These are the first offical pictures of the interior of the new Vauxhall Astra.
The new Vauxhall Astra is scheduled to go on sale in December, after being shown in the metal for the first time at September's Frankfurt motor show.
See the full gallery of Vauxhall Astra interior pictures here
Watch race driver Fabrizio Giovanardi at the wheel of the new Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall says the interior 'marks a major shift towards premium design and quality'.
"Our goal was to make the perceptual quality in the interior of the next generation Astra as great as that of the Vauxhall Insignia," said Peter Hasselback, head of design appearance quality at Vauxhall. "This is in line with Vauxhall's mission to bring innovations and quality to the compact class."
Read Steve Cropley's blog on the new Vauxhall Astra here
Taking cues from the Insignia, the Astra interior uses Vauxhall's recurring 'wing and blade motifs'. The blade detailing can be seen in the shape of the door handles, for instance, and the gearshift and steering wheel mouldings. The wing design is most obvious in the wraparound dash design, where it arcs across the cabin into the door mouldings.
The interior also has ambient lighting, with the gearbox surround and center console illuminated from above and, depending on trim level, the door recesses are also illuminated.
Other standout details include the chrome trim on the main clocks and guages, as with the Insignia, and having the speedometer and tachometer angled towards the driver.
See all the latest Vauxhall Astra reviews, news and video
Vauxhall also says the Astra's seats have industry-leading levels of adjustment. Ergonmic Sports Seats with even more adjustment can also be specified, although they are standard on Elite models.
Specific detail has also been paid to storage compartments, with Vauxhall taking out patents on some of its designs.
After extensive research, Vauxhall compiled a list of the 20 most common items people stored in their cars. It then designed storage areas for these items - the new Astra has a hard-shelled sunglass case in the door opening, for instance, coin slots and a pen holder on the glovebox lid and a twin glovebox. Rear passengers also have access to a 12 volt socket for an MP3 player.
The boot also features a recess to store either a first aid kit or warning triangle, while Vauxhall's Flex-Floor system can provide further under-floor storage.
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