Opel is rethinking the shape of its next-generation Astra. CEO Florian Huettl says the traditional hatchback may not return, but the estate version is already confirmed.
In an interview with Auto Express, Huettl left the door open for a new body style.
“It doesn’t mean necessarily that the new Astra is a traditional hatchback,” he said.
He added: “I can tell you that there will be a station wagon, because that’s what our home market in Germany requires, and this is what we will serve.”
The wagon will focus on interior space.
The current Astra arrived in 2021 as a sibling to the Peugeot 308.
Both received mid-life updates in late 2025 to compete with the VW Golf and Toyota Corolla. A successor is expected before 2030.
The Astra has offered hatchback and estate bodies since its debut 35 years ago.
The next generation could break that pattern by dropping the hatchback while keeping the wagon.
This move contrasts with some rivals.
Last week, Hyundai Europe’s CEO nearly confirmed the end of the i30 Wagon, as the company shifts investment toward SUVs.
New Platform, New Possibilities
The next Astra will ride on Stellantis’ new STLA One architecture. Huettl said the car will “certainly be a BEV,” but the platform also supports other powertrains.
Opel is “currently looking at the right calibration of the powertrain offer,” Huettl said.
He noted that plug-in hybrid sales are “by no means at the same level of importance as the fully electric or the hybrid variants.”
Range extender setups are “quite interesting,” he added, though early examples “may struggle to digest” driving on German highways at 130-140 km/h.
That could improve with help from Stellantis’ Chinese partner Leapmotor.
Production To Remain In Germany
Despite recent layoffs at its R&D facilities in Rüsselsheim, the new Astra will be built at the same plant with fresh investment.
However, the Astra makeover isn’t immediate.
Opel has other models coming first: a new Corsa expected in 2027, a Leapmotor-based compact SUV, and a fresh Mokka.
Unlike Citroën and Fiat, which are developing budget EVs like the 2CV and next Pandina, Opel is not chasing that segment.
