Holden discontinues Astra wagon and sedan

Holden has condensed its three-body-style Astra line-up to just one, the hatchback, by dropping the wagon and sedan versions due to low volume and supply issues respectively.

Accounting for just 11.2 percent of Astra sales to the end of May this year, as well as being sourced from the formerly General Motors-owned Vauxhall Ellesmere Port factory in the UK, forced the big-booted wagon into runout.

Launched in September 2017 in two grades (LS+ and LT), the Astra wagon competed against load-lugging versions of the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Renault Megane and Puegeot 308 in the small-car segment.

Meanwhile, the four-door Astra (a rebadged Chevrolet Cruze sedan) was produced in South Korea at GM’s Gunsan facility that closed its doors on May 31 this year.

Making up a much larger 46.7 percent of Astra’s year-to-date sales, Holden looked to GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant for stock, but Cruze production was also shuttered there earlier this year, in March.

Sales of Holden’s Astra have slumped 21.1 percent in the first five months this year.

Introduced in June 2017, the four-door Astra went up against sedan versions of the Mazda3, Kia Certao, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Renault Megane and Hyundai Elantra, and was available in four trim levels (LS, LS+, LT and LTZ).

With the discontinuation of the $20,490 before on-road costs manual LS sedan, the entry point to the Astra range is now the $21,490 manual R hatchback.

Sales of Holden’s Astra have slumped 21.1 percent in the first five months this year, down from 3647 units over the same period in 2018, to 2876.

The discontinuation of the Astra wagon and sedan follows Holden’s decision to axe the Spark mirco hatch and Barina light car in April and September last year respectively.

Are you sad to see the Holden Astra sedan and wagon go? Tell us what you think in the comments below.