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 Opel Kadett/Astra
Foreign-owned companies in particular tried to find names for their products that sounded as German as possible. Opel was dedicated to seafaring and used the terms 'Captain' and 'Admiral' for its largest vehicles.
Otherwise, existing type designations were still in circulation, such as 'P4' and Olympia, the prostration before Hitler's illusion of a peaceful Germany, the Olympics.
There wasn't much space left between 'Olympia' and 'P4' and that's exactly what the last remaining term, the 'Kadett', took up. After all, it inherited the new self-supporting all-steel body of the Olympia in every version. Priced
well below this, it ended up taking over the still side-controlled engine from the P4. So the has cost 1,500 RM, the Kadett from 1936 approx. 2,100 RM and the Olympia approx. RM 2,500.
It sold excellently, together with its big brother more than 100,000 times a year and thus catapulted Opel to the top of registrations not only in Germany but throughout Europe. In 1938 there was a facelift and a 300 RM
cheaper version with the rigid axle of the P4 in front. It kept its 17 kW (23 hp) four-cylinder, which took it to 98 km/h. It was available with four and two doors, the latter also as a convertible sedan.
A special feature of the more expensive version was the Dubonnet suspension, which for the first time brought hydraulic vibration damping at least to the front axle, but was unfortunately designed too soft. It also increased
the unsprung masses of the independent wheel suspension, so that it was not pursued with the end of production of the Kadett in 1940. After the war, production was moved to the Soviet Union for the production of the
Moskvitch 400 until 1959 as reparations.
It was not until 1962 that the next Kadett generation appeared. First a new factory had to be built in Bochum after the mines died out. From a technical point of view, the Kadett A was able to assert itself very well against the
VW Beetle. With the same wheelbase, it was slightly longer than its predecessor, but its pontoon shape made much better use of the space. With a displacement of just one liter, the four-cylinder had an output of 29 kW (40
hp), which the VW Beetle only reached four years later.
The Kadett B from 1965, which now has a longer wheelbase and is over four meters long, came one step closer to being a real car. Now with a displacement of 1.1 liters, there was a version for regular petrol and a version
for premium gasoline, this one even with 40 kW (55 hp). While the Kadett A had already doubled the earlier production figures, the Kadett B more than tripled them with an export share of 50 percent. In 1967 even the rear
rigid axle guided by leaf springs was replaced by one with coil springs. Like its predecessor, it is available as a station wagon (caravan) and coupe.
The successor with the letter 'C' sold similarly well, but was far superior in reputation. That was because of the many faces it didn't shy away from. It had finally lost the last leaf spring, this time across the front, and received
double wishbones. Otherwise it was simple and, above all, remained light at 900 kg, but had increased enormously in terms of sportiness thanks to a top engine with up to 1.9 liters and 77 injection kW (105 hp), and was
still fast up to 184 hp.
Perhaps due to the success of its predecessor, the first Kadett with front-wheel drive appeared far too late. Surprisingly, that and its somewhat angular shape had not harm the registration numbers. It has added another
100,000 a year. You could say whoever comes last can do everything better. The car, which was again a little less than four meters long, had no special technical innovations compared to other front-wheel drive vehicles, only
the usual advantage of the larger interior.
One could imagine that Opel would leave the box shape with the successor. However, it was a surprise that the manufacturer would come up with an 'aerodynamic world champion' with the honor of 'Car of the Year 1984'.
The GSi version of the Kadett E was said to have a drag coefficient of 0.30. In addition, the caravan, at least in terms of the length of its loading space, had long since taken the lead among its competitors. The reward was the
increase in registrations by a further 50 percent in 1987, for example.
Even more successful was the one now called 'Astra' with the continued designation 'F'. With over 4 million in six years, it is still the most-produced Opel model of all time. According to Opel, the name 'Astra' originated a
generation earlier in Great Britain. This was followed by the sometimes frantic search for type designations with an 'A' in front and behind. The newest one benefited from this, as both 'A's can be sloped inwards when writing
out the word 'Astra'.
The Astras could also shine with increased occupant protection. The only problem was the rust prevention. There the 1981 VW Golf turned out to be immensely superior. The Astra G didn't come until 1998, not only with a
coupé-like shape, but also fully galvanized. The development of a better driving light began, for which Opel received a lot of praise in the years that followed. The rear knee room has been increased by adding ten centimeters
to the wheelbase.
The 2004 letter 'H' seemed to be associated with a great deal of engine power. The end was only at 176 kW (240 hp) and twelve different variants. The adaptive chassis and headlights with dynamic cornering lights found
their way into the compact class, which had actually almost developed into a middle class. Because the former position of the Opel Kadett had long since been assigned to the Corsa. And it continued to grow until the
relatively short-dated 'Karl' found its place below it. In any case, this did not harm the registration figures for the Astra H at 2.7 million.
With the Astra J from 2009, driver assistance took its first steps into the compact class. As usual, this was developed down from the upper classes, in this case the Insignia. This included a front camera that, together with the
corresponding digital electronics, recognizes traffic signs. The light system glared up and down automatically. The seats, which are said to be friendlier to the spine, were joined by a further development on the torsion beam
axle, which provided more rigidity for the rear wheels in terms of toe and camber.
With the Astra K from 2015, an Opel again won the title of 'European Car of the Year 2016'. It is said to have slimmed down by up to 200 kg, be more spacious inside despite smaller external dimensions. The station wagon
was now called 'Sports Tourer' and the lighting technology at Opel was a real hit. Matrix LED light was now available, probably for the first time in this class. Massage seats were still unusual here. Of course, the possibilities
of driving assistance had also been expanded.
And that is already the Astra L from 2021, which Opel calls 'electrified'. This one is still on the combustion engine platform, restricting the luggage space for the 12.4 kWh of the battery. The purely electric car announced for
2023 will probably receive the further development of the current electric platform. It comes from the Stellantis Group, to which Opel now belongs. The new Opel brand face Visor is striking, this time with openings for the
petrol and diesel engines that are still available.
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