‘Pointy end’ pricing for Holden Astra sedan

HOLDEN has pitched its new Astra sedan into Australia’s fiercely contested small car segment with pricing starting at $21,990 driveaway – more than $2000 under the most affordable sedan variants of the nation’s top sellers, the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

While the South Korean-built Cruze replacement is still more expensive than offerings from fellow Korean-sourced small sedans from Hyundai and Kia, it takes the fight up to mostly Japanese rivals with a high-value package that includes a 110kW/245Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged engine across the range and lifetime capped-price servicing that will set owners back just $916 for the first three years or 60,000km.

The pricing for the four-variant range shows Holden does not want a repeat of its European-built Astra hatch pricing fiasco in which slow sales forced the company to slash prices in January, just three months after the launch in November when the Polish-built five-door hatch was portrayed as a premium offering in the same league as the Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf.

Announcing the new sedan pricing, Holden managing director Mark Bernhard said launching the Astra sedan at $21,990 driveaway puts it at “the pointy end of small car segment pricing”.

“We’re really proud of the new Astra sedan, not just because of its long list of features and comfortable drive but also for its outstanding customer value both at purchase and throughout ownership,” he said.

Another of the selling points pitched by Holden is that its suspension and steering were tuned locally by Holden engineers.

The cheapest Astra sedan, the LS manual, has a recommended retail price of $20,490 plus on-road costs, but its driveaway price is just $1500 more, at $21,990.

This is $2000 under the starting price of the cheapest Astra Hatch, the R, at $23,990 driveaway.

It is also $2757 below the advertised driveaway price for the most affordable Corolla sedan, the $24,747 Ascent, and $2235 less than the $24,235 Mazda3 Neo.

However, it is $2000 more than the driveaway price of Kia’s benchmark $19,990 Cerato 2.0 S, and $40 above Hyundai’s $21,950 Elantra Active.

For their money, Astra LS buyers get 16-inch alloy wheels, rear-view camera and rear parking sensors, automatic headlamps, 7.0-inch touchscreen and with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and cruise control.

Astra sedan LS customers will pay and $2000 to upgrade from the six-speed manual gearbox to a six-speed automatic, at $23,990 driveaway.

For $1000 more, LS automatic buyers can move up to the LS+ ($24,990 driveaway) which adds forward collision alert, lane keep assist, forward distance indicator, projector headlamps, daytime running lights, leather-clad steering wheel and automatic high-beam headlight assist.

The mid-range LT sedan ($27,990) gets automatic transmission as standard, along with 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, automatic parking, blind spot warning, rain-sensing wipers, 9.0-inch colour screen with sat-nav and digital radio, heated exterior mirrors, illuminated vanity mirrors, boot lid lip spoiler, and remote start.

For some reason, Holden has not yet announced the driveway price of the flagship LTZ, but its recommended retail price is $29,790. It gets 18-inch alloys, sunroof, heated leather seats, climate control air-conditioning and chrome exterior highlights.

Astra sedan is available in seven colours, five of which are listed as prestige paints that attract a $550 surcharge.

Holden will be hoping the Astra sedan will set fire to Astra sales in Australia where they have been well short of its monthly targets.

In the first four months of 2017, Astra hatch has managed just 2327 sales or just under 600 a month, putting it well under Cruze’s 3880 sales in the same period last year, not to mention Toyota Corolla sedan and hatch’s 12,464 units and Mazda3’s 11,968.

2017 Holden Astra sedan pricing*

LS	$20,490
LS (a)	$21,490
LS+ (a)	$22,740
LT (a)	$25,790
LTZ (a)	$29,790

*Excludes on-road costs