Finally, details and pics of the upcoming Opel Astra GTC (Vauxhall in Britain) have broken cover. Go on, have a peek. Technically labeled a concept in what can only be an effort to iron out some final kinks and tweaks, Opel's GTC Paris is a preview of GM's new VW Scirocco and Hyundai Veloster hunter.

Barring all the artsy literary references and mumbo jumbo, the facts go as follows: the GTC will be a compact, 3-door hatch for five with a coupe-like roofline. It measures 4.46 meters long and incorporates modern Opel design cues like the "blade" running along the rocker. Inside the concept appear to be some optional race-inspired cheek huggers.

The GTC Paris gets LED running lights / tail lights and rides on 21-inch rims which probably won't be available from your average dealer. Opel design VP Mark Adams says, "We wanted to express the most emotional side of the Opel brand and we believe this vehicle creates an appropriate visual impact to reinforce our dynamic sporty character." Well, it looks like it's ready to jet away in a cloud of front-wheel smoke, so mission accomplished.

Under the creased hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with direct injection hooked up to a 6-speed manual transmission and a start/stop system. The production model will be powered by a variety of petrol and diesel engines with the grapevine talking about a GTI-version of Opel's little hatch called the GSi with around 200-horsepower and an even crazier OPC model, possibly with as much as 280HP, maybe even more, to battle off VW's R offerings.

Official specs for the GTC will probably start to come out around the time of its Paris debut. For some more spy shots and video, check out our previous post from back in June. Could this foreshadow a potential higher-output compact luxury offering from Buick as well? Time will tell.

By Phil Alex

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