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Chris Harris Puts Ford’s Focus ST Against Opel Astra OPC and Renault Megane RS

Hot hatches are the Swiss Army knives of the automotive world in that they can do almost everything. Their humble underpinnings mean that they are as practical as any hatchback in everyday use, their tuned chassis and powerful engines can scare a sports car or two on twisty roads and they are, comparatively affordable.

There was a time, not so long ago, that putting anything more than 200-horses on the road through the front wheels was considered a recipe for terminal power understeer. Things have certainly changed and, as Chris Harris points out in the video that follows, front-wheel drive hot hatches have really become very competent.

In a surprise move, GM's troubled European unit Opel announced today its return to grassroots motor racing for the 2013 season with two new models, the Adam Cup for international rallies and the Astra GTC Cup for a circuit program focused on Germany.

"These new motorsports activities play an important role in the strategic re-alignment of the company; they are a fundamental element of our brand profile," stated Thomas Sedran, Opel’s Deputy CEO.

Opel and its UK subsidiary Vauxhall only just recently launched new model year versions of the Astra five-door hatchback and estate with some mild styling revisions, most of which were concentrated on the front end.

If these fresh spy shots are anything to go by, then the three-door Astra GTC may also be up for a light facelift.

Back in the mid-1980s, General Motors' Opel brand attempted to fight the hugely popular Volkswagen Golf GTI and its like in Europe's compact sport hatchback segment with a performance version of the sleek Kadett E called the GSi (sold as the Vauxhall Astra GTE Mk2 in Britain).

The Kadett GSi came equipped with a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder producing 114hp (115PS) in the 8v OCH model and 148Hp (150PS) in the 16v DOCH (Double Overhead Camshaft) variant.

While Ford's European arm is trying to counter slow sales in the region through a product offensive, GM's rivaling Opel brand is going international launching in Australia and Chile.

In the Land Down Under, Opel's initial model range consists of the Corsa supermini, the Astra five-door compact hatchback and Sports Tourer (station wagon), and the Insignia mid-size sedan.

This isn't the first time that Opel's as-of-yet, unnamed, Convertible model has set foot onto the Nürburgring, but up until now, we had only seen pictures of the production ready prototypes pushed around the famed race track in Germany.

This freshly filmed footage from the 'Ring shows the brand's engineers trying out a couple of Convertible test cars with their fabric tops in both up and down positions.

Earlier this month, we brought you the first spy shots of the soon-to-be revealed Opel Astra-based convertible model (to be sold as a Vauxhall in the UK) wearing its production body while undergoing hot weather testing in Southern Europe with its top closed.

If you happen to be wondering what the prototype version of the new Opel model will look like with its traditional fabric roof tucked neatly away under a tonneau cover behind the rear seats, we have good news for you as our scoopsters spotted the firm's engineers enjoying the summer weather on the Nürburgring.

As a testament to the growing importance of the Russian car market, for the first time ever, Opel will celebrate an automotive world premiere at the Moscow International Auto Salon that runs from August 29 to September 9.

To be more precise, GM's European division will host three world debuts including the brand-new Astra four-door sedan and the facelifted Astra five-door hatchback and the Astra Sports Tourer (station wagon).

For many years, Ford and GM's Opel and Vauxhall brands have been battling it out in Europe's hotly contested sport hatchback segment.

Now, both automakers have come out with new proposals based on their highly popular Focus and Astra compact models.

Whereas Opel offers its Astra OPC (sold as the Vauxhall Astra VXR in the United Kingdom) exclusively as a sporty-looking, three-door hatchback, the Blue Oval's Focus ST is available only as a more practical but less fun to look at, five-door body style.

It's not every day that you stumble upon an abandoned Google StreetView Camera Car in the middle of nowhere. And since you are bound to ask, by 'nowhere' we mean down a rocky hill in the Leh district of northern India.

An unidentified man who sounds like he has an American or a Canadian accent captured a film of the aftermath. The video shows the high standing camera-equipped Opel Astra hatchback (previous generation) facing down the hill with its front smashed up on the rocks.

Up until now, Opel and Vauxhall engineers had been seen working on unfinished, test mules of the upcoming Astra-based convertible model with framed doors and other non-production parts.

Now, our spies were finally able to spot a camouflaged prototype of the open-top model wearing its production body including the electrically operated ragtop.

You may have noticed that we're constantly using the term 'Astra-based', the reason being that while the new Opel model is built on the current Astra replacing the previous Astra TwinTop, company officials have said that the four-seater convertible will gain a new and bespoke name - much like VW's Golf-based Eos.

Opel and its sister company Vauxhall will market the new convertible model as a more premium proposal than its predecessor, despite that fact that it gets a folding soft top instead of the TwinTop's retractable hardtop.

Opel and its sister company Vauxhall are expanding the availability of the firm's new 2.0-liter BiTurbo CDTI diesel engine in the recently updated Astra range.

First offered on the Astra GTC three-door hatch, the oil-burner is now available for order on the Astra five-door hatchback and the Astra Sports Tourer station wagon with deliveries expected towards the end of 2012 (for both the Opel and Vauxhall brands).

The new Opel Astra OPC, otherwise known as the Vauxhall Astra VXR, is the latest arrival in the European hot hatch segment. If there's one model it has to beat - aside from the ever-popular VW Golf GTI, it is the highly regarded Renault Megane RS 265 Cup.

In terms of specs, the two models are similar with the Astra OPC / VXR sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged four that produces 276hp (280PS) and 400Nm (295 lbft) of peak torque channeled to the front wheels via six-speed manual and a limited slip differential.

If you were wondering why Opel did not show the front end of its new Astra sedan (sold as the Buick Verano in North America) during its web presentation earlier this month, this is because the entire family of the compact model has received a mid-life makeover.

The new model year Astra has been treated to a minor restyling while Opel and its sister company Vauxhall have also introduced a new array of assistance systems and a fresh 192hp (195PS) twin-turbocharged diesel engine to the range.

While not so evident, the Astra gains a new front grille with the wing-like chrome bar and Opel logo now positioned in the center, plus a redesigned front bumper with a more pronounced lower grille and the availability of LED daytime running lights.

New front indicator lamps and a new design of fog lamps (when available) round out the changes up front.

This is the all-new Opel Astra sedan, the fourth and likely last member of the Astra family after the five-door hatchback, the Sports Tourer station wagon and the GTC coupe as the upcoming convertible model is said to gain a new nameplate in the likes of the VW Golf-based Eos.

If you have already laid eyes on the North American market Buick Verano or its Chinese twin, the Excelle GT, the 2013 Opel Astra sedan's appearance won't surprise you.

That doesn't mean there aren't some styling changes, just that they are limited to the front and rear ends with the European model sporting the typical Astra face and new tail lamps that ditch the Buick's chrome 'eyebrows' along with a restyled boot that integrates a spoiler in its design.

Even though we are less than a year away from the scheduled start of production of Opel's Astra-based convertible at GM's Gliwice plant in Poland, the company continues to perform tests with early engineering prototypes.

In our latest scoop shots, Opel's engineers removed the cloth top but retained the framed doors on the unfinished test car.

Bad news for Opel's Bochum plant in Germany as General Motors has decided to allocate production of the next Astra, which is the brand's second bestselling model after the Corsa, to its manufacturing plants in Ellesmere Port, UK and Gliwice, Poland.

GM said that it made the decision after the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall workforce approved a new labor agreement on Wednesday, which comes into force in 2013 and runs through the life of the next-generation Astra, into the early 2020s.

General Motors' struggling Opel brand may end production of the popular Astra compact model at its Rüsselsheim plant in Germany after the presentation of the next generation model in 2015, according to a report from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

Citing unnamed senior labor representatives who are involved in restructuring talks, the German newspaper wrote that GM's top brass in Europe is proposing to transfer production of Opel's second bestselling model after the Corsa to its existing factories in Ellesmere Port, England and Gliwice, Poland.

In what seems like ages in the auto industry, Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall are still developing the Astra sedan more than three years since the introduction of the hatchback model in the fall of 2009, and two years after Buick launched the Chinese market version of the car under the Excelle GT nameplate.

In the meantime, GM also brought a Buick version of the Astra sedan named the Verano to the North American market.

Auto Parts

Chris Harris Puts Ford’s Focus ST Against Opel Astra OPC and Renault Megane RS

Opel Returns to Motorsports with New Adam and Astra OPC Cup Racing Models [w/Video]

Spy Shots: Opel Working on a Subtle Facelift for Astra GTC

Blast from the Past: 1991 Opel Kadett GSi Meets 2012 Astra GTC OPC

Blast from the Past: 1991 Opel Kadett GSi Meets 2012 Astra GTC OPC

Opel Brand Opens its Wings and Launches in Australia and Chile

U Spy: Watch Opel's Engineers Thrash the New Convertible Around the Nürburgring

Scoop: New Opel / Vauxhall Convertible Drops its Top and Enjoys a Ride on the 'Ring

Opel to Celebrate World Premieres of New Astra Sedan and Facelift Astra Range at Moscow Show

Ford Focus ST vs. Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall Astra VXR in New EVO Track Test

Google Maps Gone Wrong? Street View Car Found Wrecked in India

Spy Shots: Opel's New Astra-Based Convertible Takes Final Shape Ahead of Paris Debut

New 192hp 2.0-liter BiTurbo Diesel Now Available on Astra 5d and Sports Tourer Wagon

New Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall VXR Vs. Renault Megane RS 265 Cup

Opel and Vauxhall Reveal Facelifted Astra Family, gets New 192hp Twin-Turbo Diesel

At Last, Opel Unveils All-New 2013 Astra Sedan

Spied: Opel's Upcoming Astra Convertible Opens Up for Some Fresh Air

GM to Build Next Opel Astra in the UK Instead of Germany, Bochum Plant Faces Closure

Opel Reportedly Mulling to End Astra Production in Germany in 2015

Spied: New European Market Opel / Vauxhall Astra Sedan

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