GM to stop building Astro and Safari vans

Two of Canada's sturdiestfamily and fleet vehicles will disappear sometime in 2005, when General Motorshalts production on the Chevrolet Astro and GMC Safari models.

Originallylaunched and little changed since their launch in 1985, these two rear- orall-wheel-drive vehicles have faced dwindling sales for some time and they havehad no upgrades of consequence for some time, so their demise is not really asurprise.

When Astro andSafari first launched they were a reasonable alternative to the minivans fromChrysler, but their truck-based chassis showed against the front-drive,car-like chassis of their ever-growing list of competitors.

In recent years,Astro and Safari have largely gone to people looking for a vehicle that couldtow a decent amount of weight and to businesses looking for a competent, roomyvehicle.

GM of Canadacurrently lists many versions of both vehicles as cargo vans and as peoplecarriers, starting at $26,875 for the former and going up to $37,770 for thelater.

Astro-Safaridelivers standard seating for up to eight, 4,825L of cargo space with the rearseats removed, and up to 2,586 kg of towing capacity in the cargo van version.

Astro-Safari providesfleet or retail buyers with ''flexible ordering options to tailor vehicles totheir requirements,'' says Rebecca Harris of GM's fleet office in Detroit.

All modelsfeature standard 16-inch wheels and tires, Harris says, and the base modelshave steel wheels. Aluminum wheels are standard on all uplevel LS and LTmodels. Tires are P215/70R16 all-season steel-belted radials.

Astro and Safariare powered by the Vortec 4300 4.3L V-6, which features multi-port fuelinjection and delivers 190 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque to either the rear or allfour wheels through a Hydra-Matic 4L60-E four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. 

''The workhorsecapability of Astro and Safari is evident in its towing capacity,'' Harrissays, ''with up to 2,449 kg in a passenger van and 2,565 kg in a cargo van.''

Safety isparamount for families and business owners, Harris notes, so Astro and Safari deliveran extensive list of safety and security features, including front air bags,and energy-absorbing foam behind the trim panels, moldings, the headliner andall other vital areas, a child security latch on the sliding door,battery-rundown protection and PASSLock theft-deterrent system.

''A lockoutprovision also prevents the driver's door from locking if the key is inadvertentlyleft in the ignition,'' says Harris, and ''world-class brakes'' further add to theirsafety levels.

Each model hasanti-lock disc brakes at each corner, Harris says, ''with a highly responsiveHydroboost hydraulic assist power brake booster and GM's Dynamic RearProportioning providing quicker, more controlled stops and additional safetyalerts.''

At the momentit's not clear when GM will actually stop building these two models, since thecompany is also closing the plant that produces them. But it's not likely thata whole bunch more will be making their way to Canadian dealerships.
photo:General Motors