Opel Looks To Broaden It’s Appeal To The Tuner Community!

German tuning specialist XS Carnight has introduced a new Opel Astra hatchback plug-in hybrid (PHEV) show car. Based on the Astra Ultimate trim, the electrified Opel features a unique paint scheme with a High-Gloss White, a Gloss Black roof, and unique Opel Motorsports colored accents. 

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Powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter (EP6FDT) inline-four-cylinder engine and an 81kW electric motor driving through an 8-speed automatic transmission, the Astra delivers 180 horsepower (132 kW) and 360 N⋅m (266 lb.-ft.) of torque. The car is equipped with a 12.4 kWh battery pack, good enough to give the Astra an all-electric range of about 50 kilometers (or about 31 miles).

Using the new Opel design language, the new Astra looks even wider thanks to Opel’s new Vizor front-end styling. The Vizor also seamlessly integrates technologies such as the ultra-slim Intelli-Lux LED^® headlamps and the front camera of the Intelli-Vision system. When looking from the side, the next-generation Astra looks especially dynamic thanks to the pronounced forward rake of the vehicle’s C-pillar.

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At the rear, a centrally-mounted Blitz (the name of Opel’s logo), the vertically aligned high-mounted brake lamp, and the tail lamps are all made of energy-saving LEDs. The Blitz emblem also doubles as the latch for the tailgate, which is made of state-of-the-art composite material. This technology is not only light in weight and rigid, but it also allows the precise execution of design details such as especially slim tail lamps.

German precision applies throughout the interior as well, where the highlight is the next generation of the Pure Panel, first introduced in the Mokka. This expansive, digital cockpit features two 10-inch displays, seamlessly integrated together in a horizontal format. Thanks to a shutter-like layer that prevents upward reflections in the windscreen, the design dispenses with a hood over the displays, which further enhances the high-tech functionality of the interior.

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XS Carnight equipped the car with a Grinds air suspension and height sensors from Carstyle.Me, in combination with the original OEM shock absorbers. A set of 20-inch forged wheels from American manufacturer RVNT Forged, also helps to draw a lot of attention to the custom Astra hatchback.

The car will be on display at the anniversary XS Carnight “20 Years of XSCN” event from July 29th to 30th at the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Opel hopes that the partnership will energize Opel’s image in the tuning community as the approachable German brand. Something that Opel could learn from its Chrysler Group brethren brand, Mopar.