Holden Astra: from Nissan Pulsar twin to Opel hatchback

The Holden Astra was a small car sold by Holden from 1984. The first two generations were made only for Australia as derivatives of the locally assembled Nissan Pulsar; from 1995 the name moved to rebadged Opel cars and later to imported Vauxhall and Chevrolet models.

Holden Astra at a glance

History of the Holden Astra

First generation: the Pulsar connection

The original Holden Astra arrived in August 1984 as the LB series, a badge-engineered Nissan Pulsar N12. The Pulsar was assembled in Clayton, Victoria, but the Astra’s body panels were pressed at Holden’s Elizabeth plant in South Australia. Unlike its Nissan twin, the Astra came only as a five-door hatchback: the three-door hatchback and four-door sedan were left out because they would have overlapped with Nissan’s own range.

The only engine was a Nissan-designed 1.5-litre unit made locally, producing 52 kW (70 hp) and 115 N·m, with a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The Astra had its own grille, styled by Australian designer Paul Beranger and carrying the Holden lion in the centre, plus unique tail lamps, badging and decals.

The revised LC series came in April 1986. Unleaded fuel raised the engine to 1.6 litres, 60 kW (80 hp) and 124 N·m. There was a new grille insert and a basic SL model was added below the SL/X and SL/E levels.

Second generation: a joint venture

The LD Astra of July 1987 used the newer Nissan Pulsar N13, but this time the car was a proper joint development: Nissan provided the bodywork and Holden supplied the powertrains for both versions. Both were offered as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback, and the Astra used Holden’s Family II engines of 1.6 litres (55 kW, 74 hp) and 1.8 litres (79 kW, 106 hp), badged 1.6 and 1.8 injection.

In July 1989 all links with Nissan were cut and Holden signed a new agreement with Toyota, forming United Australian Automobile Industries as a continuation of the Button car plan. Nissan kept using Holden engines until 1991.

From Opel to the end

In 1995 Holden began selling the TR Astra, a rebadged Opel Astra, in New Zealand while dropping the Toyota-based Nova in Australia. The TS generation of 1998 came close to being Australia’s best selling small car, and the AH of 2004 continued the success before Holden replaced the Astra with the Daewoo-developed Cruze. In 2016 a new range of rebadged European Vauxhall and Opel Astra hatchbacks arrived as the BK series, followed in 2017 by rebadged Chevrolet Cruze sedans and Vauxhall Astra wagons.

Design and features

• Holden-built panels: even the Nissan-based LB had body panels pressed at Elizabeth, South Australia.
• Own front end: a Paul Beranger grille with the Holden lion distinguished the LB from the Pulsar.
• Five-door only: the first generation skipped three-door and sedan bodies to avoid competing with Nissan.
• Joint development: the LD paired Nissan bodywork with Holden Family II engines.
• Changing partners: the name moved from Nissan to Opel, then to Daewoo-based and Vauxhall models.

Holden Astra versions

• LB (1984–1986): S/LX and SL/E trim levels, 1.5-litre engine.
• LC (1986–1987): 1.6-litre engine, new grille, SL model added.
• LD (1987–1989): sedan and hatchback, 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines, SL, SLX and SLE trim.
• TR (from 1995): rebadged Opel Astra sold in New Zealand.
• TS and AH: Opel-sourced generations that carried the name through the 2000s.
• BK and BL (2016–2017): rebadged Vauxhall, Opel and Chevrolet models.

The Astra was eventually replaced by the Holden Cruze and sat below cars like the Holden Commodore. More cars are in the Holden collection.

Sources

• Holden Astra, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, trim, partners