Vauxhall Astra

The Crossover fever has spread all across the world, and it’s not just the sedans that are facing the brunt. According to Autocar, the Zafira Tourer and Astra GTC are the latest cars to get phased out. Although they are being discontinued in the U.K for now, we are sure it will be eliminated completely very soon.

You may have seen our awesome interview and screenshots of the newly announced Rolls Royce Wraith for Forza Motorsport 5, but that isn’t the only car that is being released today. Along with the new Rolls, Forza Motorsport 5 is getting five other cars that cover a broad range of cars. We have the future of America’s muscle car, the future of formula racing, and we even have the future of super sedans too. There is also a little something special for Top Gear fans included as well.

I’m not one for spoiling surprises, so you will just have to click through to see what new cars are in store for all you Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5 owners.

If you see something you like, don’t forget, the pack is available now and it is 100-percent free. It is only a side thing to note, but if you use a racing wheel with your Xbox, the new car pack and included updates adds a little polishing to the code to make those work better too.

Read on to discover what other new cars are joining the Forza Motorsport 5 roster

Autocar is reporting that the new Vauxhall Astra VXR three-door hatch will be going up against the Ford Focus RS and the Renaultsport Megane.

Sources say that Vauxhall wants to make up the ground lost to the Focus RS by making a hot 300 horsepower Astra VXR.

“The VXR brand is about extreme performance. It’s safe to say that the next Astra will build on where the current car is and react to market trends. It’ll be quite a power hike over the current car,” said an insider to Autocar.

Vauxhall engineers believe that they can achieve this 63 horsepower upgrade by tuning the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder motor, rather than using a V6.

Like the Focus RS, the Astra VXR will get front-wheel drive; so expect it to have some sort of electronic differential to help cope with the power and torque.

Yet, despite this big gain, Ford is one step ahead once again. The next RS is said to be a hybrid, which will combine a 250 horsepower motor with an electric motor. Compared to that, the Astra’s power plant seems a bit dull.

The Astra VXR won’t go on sale until next year. The exterior design will likely be close to the Astra Sport Coupe that will be shown in Paris in September, but with bigger wheel arches and a larger rear spoiler.

The Vauxhall VXR brand has been a big hit in Europe, with over 3,000 models sold in 2009.

An overzealous man took his Vauxhall Astra VXR Nurburgring Edition to the track that bears its name and ended up crashing it into a twisted heap. Coming off a turn at one of the corners of the notorious Green Hell, the driver of the Astra lost control of his car, sent it careening into the barricade and smashed into it with so much force the car ended up turning over landing right back to its upright position.

The driver looked to be in OK shape after the crash, but the same, unfortunately, cannot be said for his special-edition ride, which pretty much lived up to its Nurburgring name a little too hard.

Check out the video to see how the crash occurred.

Vauxahall Astra has a very long history as a police car ever since its first introduction in 1979. And the new generation Astra continues this long tradition as a Special Vehicle Operations (SVO).

The new Astra Police car will be available with an instrument console incorporating integrated switch panels configured for Police radio header units such as the Cleartone, Motorola, Sepura and Icom. It will also get mobile data terminals, video capture and multiple transceivers, seamlessly into the vehicle’s interior without the need for custom trim installations, a range of LED lightbars, headlamp flash, grille lights, bumper interceptor lights and rear reds.

Press release after the jump.

Today, Vauxhall unveiled the special edition Astra VXR Arctic Edition limited to only 500 units. This special edition is priced at £23, 595 and is distinguished by an Olympic White exterior color with a contrasting black painted roof, mirror covers, front V-grille, and tailgate trim.

It will also get heated leather Recaro front seats, tinted glass, and black 19-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels. The Astra VXR Arctic Edition will deliver a total of 240 HP and will make the sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds; top speed will go up to 152 mph.

What better way to check out the special edition than by testing it in Vauxhall’s VXR Power Events including the VXR Power Festival at Silverstone in August. Yep, that’s right, drivers and enthusiasts will be able to take this puppy for a spin to see what it can do.

Press release after the jump.

We rarely hear about Vauxhall at this time but when we do hear about them, they sure know how to get noticed.

Opel’s sister manufacturer will be hosting the Vauxhall Ice Skate event in London on January 28 and they’re bringing with them a gigantic snow globe that comes with at least 50 bags of artificial snow and a real Vauxhall Astra inside.

The snow globe, which is enormous by any stretch of the imagination, measures around 16 feet in diameter and is just one of the many attractions Vauxhall is bringing to their annual ice skating disco event.

Apart from the giant snow glove, the British carmakers are also scheduled to display their very own Gingerbread car and Corsa-inspired karaoke machine, which they appropriately dubbed as the ‘Car-aoke Corsa’.

There’s no telling what other kooky creations Vauxhall has in store for the ice skating event but judging from what they’ve already shown with the giant snow globe, we’re thinking that they may have a few more surprises under their sleeves.

Vauxhall revealed the new Astra ecoFLEX, the most fuel efficient model in Astra range. The model will go on sale this April at a price of £17,920.

The Astra ecoFLEX is powered by a 1.3 CDTi 95PS diesel engine mated to a five-speed transmission with new ratios to optimise economy. The result is a combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg and a CO2 emission of just 109g/km.

Press release after the jump.

This red hot Vauxhall Astra VXR from the English race shop Triple Eight Engineering will make Ford Focus RS’s everywhere run for cover. The hatchback is fitted with a Remus exhaust for a 20bhp increase in potency and the ECU has been reprogrammed to release an additional 50 horses. This brings the output of the turbocharged four cylinder up to 305 HP. Combining the Eibach sports suspension, 18 inch alloys and 4 piston calipers from 888 transform the little Astra into one agile hot hatch.

Vauxhall revealed today the special editions Corsa and Astra VXR to celebrate VX Racing’s success in the 2008 British Touring Car Championship. Both models are on sale now in UK at a price of £17,425.00 for the Corsa and £21,445 for the Astra version.Combined production will be limited to 888 units.

Both models will be offered with full leather Recaro seats as standard, logos on the B-posts and tread plates, a black rear diffuser and black side bump strips and door mirror covers are all part of the package. In addition, the Astra version gains Piano Black interior decor strips.

Under the hood, the output is raised by 20 hp. Add to this a Remus exhaust system, gloss-black alloy wheels – 18” for Corsa, 19” for Astra and you will get the perfect sports cars.

Press release after the jump.

Vauxhall revealed the first teasers on the 2010 Astra that will make its official debut at the next year’s Frankfurt Show. Vauxhall/Opel hope to continue the design success its been enjoying with the current Astra and Corsa.

Vauxhall is touting the new Astra’s Front Camera System used in the upcoming Insignia, which combines traffic sign recognition with a lane departure system, improving occupant safety and potentially helping drivers avoid fines.

Press release after the jump.

Vauxhall unveiled two editions of the Astra TwinTop called Exclusiv and Exclusiv XP. For the U.S. audience, the TwinTop is like a prettier version of the Pontiac G6 convertible. The two Vauxhalls come with new 18-inch alloy wheels used exclusively on this editions, heated mirrors, leather interior, leather steering wheel and heated leather seats. The Exclusiv XP also receives a VXR styling package.

The Exclusiv XP edition comes with a new VXR styling pack consisting in a new front spoiler, new side sills and a re-designed rear bumper. The engines available for the two editions are a 1.8-liter gas engine developing 140 hp, a 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine capable to develop 200 hp and a 1.9-liter diesel engine developing 150 hp. Pricing starts from £19,295 (at current exchange rates is about $34,396.)

With Spring absent this year, there’s no better car than the Astra TwinTop to deal with a mix of weather conditions, be they sub-zero or near-Sahara. And now there are two new models, the Exclusiv and Exclusiv XP, bringing added style and panache to the four-seater convertible range. As with all TwinTops, they feature a three-piece electro-hydraulic roof which can be raised and lowered in less than 30 seconds – even while the car’s moving at up to 18mph.

In addition to the TwinTop Exclusiv (which replaces the Exclusiv Black edition), the Exclusiv XP model gains the stunning VXR Styling Pack as standard, with a body-coloured lower front spoiler, rear lower skirt, lip spoiler and side sills. And for the first time, the TwinTop Exclusiv – along with the Exclusive XP – can be specified in two new colours, Star Silver and Panacotta, as well as the existing Power Red and Black Sapphire body colours.

There are plenty of hot hatches on the market, but it’s the Astra VXR that’s the undisputed Ring leader. And to prove it, Vauxhall has pulled the wraps off the Nürburgring edition, named after the car’s spiritual home, where much of its pre-production development was carried out.

Based on the standard Astra VXR and priced at £21,295, each individually numbered Nürburgring edition will come with an exclusive all-white paint finish and lightweight white 18-inch alloy wheels, equipped with bespoke Dunlop tyres, are also specified. Other exterior features include dark tinted windows, carbon fibre effect mirrors and B-Pillars and distinctive chequered flag body graphics, to further emphasise the car’s incredible performance.

Mechanically similar to the standard VXR, the Nürburgring Edition produces 240HP in factory tune, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. Each UK-specification car will also come provided with a Remus Sports Exhaust, developed with Vauxhall’s BTCC race team, Triple-Eight Race Engineering, which provides a power increase of up to 15hp.

Anyone who dreams of owning a convertible this summer will know that looking good is one of the most important requirements. Vauxhall is making it easier for the most style-conscious buyers to look their best in an Astra TwinTop by offering stylish options and actually charging less for it!