Saturn confirms that the Opel Astra compact will cross theAtlantic to join the Saturn lineup late next year.

The 2008 Astra joins the Sky, Aura, and the Outlook in a lineup that GM says is one of the youngest in the industry. All of Saturn's vehicles will be under 20 months old when the Astra makes its sales debut.

The Astra has been rumored in recent weeks to be a stopgap replacement for today's Saturn Ion until a new model with more distinctive sheetmetal can be developed. Indeed, a new Astra is scheduled for the 2010 model year, when it might also be built in America at one of GM's assembly plants.

Saturn also is prepping a new Vue SUV for 2008, one that shares its essentials with a new Opel

via car connection

 

Looks like the Dodge Caliber. I'm anxious to see if GM's "luxurizing" of Saturn will work. The Sky looks like a good car. I guess we'll have to wait on the others.

 

It bears a strong resemblance to the Mazda 3. I hope they bring the OPC version over, it looks like a really nice car. The Aura design is also based on an Opel.

 

I really like the side profile of this car. Too bad it's a going to be a Saturn.

 

Why is that too bad? I dislike GM as much as the next guy but they're trying to move Saturn up to the intermediate between Chevy/GM and Cadillac. It could be a decent car.

 

Andrew is it on a Cobalt platform? It sort of looks like it.

 

I see alot of Aura in that car and those headlights are amazing, works of art.

 

here is some more info:

Saturn’s next Opel: 2008 Astra

By JULIAN RENDELL

AutoWeek | Published 12/07/06, 9:35 pm et


Saturn will take on the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus with a hatchback version of one of Europe’s best-selling small cars, the Opel Astra.

Replacing the Ion sedan, the 2008 Saturn Astra will be sold in three and five-door body styles, with sales starting in autumn 2007. General Motors says it will unveil the car at the Chicago auto show in February 2007.Virtually identical to the European Astra, the car gets a Saturn grille and new front bumper, and some interior trim modifications to suit American tastes.

As yet there’s no news on which engines the Saturn Astra will get, although there are plenty of choices with 11 gasoline and diesel powerplants available in Europe (the diesels are already ruled out for the U.S.).

Enthusiasts are likely to see two punchy turbocharged fours, each with six-speed manual transmissions, that would pitch the Astra against the Golf GTi. The hottest of these, likely to appear in a Saturn Astra Red Line, is a 2.0-liter turbo producing 237 hp. It is the heart of the 150-mph Vauxhall Astra VXR/Opel Astra OPC, which rides on a stiffened suspension that makes it one of Europe’s edgiest hot hatches.

The second turbo unit is a new 1.6-liter four due for reveal in the new year; it produces more than 180 hp. Other possible engines are a 1.8-liter 125-hp four or a 1.6-liter 105-hp four. GM may re-engineer another engine, particularly because the availability of European engines with automatic transmissions is limited.

The cars will be built in Europe at Antwerp in Belgium, a decision that will dismay workers at Saturn’s Ion plants in the U.S. Because the Saturn Astra will be available only as a hatchback, GM is predicting sales of between 30 and 40,000 a year, less than half the 100,000 achieved by the Ion. The recently launch Saturn Aura sedan, based on the Opel Vectra, is expected to soak up the balance of the Ion’s sales.

 

I think this thing will KILL the ION, and I hope it does. The ION is a horrible little car for Saturn, a huge mistake. And when they redesigned it after a few years of poor sales, they never fixed the biggest problem, the center mounted gauges! They should also bring the diesels over, they would have a market in this country as an alternative to hybrids and the batteries. GM and DC are working on a joint venture with this car as well, a diesel electric hybrid that promises about 60 MPG with no loss in performance. 0-60 in 8 seconds (what the regular Astra does).

http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/...ra_011005.html