What's all this then?
This? Oh, this will soon be seen up and down the land, layered up in Jam Sandwich police car livery and sporting blue lights. It's the new Vauxhall Astra, and it's all change from the outgoing one.
It's smaller and lighter for a start - Vauxhall has lopped 49mm off the length and 23mm off the wheelbase. It's also 26mm lower than before, yet the engineers are claiming more interior space than the outgoing model (albeit at the expense of a little boot space). There are new engines - the 115hp 1.0-litre turbo from the Corsa replaces the old 115hp 1.6-litre and the 1.4 petrol turbo gets a 5hp upgrade to 145hp. Diesel will of course be taken care of by the new range of 1.6-litre units already on sale.
Vauxhall has also de-cluttered the cockpit, getting rid of the wall-o'-buttons effect and introducing a cleaner, simpler layout and there will be the option of the new OnStar system that integrates you, your car, your phone and t'internet.
When can we see it?
All will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. "With each Astra generation, Vauxhall made individual mobility accessible to millions of people around the world, and several generations of Astra have brought innovative technologies from the upper class into the affordable compact segment," said Vauxhall/Opel boss Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. "Each generation has raised the bar in safety, comfort and efficiency. The new Astra will once again set standards in the compact class. Amongst others, it will be the first new Vauxhall model to be launched with Opel OnStar's unique connected service that is ready to help and rescue you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."
Neil Briscoe - 6 May 2015