Official: Opel Astra will come to the US as a Saturn for MY08.

Viggen

Viggen

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Messages
356
Location
Seattle, Washington USA
Car(s)
12 VW Golf GTI
08.saturn.astra.500.jpg


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=118765#2

After months of speculation, GM confirmed that the Astra will be imported as the Saturn Astra starting in late '07.

Good riddance, ION!
 
Last edited:
Nice! I really like all the new stuff that Saturn is doing. In my opinion, they're soon going to have the best looking cars in the US.
 
KaJuN said:
Nice! I really like all the new stuff that Saturn is doing. In my opinion, they're soon going to have the best looking cars in the US.
Click to expand...

+1

Saturns are slowly becoming, dare I say it, cool. (well, compared to what they were)
 
i will agree better than what they have been producing (ION) but far from great.
 
Thought I'd never say this, but: thank God for GM badge engineering!

I hope we get the VXR/HPC hot hatch, whatever it's called, while we're at it. Sell it as a Red Line and I'll have to do some major convincing for my mom, who's going to be trading in the venerable Sentra soon. She might not spring for the Red Line, but I'll see what I can do...8)
 
This isn't news. Saturn became GM's American Vauxhall division since the Aura *cough* Vectra *cough*

I hope we get the VXR/HPC hot hatch, whatever it's called, while we're at it. Sell it as a Red Line and I'll have to do some major convincing for my mom, who's going to be trading in the venerable Sentra soon. She might not spring for the Red Line, but I'll see what I can do...
Click to expand...

Just don't mistake that steering wheel for a device that actually has a say in the direction of the car :lol:
 
A little harsh, for day to day motoring the Vectra and Astra are both decent cars. Problems start at the extreme end of their performance and model ranges where a better steering rack and suspension set up should have been considered.
 
un-dee said:
Which is a bit funny with all their cars being Opels, they're among the uncoolest cars here :p
Click to expand...
Really puts in perspective the domestic cars we have here if we consider this cool, doesn't it? :lol:
 
:yawn:
 
One thing, can they not equip a factory in US/NA somewhere with the same assembly line configuration as in Belgium (I think that's where this stuff is made) so it is just the design and production engineering lifted from OPEL but the manufacture and parts sourcing is in NA? Honda do it with their CIVIC plant in Swindon which is a copy of a Japanese plant I think.
 
BlaRo said:
Really puts in perspective the domestic cars we have here if we consider this cool, doesn't it? :lol:
Click to expand...

Well not quite, for instance I don't get why so many people think the Mustang is uncool, or a charger, etc. These are all cars that would be considered pretty cool here. Cheap, V8, muscular, bring it on.
 
un-dee said:
Which is a bit funny with all their cars being Opels, they're among the uncoolest cars here :p
Click to expand...

Then you should've seen the crap Saturn has been selling in the last few years...

15eg5ll.jpg


203990.1-lg.jpg


saturn-ion-interior-300-200.jpg


2000-05-Saturn-L-Series-00130021990001.JPG


2002saturnVUE.jpg


Anything is a huge improvement over those turd buckets.
 
Cobol74 said:
One thing, can they not equip a factory in US/NA somewhere with the same assembly line configuration as in Belgium (I think that's where this stuff is made) so it is just the design and production engineering lifted from OPEL but the manufacture and parts sourcing is in NA? Honda do it with their CIVIC plant in Swindon which is a copy of a Japanese plant I think.
Click to expand...

It would've take much longer and more expensive to tool-up a factory to build the cars, and they (dealers) badly need it here in a very short amount of time. Just slap Saturn badges on the Opels and call it a day and save some money.
 
^ Thought that the exchange rate (USD - EUR) is a bit dodgy at the moment? I suppose it depends upon the expected life of the model, it is quite new here (ASTRA) and in my opinion will have at least 5 years left in it, with a facelift along the line somewhere so they could start to import see how it goes then tool up if it flies? See the other thread where Ford are looking at the Focus and possibly Mondeo for US/NA so the competition in the smaller (compact?) car market should get more intense still. I hope that these are a success any way - all are good cars for Mr and Mrs Joe Public plus have the ST and VXR versions for the petrol heads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top