Opel will soon bring the total body count of the new Astra range to three with the presentation of the sporty Astra GTC, also known as the Vauxhall Astra in Britain, that will join the already available five-door hatchback and the recently revealed, Sports Tourer estate.

Even though we'll have to wait for the Paris Motor Show in October for the official unveiling of the GTC, we can give you a glimpse of the sporty looking three-door Astra as two prototype models were caught on film during testing in Germany.

As you can see in the video after the jump, the first camouflaged Astra GTC features a single tail pipe at each corner of the rear bumper and beefy tire/alloy combos, suggesting it's a turbocharged model, quite possibly, the rumored GSi that's said to be fitted with a more potent version of the 1.6-liter turbo delivering a little over 200HP.

Turbocharged or not, the Astra GTC looks far sportier and more dynamic than the current three-door model. And even though it is based on the five-door model, Opel's design team has given the GTC a lower, almost coupe-like roofline as well as sharper profile thanks to the pronounced crease above the rear wheelarches.

The three door model is also expected to get unique tail lights and possibly even a reworked fascia.

Judging by the spy shots and video, we wouldn't be surprised if Opel targeted the Volkswagen Scirocco with the new GTC - let's not forget that VW's "coupe" is in fact a three-door model also.

The basic engine lineup will be shared with the five-door Astra ranging from a 1.4-liter naturally aspirated four-pot to a 180HP 1.6-liter turbo petrol and a 160HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel, while as we noted before, there's talk in Germany about a 200HP+ GSI version to close the power-gap with the OPC / VXR variant [...]

Michael Fuchs, deputy head of Germany’s ruling Christian Democrat party believes GM has the financial strength to restructure Opel brand alone without the assistance of European state aid.

Fuchs has become frustrated by the ongoing situation in Germany of whether or not to grant state aid to Opel, saying, “The discussion … about financial aid for Opel must be ended once and for all.”

His comments come on the back of GM announcing on Monday, 10 months after filing for bankruptcy protection, its first quarterly profit in three years.

Revenue rose 40% to 31.5 billion, with GM earning $863 million in the first three months of 2010, compared to its $6 billion loss in 2009, through stringent cost cutting and improving U.S. and Asia vehicle sales.

Fuchs sights GM’s improving vehicle sales and a weak euro as an opportunity for GM to go it alone and finance the restructuring of its European division without the need for state aid.

Opel CEO, Nick Reilly in a letter to staff remained optimistic he will hear of a decision from governments in Germany, Spain, Poland and Austria on the EUR1.8 billion in state aid in the near future.

Parent GM has pledged to provide EUR1.9 billion of the EUR 3.7 billion needed for the restructure and investment in GM Europe, with Germany alone expected to contribute over EUR1 billion in state aid.

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The estate version of the new Opel / Vauxhall Astra has been spotted doing the rounds at the Nurburgring.

Scheduled to be shown for the first time this summer with a Paris Motor Show debut to follow in autumn 2010, the Astra Sports Tourer looks like a smaller version of the Insignia station wagon boasting a more raked roofline and a less boxy / conservative shape than the current model.

The new Astra Sports Tourer rides on a longer platform than its hatchback brethren, which should translate to a more spacious boot.

Engine options for the station wagon model will mirror those offered on the five door Astra, so expect a petrol range stretching from a 1.4-liter naturally aspirated four-pot up to a 180 horsepower 1.6-liter turbo, and a comprehensive diesel lineup topping out with a 160HP 2.0-liter CDTi.

The estate version will be the second model to be added to the new Astra's range. It will be followed by a sportier-looking three-door hatchback, a coupe convertible and a four-sedan model that will also be sold in the States as a Buick.

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Opel's latest special edition vehicle, the Opel Corsa Color Race, is a car meant to harken back to the good ol' days.  The company wants potential customers to think back to a time when "racy-looking, muscular car outfits" were widely available.

It is for that reason that the automaker has produced a video featuring a Corsa Color Race in Sunny Melon Yellow going head-to-head with a 1971 Rallye Kadett B Sprint.  The two-minute long video does not have the best acting.  Nor does it have the best stunt driving.  However, it is still nice to see these two cars on screen together.

The special edition Corsa has an improved chassis and more responsive steering.  Each vehicle rides on 17-inch alloys, has a black hood, with the remainder painted in either yellow, Casablanca White, or Magma Red.  Customers can choose between the 87- or 100-horsepower 1.4-liter petrol engines, or the 130-hp/300 Nm 1.7-liter CDTI.

The new Opel Corsa Color Race special edition is now available in Germany.  Pricing starts at €15,560.

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According to a recent report, Opel's upcoming 2011 three-door Astra sport hatch is virtually identical to this official Opel design sketch.

Although details are limited, the sketch suggests the sport hatch will feature aggressive styling with massive air intakes, LED daytime running lights, and racy wheels. The car's designer, Malcolm Ward, says "It (the sport hatch) will be a very dramatic execution and very, very close to the sketch [...]

I don’t recommend you watch this video if you get car sick, but otherwise, let the race begin! At the wheel of this Opel Astra is Fabrizio Giovanardi, Vauxhall driver in the BTCC championship. While he’s the only one likely to drive an Astra like this, he beats the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus, saying “get a move on” as he overtakes one [...]

 
The new Opel Astra brings into the compact class its own interpretation of the brand’s award-winning design language of combining sculptural artistry with German precision first seen in the Insignia. Its strong sporty lines and elegant details add to a new handsome look.

The exterior of the new generation Astra, which debuts in September at the IAA in Frankfurt, boasts a strong cab-forward, fluid silhouette [...]

GM's Opel unit has released another video of the new Astra hatchback. This time we get the chance to see car through an inside camera during testing at Opel's test center on the site of a former military airfield located in Pferdsfeld, 80 kilometers west of the automaker's Rüsselsheim headquarters [...]

For those of you who want to see more of the new Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC, General Motors' soon-to-be-sold European unit has released the first video footage of its Audi S4 Avant rivaling estate. Like the Insignia OPC sedan, the Sports Tourer combines a 325HP and 435 Nm 2.8-liter V6 Turbo engine to Opel's all-wheel drive system and an electronically controlled rear limited slip differential [...]

The first pictures and details of the all-new 2010 Opel Astra aka Vauxhall Astra have been released. Opel's Golf rival takes the majority of its styling direction from the award-winning Insignia [...]

GM’s European Opel division has announced that it will unveil a new electric-car at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show called the Opel Ampera. The Ampera is basically Opel’s version of the Chevrolet Volt [...]

The next-generation Saab 9-5 sports sedan has been an on-off project for quite a while now and even though the vehicle is supposed to be in showrooms by 2009, we have yet to see any decent prototype models on the road. Instead, for the past few years Saab's engineers have been fiddling around with Opel Vectra and now, Opel Insignia test mules [...]

Chevrolet is staking more than just its 97 year old reputation on the Volt electric half-breed; the very life of its parent General Motors is on the line. Volt will be in public hands by the end of 2010 if all goes according to schedule, and so far we don’t have reason to suspect all will not go well [...]

The new Opel Insignia that’s set to go on sale in Europe later this year will be offered with an optional dual-function camera that not only reads speed limit and no-overtaking signs and displays them on the instrument panel, but also alerts drivers when they unintentionally veer out of their lane.
Called “Front Camera System”, it utilizes a front mounted high-resolution camera located between the windscreen and the rear-view mirror that can take 30 pictures per second along with two signal processors that filter and read the photos.

Depending on light conditions, the system’s Traffic Sign Recognition function begins to repeatedly read signs at 100 metres. When a match is found in the car’s software, the sign is displayed in the instrument panel; it will even prioritise a no-overtaking sign over a speed limit warning sign.

When the Lane Departure Warning function is turned on, the system uses a second signal processor and software to read traffic lanes and record a driver’s normal lane-changing behaviour, taking into account steering input and indicator usage [...]

Photos of the new Opel/Vauxhall Insignia’s interior have been officially revealed by the maker in anticipation of the car’s final debut. The pictures show the car’s updated look is centered around a back-lit instrument panel and center console, with ample room for the optional built-in navigation unit [...]