Vauxhall Astra GTC unveiled - Frankfurt motor show 2011

Vauxhall’s new Astra GTC has kept the sharp styling of the GTC Paris concept, judging by these official renderings of the final production car.

Order books for the three-door model will open on June 7, when Vauxhall will also confirm full pricing and technical details of the GTC line-up.

See official renderings of the new Vauxhall Astra GTC

Renderings of the VXR version of the GTC were leaked earlier this year, and the standard car shares much of the visual impact of Vauxhall’s new “halo model”.

They include sharp creases that emerge from the door handles and run across three different panels to the edge of the tail-lights, and a particularly complex tailgate shape.

Read Autocar's scoop on the new Vauxhall Astra VXR

While the near-300bhp VXR version will be launched at the Geneva motor show next year, the standard GTC only has to wait until Frankfurt in September for its show debut.

It’s likely the engine range of the GTC will mirror its more conservative five-door sibling. But the chassis will be significantly modified, benefiting from the HiPerstrut front suspension of the VXR. Lotus is rumoured to be involved in the GTC’s chassis development, too.

New Vauxhall VXR8 revealed

Vauxhall is promising improvements to refinement and performance with the next-generation VXR8, revealed this week ahead of its arrival in UK dealers next March.

The Holden Special Vehicles-built super-saloon now takes the Aussie firm’s GTS model as its base, instead of the more lowly Clubsport R8 that was used for the first VXR8.

See the official pics of the new Vauxhall VXR8 :

So while Vauxhall’s flagship will retain 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 power (now 425bhp, with 406lb ft) — enough for a 0-60mph time of 4.9sec and a governed top speed of 155mph — its spec sheet will now include more advanced suspension technology, a revised interior with HSV Performance seats, and launch control.

The new VXR8 continues with the old car’s MacPherson strut/multi-link suspension layout, and offers a mechanical limited-slip differential, but adds Magnetic Ride Control, which adapts the car’s set-up up to 1000 times per second. The exterior styling follows the GTS’s looks closely, with a new grille, LED daytime running lights, LED tail-lights and a rear spoiler.

Read Autocar's first drive of the HSV Commodore GTS E2

As well as the new seats, the cabin gets full leather trim as standard, a new instrument cluster and switchgear, plus an Enhanced Driver Interface to connect with the on-board computer, providing data such as g-forces, power, torque and lap times. Vauxhall will also offer MOTEC sofware for owners to download the data for further analysis.

Offered with a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, the VRX8 will be sold in seven specialised Vauxhall dealers (but 34 outlets can service it). It’ll cost from £49,500 (including 20 per cent VAT), more than £20k less than a Mercedes E63 AMG

Vauxhall Ampera range to expand

The forthcoming Vauxhall Ampera will be replaced by a family of three extended-range electric vehicles within five years — and all three of them could potentially be made at General Motors’ Ellesmere Port factory in the UK.

GM Europe president Nick Reilly confirmed that the first-generation Volt/Ampera will be built in Detroit until 2015, when the second-generation version — which GM is already developing — will come on stream.

“At that point it will make business sense to ramp up volumes of the Volt and Ampera, and to have several production sites for the ‘EREV’ model family,” Reilly told Autocar. “We will need one of those factories to be in Europe, and I’m very keen for it to be Ellesmere Port.”

See pics of the Vauxhall Ampera in action

Reilly revealed that the 2015 Ampera family will consist of an Astra-size hatchback, a slightly larger four-door to replace the Ampera itself, and a five-seat crossover. The latter car will be similar to the Chevrolet

Volt MPV5 concept from this year’s Beijing motor show.

The cars are likely to be sold under an Opel/Vauxhall Ampera sub-brand, but they’ll cost considerably less than the first-generation Volt/Ampera, and have better electric range. “We’re anticipating a 50 per cent improvement in the cost of the electrical components in the EREV powertrain in time for the second-generation cars,” Reilly said.

Read Autocar's first drive of the Vauxhall Ampera

While the Mk1 Ampera is likely to cost around £37,000 in the UK next year — or £32,000 with the government’s electric car incentive — the next-generation cars should come to market for “between £5000 and £8000 more than a like-for-like petrol-engined model,” according to Reilly.

If European government incentives for EVs survive until 2015, they could wipe out that cost penalty almost entirely — and for that reason, GM is anticipating much higher sales volumes for the cars, and the need for several worldwide production sites.