Saturn announces the 2008 Astra
Saturn annouced that their Ion compact sedan (which we last reviewed in 2005) will be replaced next year by the Astra hatchback. Why is this such a big deal? Because the Saturn Astra is, according to the GM press release, "nearly identical to the 2007.5 Opel Astra, unveiled this week at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy." Opel is GM's European division. That means that the Saturn Astra will be, for all intents and purposes, a European car.
As it happens, Saturn is no stranger to European cars. Unbeknownst to most, the late and not-so-lamented L-series was based on the European-market Opel Vectra. So is the new-for-2007 Saturn Aura, and Saturn is going to great lengths to make sure everyone knows that. With the Astra, subtlety goes straight out the window -- they're not even going to change the name. This car isn't based on the Opel Astra, GM is saying; it is an Opel Astra.
Now, chances are the Astra name is meaningless to the average Saturn buyer, who is most likely more attracted by Saturn's famous no-haggle pricing policy. But the Astra name will mean something to their car-buff friends and neighbors, the sort of people to whom many go in search of car-buying advice. And we all know how car buffs feel about European cars. (And I'm sure European car buffs are no less chuffed to know that their Opel GT is a rebadged Saturn Sky.)
Of course, what many of them might not know is that this isn't the Astra's first time on these shores. Remember the little front-wheel-drive Pontiac LeMans hatchback from the mid-80s? The LeMans was a Korean-built version of the Opel Kadett, known in England -- and, after 1991, in the rest of Europe -- as the Astra. Let's hope it gets a warmer reception this time 'round. Saturn will introduce the Astra at the Chicago Auto Show in February.
Thoughts? Will the opportunity to buy a true European car at American car prices make you more likely to buy a Saturn? Click the "comments" link and let us know. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © General Motors
In a word “NO”. Why would I be more inclined to buy a car just because it is European? I’d be more inclined to buy a car that suited my needs and was dependable if it was made in Dubai or Thailand or Turkey. Where it is made makes no difference since no car today is “American” or “European” or “Japanese” anymore. There are no more pure bred cars in the every day driver. How it runs is important. I can get the same options on any car out there. But not all cars are dependable or easy to repair.
I actually think this is a really good, simple strategy for GM to get some decent looking cars to the US. I am from Ireland and this car is very popular/reliable. Interesting to see the creep of so called “small” cars to teh US as gas prioces rise.
Now we just need soem Alfa’s!
In two words: Mike’s right! There are no national loyalties by car makers any more. Fords are made in various countries, while American Hondas are shipped to Japan,etc. show the ever growing knowledgable buyer quality,utility, fun to driveability, and bang for the buck and then you’ll have a winner.
I will just say “Ditto” to what Mike J. said. And I will also add that it seems like such a no brainer.
Another fine example of outsourcing – soon there will be no union jobs left in Detroit.
With Toyota outselling Ford – and Saturn closing plants – we wonder whether there will eventually NOT be an American-built car.
I was very impressed by the Saturn Aura XR and probably will be by the Astra as well. But because an Aura is an Opel Vectra is a Pontiac G6 is a Chevrolet Malibu/Maxx is a Saab 9-3, doesn’t mean that (a) the Saturn Astra will be identical to the Opel Astra, nor (b), that the Saturn Astra will be built outside of the U.S.
As per (b), the Saturn Aura is built in Kansas City, Kansas. I can’t see the Saturn Astra being built anywhere but the U.S. either. Of course, maybe not by UAW workers in Michigan…but then, when were Saturns ever?
And (a) they’re likely not to be the same. And puleeze, that Pontiac LeMans was an insult to both the Pontiac name and to Opel.
But having the same name in two different parts of the world doesn’t mean that the vehicle will be the same. What we Americans knew as the Maverick is not the same thing as the Ford Maverick SUV sold in the UK and Europe.
My concern is the fact that the car IS an Opel. When they were imported by GM from 1958 – 1974(?) with breaks in between and sold by Buick dealers – who hated the car because of typical unreliability with the engine – will the new one be any different?
The Cadillac Catera, which made its debut back in 1997, was a “rebadged” Opel was a typical example of another pile of iron from Europe. The only people who would buy a Catera are ones who have no idea what the car is. The only Opel of any notriety was the old Opel GT (poor man’s Corvette) with a body made in France and the same basic engine-platform as the sedan.
It appears that Europeans are willing to “put up” with the high maintenance issues more than most Americans. Only time will tell if GM of Europe has learned how to make a reliable small car. BMW seems to have learned that high repair costs drive away repeat sales and it looks like they finally have a car that you don’t have to Bring Mechanic With You” to keep it running.
Bruce M
Corporations have zero loyalty to their countries of origin. Having said that, I drive a 1997 Nissan Altima made in the USA. It’s been a grea car, 189,000 miles and still running strong! My next car will be another Nissan Altima and I don’t care where is built as long as it continues to be a quality vehicle.
I don’t see this as a bad indication. Identical to the Opel Astra may easily give people the impression of Saturn closing the domestic plant and starting selling cars made in Europe. As companies like GM and Ford are growing globally, they may want to use the global engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing resource to make a car that can best benefit the cutomer and the company itself.
There may no longer be much national loyalties, but the car making culture behind different car makers and different nationalities still exists. Among power/traction, fuel economy, attractive exterior and ingenious interior, people from different continent may take different priorities, and this will drive toward different design concepts. If fuel economy is the first thing to European car designers, for example, Astra could be very competitive in North America, especially when the price of gas goes up.
DON’T PANIC YET, WALTER.THE GOOD NEWS IS…WE’VE HAD AND WILL HAVE PLANTS OPENING UP ALL OVER THE USA.THE BAD NEWS IS THEY’VE BEEN OPENED UP BY HONDA, TOYOTA, HYUNDAI, BMW, MERCEDES, ETC. WHAT YOU’RE CRYING ABOUT IS THAT OLD SCHOOL “AMERICAN CAR COMPANIES” ARE SHUTTING DOWN THEIR U.S. PLANTS.FOR THAT YOU CAN BLAME AGING PLANTS,POOR QUALITY OUTPUT FROM EXISTING PLANTS,UNPOPULAR PRODUCT DESIGN AND EXECUTION AND NOT BEING ABLE TO READ AND DESIGN CARS IN A CONSTANTLY CHANGING MARKET. FORD SHOWED NO NATIONAL LOYALTY TO DETROIT AUTO WORKERS WHEN IT OPENED PLANTS IN HERMOSILLO, MEXICO. SO WHY WOULD YOU SHOW LOYALTY TO THEM. MY HONDA WAS BUILT BY AMERICANS IN MARYSVILLE OHIO, WITH 85%AMERICAN CONTENT, BY AN AMERICAN CORPORATION CALLED “AMERICAN HONDA”. GUESS WHO THE LOYAL AMERICAN BUYER IS?
Don; Caps lock key is cool!
I think the posters here are missing the point and to that end, so may the market. Its not that the car *isn’t* American. What they are trying to say is that European cars tend to be designed to be more of a driver’s car as opposed to the American philosophy of “cheap as possible”. At least in this market segment.
Yes indeed, I’d buy an Astra. I’ve seen it and driven it–it’s fantastic. Compared to the disgraceful junk produced by US origin car makers, its marvelous. Have you driven a Chevrolet Cobalt lately? A clunker Chevy Monte Carlo? Ugh. Total garbage that will likely be scrapped in 6 years.
these arguements are ridiculous.. opels are unreliable because cars sold here prior to 1974 were unreliable? 30 years ago? the point is this is a fantastic car in Europe- not a watered down catera, but a true european premium economy car. i’m thrilled its coming and am excited to drive one. Traveling to Europe frequently, i’m always jealous of european ford focuses and Opel Astras, this is a brilliant move.
I’m not real sure just what I will buy in the furure. I have owned Poniacs, Fords, Chevrolets, GMCs and several Jeeps. The two most exciring were the Pontiac 1966 GTO and my 1988 Jeep Cherokee.(both were very reliable)
I then bought a 1990 Jeep Cherokee after Chrysler took over and it had to have a new engine and parts wrere hard to find because some were from Jeep and some were from Chrysler)I want something dependable, but that parts canbe found for if it does have a problem.
American manufactures have always TOLD US WHAT WE NEEDED and the foreign manufactures have ASKED US WHAT WE WANTED. Maybe the american producers have finally learned to give us WHAT WE WANT, but it may be too late.
I have always bought AMERICAN, but the next time I buy, I intend to check all of the competition before I buy.
I’m not real sure just what I will buy in the furure. I have owned Poniacs, Fords, Chevrolets, GMCs and several Jeeps. The two most exciring were the Pontiac 1966 GTO and my 1988 Jeep Cherokee.(both were very reliable)
I then bought a 1990 Jeep Cherokee after Chrysler took over and it had to have a new engine and parts wrere hard to find because some were from Jeep and some were from Chrysler)I want something dependable, but that parts canbe found for if it does have a problem.
American manufactures have always TOLD US WHAT WE NEEDED and the foreign manufactures have ASKED US WHAT WE WANTED. Maybe the american producers have finally learned to give us WHAT WE WANT, but it may be too late.
I have always bought AMERICAN, but the next time I buy, I intend to check all of the competition before I do buy.
kudos to all the astras,they are all machos!!!!
The plan is that the Astra will be imported from GM’s Antwerp Belgium plant for 2-3 years. This plant would otherwise need to sit idle or even shut down. The Saturn Astra will likely be sold at cost or at a loss as it would cost $20,000 if sold in the US with the same margins achieved in Europe. This would price it above the larger Aura and camcords, so this is certainly not viable. GM will be willing to accept a loss on this car to avoid plant closing costs and also to ensure that Saturn has a small car offering until the next generation delta platform is ready. The next US-market Astra will be built in 2-3 years based on this Delta2 platform in either the US or Mexico.
Don’t fret – I am from the UK and this car has been out 2 years or so. It’s gotten very good reviews, google “Astra VXR” to get an idea of what the fast one goes like. It handles well and GM’s engines have a very good reptutation for reliability here.
I owned a Pontiac LeMans while in College in the 80’s. I have no idea why it received such a poor showing in America. It was truly a great car. Fun to drive, reliable, and outstanding fuel mileage. The current Astra and its generations of refinement is bound to be a front runner in the Economy Car world.
With Lutz in control maybe GM has a chance. Opels badged as Saturns is a very good idea. Remember GM is #1 in China and only needs minor improvements to increase marketshare in North America. BTW I doubt that the Astra will be sold at a loss.
I’m looking forward to the Astra. I had a pre ‘74 Opel and it served me well for over 100K..very fun to drive also!
I just hope they don’t take short cuts on safety features such as stability control since that feature will be required of automakers in a few years…
I’m looking for this one ! Have Astra now and it’s a beatuy
In October, 2006, I got a chance to see the Opel Astra in Spain. As a U.S. citizen I was so jealous of the cool Euro Astra and also the new Ford Focus(that Ford idiocy refused to bring to the U.S. because they thought Americans would not pay for a premium small car… you know, like the successful Mini, GTI, Subaru WRX, BMW 3-series… to name a few). As a car buff, I love the looks and apparent quality of the new Astra. It will be a hit in the U.S. much like the new Saturn Aura.
Regarding “built in America”, my Honda VTX 1300 motorcycle was built in Ohio. My current Nissan Xterra was built in Tennessee. WHO CARES. I’ve never been pro-union in the modern, global market and think it has outlived its necessity in the U.S. I’ve never owned an “American” car, but if I like it I fully intend to buy a Saturn Astra. Why? Looks, MPG’s, Saturn’s pricing policy, great dealer experience, and the functionality of its hatchback (the urban man’s new SUV). Also, GM quality and reliability now go head-to-head with Toyota in quality surveys.
I drove an Astra in the UK for years, and only sold it when I moved to the US. It was very reliable, economical, and I loved how it looked.
I’m thrilled they’re bringing the Astra stateside, and my answer to the question posed is a resounding “YES”. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a new Saturn Astra!
This car could be quite a success IF GM leaves the car as the Euro original and doesn’t try mess with it (like it did with the LeMans). The oil price increase makes the gap in relative gas price between Europe and the US less than ever, and the time for an import success may be there.
I do believe however that GM can be trusted to mess this one up.
No, I would not buy the new astra becouse it is not an american car and I dont think it will have the plastic body that does not dent. Even though Iwas born in germany, I only buy cars that are made in america. I have bought a new saturn befor and liked it a lot. My son now has it.
I think american cars suck in terms of the quality and performance and I think it’s about time that they started implementing “small efficient car” technologies from Europe. As people are more aware of the bad environmental affects that big american cars have, as well as additional costs at the gas stations due to high gas prices they will be turning eventually to smaller efficient cars. Companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler WILL GO OUT of business unless they start focusing on the new “greener” part of the market, and the OPEL ASTRA and AURA being european engineered product is GM’s ticket.
I’d buy it, but not a cheapened version that has lost the euro cool factor that GM will probably try sell here – expect a ruined interior, horrible handling, crap cheapo engine. They’ll try make a couple of bucks on selling a few of those cheapened cars in the US, rather than make little and sell a lot and restore GM’s image in the process.
I’m looking forward to the Astra coming to these shores. All that I have read indicates that it is a rebadged Opel. I owned a 74 Opel 1900 and it was an excellent reliable car for it’s day. I’ve driven Vectras as rentals in Europe and was amazed that the same car company that makes junkers with rubbermaid interiors in the US simultaneoulsy produced a tight, solid, well bit European car. I’ve long said that Saturn should become the US outlet for Opels. I owned one of the original Saturns and, while I found the car uninspiring, the dealer experience was top notch. Finally, Europeans consider small cars like the Astra as mainstream market vehicles. American scale cars don’t fit their roads and gas prices. This means that much is invested in engineering, styling, fit an finish in this part of their lineup. It won’t drive and feel like a stripper econobox. Look out Volkswagen!
No, not buying. Anyone whose cousin twice removed once cleaned floors for GM will probably get a 5K discount, and I really don’t like that full price sucker feeling.
mitsubishi
What some here are missing… Its not just an European car. Its built to be driven on the Autobahn. The suspension and feel should be superior to the regular American car. I plan to give it a test drive when it arrives.
Is it just me, or does this car look exactly like the 2007/2008 Suzuki Reno?
Ummm, here is the thing. I pumped $90 in gas into my SUV on Friday. On Monday, with half a tank left, I stopped into Saturn to see that black sapphire ASTRA XR with the 18″ wheels and tires up on the platform in front of the lot. I left with it. It is amazing. I get looks… people don’t know what it is? I have had two people say “That’s a Saturn?” Everyone loves it… I hear that it looks more expensive… drives amazingly, feels solid… LOVE LOVE LOVE my ASTRA!
Seems the only thing left in America that is MADE IN AMERICA is murderers and rapists !!! Come on people, why are you selling us out to third world countries ? We are only a matter of a few years away from becoming one ourselves thanks to your stupidity and greed !!