving up on passenger cars altogether, though. The same publication reports that the next-generation Corsa will breed an electric eCorsa, ostensibly to take the place of the Chevy Bolt-based Ampera-e.

Though collaboration will likely carry on for the next few years, the European brands are moving away from sharing products with their former owners at General Motors and towards common development with Peugeot, Citroën, and DS.