The next Saturn Ion will be an Opel
As we speculated in our coverage of this year's New York Auto Show, Autoweek confirmed Monday that General Motors will fire up the Badge Engineering Works to import the Opel Astra compact to replace the soon-to-be-discontinued Saturn Ion.
The imported Astra will fill the upcoming void in Saturn's lineup left by the cancellation of the "Evoke," a proposed entry-level Saturn based on the Chevrolet Cobalt.
Although Ion production will cease at the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant in December, the Astra will not arrive in U.S. Saturn showrooms before late 2007. General Motors has not said whether the entry-level Saturn would retain the Astra name.
Interestingly, Reuters reported today that GM Europe is considering scaling back production of the Astra ahead of the anticipated slowdown in sales as the car moves into the middle of its product life cycle. The Astra is produced at plants in Belgium, the U.K., and Germany. Opening up a new export market for the car could be a move to keep the European production facilities running at capacity for a while longer.
The Astra will start at about $16,000 in the U.S. The Opel Astra sits in the number two slot in the European sales charts, right behind the top-selling Volkswagen Golf. It will be interesting to see how well it does in the U.S. market.
[Sources: Autoweek, Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
tony belligerent 2:40PM (5/08/2006)
This is the definition of good badge engineering. Bringing over an Opel will not compete with a Chevy of a different name.
Totally different from the G5/Cobalt debacle.
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Elliott 2:44PM (5/08/2006)
I'm seconding Tony's opinion. I think this is actually a good idea. I would not mind at all if Saturn's new persona is that it's the Euro-American GM product. Face it, the old persona is dead.
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Leo 2:45PM (5/08/2006)
Hey, that's great. Now I can buy a Nissan Versa loaded for $14,000 or a re-badged Opel for $16,000 similarly equipped. That sounds like the business model that has GM where it is today!
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Glenn A. 2:47PM (5/08/2006)
In the UK the old, once proud Vauxhall luxury car name was bought by General Messup in the early part of the 20th century and the name was stuck on ever cheaper cars, and then by the 1970's, British engineering was gradually replaced by badged Opels, some of which were assembled in Britain.
Seems like GM might have actually been able to make money on Saturn over the past - how long has it been? - by doing just that all along, instead of losing billions over however long it's been!
If I were a GM stockholder, I'd be screaming at these incompetents.
American Motors was run more competently than General Motors - it had to be, with 1-2% of the market instead of 50% which GM once "owned". AMC at least made money about 1/2 the time from 1954-1987 when Chrysler bought it up. That's better than GM's latest batting record, and Saturn's record has been abysmal. Never made a profit.
And why did GM drop Oldsmobile instead of Saturn? I forget.
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Dr. Woo 2:51PM (5/08/2006)
Badge engineering I can really get behind! The Astra is a great car and already has a high-performance flavor in the Astra GTC. Low cost conversion, great car...bring it on!
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Alex Nunez 3:01PM (5/08/2006)
This is great news. Suddenly, Saturn has a better product portfolio than Chevrolet. Not only does the Astra look good, it also gives Saturn the option of selling a nice, sporty wagon in addition to the hatchbacks.
While they're at it, it'd be fun to see GM take a run at the Mazda5 by bringing over the Opel Zafira.
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Noah 3:01PM (5/08/2006)
Belgium, the U.K., and Germany.. no they'll have to move production to Mexico to sell them state side.
Seriously though it's not like it will maintain the good aspects of the Astra.
To sell it in the USA I predict a decrease in milage without a change in hp. None of the cool packages least of all the GTC.
An inrease of 1.33" in ride hight
cheaper headlights for sure
increase in price
--Noah
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bernie 3:02PM (5/08/2006)
So we get to pay $2,000 MORE for a re-badged Opel than we'll pay for a Fit or Versa, cars that are at least as niecly appointed, if not better?
Sounds like Gm is getting ready to step in it again.
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sanjay 3:02PM (5/08/2006)
Really disappointed for you guys in the States. You wait to get a new car only to get something thats been in production for a year or two already in Europe, AND a car thats considered quite dull here in the UK, with exceptions for the VXR. Even that model is quite frankly something quite embarrasing to be seen in, tasteful styling, erm, no. Look to the forthcoming Civic Type R if you want an imaginative and bold hot-hatch.
Cars like this are disappearing, thankfully, as premium brands move further downwards into smaller segments and so we don't have to drive dull cars like this and the Focus. How you can get excited over an Astra is hilarious.
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Cody Peterson 3:04PM (5/08/2006)
I'm just going to throw this out there but:
I notice that (well, like most euro cars) diesel engines are options...
Do you think with the new low sulfur diesel starting in October here in the states that this new imported Opel will be a way to introduce a diesel economical car back into the US?
My two cents.... :-)
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Oolon Coluphid 3:05PM (5/08/2006)
Too bad they'll uglify it for the American market
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Bill 3:14PM (5/08/2006)
This is good. It is not badge-engineering. To have produced the Evoke, based on the Cobalt, would have been badge engineering.
And yes, they should keep the Astra name. Goes with the spacey/planetary/sciency thing.
#6- this car is not in the same class as the Fit/Versa.
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Jason 3:16PM (5/08/2006)
I agree with most of the others here. Badge engineering can be good when done correctly. The best thing Saturn could be now is Opel North America. And stop uglifying them...just change the badges and leave the rest.
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CJ 3:19PM (5/08/2006)
Sanjay - I'd say you must work for Honda UK if these are your real
opinions. Otherwise you are rather out of touch with the local market.
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bernie 3:22PM (5/08/2006)
#11 Explain how this car is not in the Fit Versa category AFTER you've read the specs. I have indeed read the specs and I say they're very similar.
Versa has 122 hp and more cargo room. What's not to compare for $2,00 less. I'm waiting for your wisdom.
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Howard Kerr 3:35PM (5/08/2006)
For those that don't/can''t read it, here is what the British mag CAR has to say about the Astra:
"on sale since '04" (in other words, in '07 it will be on the "downside" of the current models lifecycle)
FOR: Sharper looks, sharper drive (compared to the old model?)
AGAINST: Firm ride
VERDICT: Amazingly desireable for an Astra (in other words, an Astra might not normally be someone's first choice in this segment of the market?)
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sanjay 3:37PM (5/08/2006)
CJ- under what disillusion are you perceiving to be the UK's perception of the Astra to be? SO I'm working for Honda UK because I think one of their future models is superior to yet another tacky boy-racer piece of failing product from Vauxhall. If they're so great explain they're abysmal residual values in the UK.
Sorry if I've bothered you're Astra doting feelings, but its yet another tired piece of Opel/Vauxhall fodder that plagues the roads in Europe. The just discontinued Civic Type R still manages to have cache, consider the comparble previous sporting Astra, yeah, a really desirable car!
I'd better tell my current employers that by having a positive opinion about one model, of one range, I'm secretly working for Hondas marketing department. Enjoy your Vauxhall-appreciation cruises in Mcdonalds car parks on Saturday nights. Is that where you see the "local market"?
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Howard Kerr 3:41PM (5/08/2006)
Re #15, The Astra is a Cobalt sized car. The European market Astra's SMALLEST engine is about the size of the Fit's engine. The smaller Vauxhall Corsa is about Versa/Fit sized.
BTW, an ASTRA, equipped decently, would probably be AT LEAST $2000 to $3,000 MORE expensive than a Fit...it the European price gap holds in this country.
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Alex Nunez 3:45PM (5/08/2006)
Bill, I think you meant #8, not #6.
As for that Fit/Versa comparison, I agree. I'd put the Astra above those two.
That said, the Fit's cool, but the Versa doesn't do as much for me, though.
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Robert Aitchison 3:49PM (5/08/2006)
Does this mean they will build it in europe and import it? Anytime a car is built free of the UAWs influences that brings it up a couple notches in my book.
It is unfortunate that by the time we get it it will be on the tail end of it's lifecycle, but sadly the last generation european models are often better than current generation swill that we are typically offered. One notable exception being the 05+ Focus where they kept the old platform and "redesigned it" to remove any leftover refinement and appeal it had.
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