Bye Bye Ion, Say hello to Astra

[Poverty]

GM plans to replace Saturn Ion with Opel car.
SOURCE

Rebadged Astras will come to U.S. at end of 2007.


General Motors plans to import rebadged Opel Astra compacts to replace the Ion at the bottom of Saturn's lineup.

The imports, starting at the end of next year, will sticker at about $16,000 - approximately $3,500 above that of the 2006 Saturn Ion 2 sedan, Ion's base model. Ion production is scheduled to end in December.

GM declined to comment. But sources within GM and its Opel subsidiary confirmed an outline of the plan.

Last year GM sold 100,891 Ions. That car follows the S series, which sold 200,000-plus units from 1993 through 1999, peaking at 286,003 in 1994.

The annual sales target for the Astra model will be considerably lower, ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 units.

Saturn's version of the Astra probably will be assembled in Antwerp, Belgium. The name Astra may be used on the Saturn model.

Importing Astras would fit GM's strategy of repositioning Saturn as a Europeanized brand. At the New York auto show last month, GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said nearly all Saturn vehicles will be based on vehicles from Adam Opel AG, GM's German subsidiary.

The current Astra went on sale in Europe in 2004. The European press has praised the car, and it was western Europe's second-best seller last year with 453,000 units, just behind the Volkswagen Golf.

Jim Sanfilippo, executive vice president of the consulting firm AMCI in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., says Saturn should have no trouble selling the car if it is well equipped. "People like to buy cars from Saturn dealers," said Sanfilippo, "and that is still a franchise in General Motors' portfolio that can attract import buyers."

Since 1958, GM occasionally has sold cars from Opel in the United States. In recent years it imported the Cadillac Catera and built the Opel-based Saturn L series in Wilmington, Del. Neither sold well.

GM builds the Ion in Spring Hill, Tenn. It has not disclosed plans for a new vehicle to replace the Ion there.

GM EYES ASTRA SCALE BACK:
LONDON -- General Motors said on Monday no final decision had been made on whether to scale back production at its British carmaking plant but it was planning for an expected slowdown in sales of its Opel Astra model.

Union sources and press reports said the carmaker was considering cutting the third shift at its Astra/Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port in northwest England, resulting in 1,000 job losses.

A GM Europe spokesman in Zurich said no final decision had been made, and the company was looking at capacity issues at all its Astra plants.

"At this point there is no final decision, but we do need to look forward into the future," the spokesman said. "Astra production has wildly exceeded expectations in its first couple of years, and we just don't expect it to continue to be at that level of market demand as it goes through its product life cycle."

An Opel spokesman in Germany said the third shift at all Astra plants was under review. It also makes Astras in Antwerp, Belgium and Bochum, Germany.

"This is being discussed at the moment. The third shift at Astra plants is under discussion ... all Astra plants are potentially affected," the spokesman said.

Sold as the Vauxhall Astra in Britain, the Astra is GM's best-selling vehicle in Europe, with around 534,000 units sold last year, GM says.

"We are working wholeheartedly on making our western European plants so productive that they can stand up to the plants in the East and the theoretical question of transferring work does not even arise," he said.

Cutting Astra production jobs now is a separate matter than deciding which GM plants will get to build the next generation Astra to be launched in 2010. That decision is due next year.

 

[Jim Prower]

WOOHOO!

I KNEW Saturn would become Opel of America! and I see nothing wrong with that.

From what i hear, the Astras are supposed to be GOOD! :3

 

[TheCracker]

The latest Astra isn't a bad car, its not a great car either, certainly no Golf.

I don't know what an Ion is like - but i guess this will be a step up.

 

[Poverty]

lol, I remember how blazin used to preach about how great the Ion was.

 

[TheCracker]

lol, I remember how blazin used to preach about how great the Ion was.

Wow, must have been bad then

 

[niky]

Not a big loss, as Saturn has become just another branding exercise, makes more sense to use it for a brand not sold Stateside.

A better idea than selling rehashed Saabs as Caddys, anyway... to the same market that wasn't buying the Saabs in the first place.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Now all they need to do is change the Saturn name to Opel.

 

[YSSMAN]

Here comes the Ion!

...Ewwwwww, the styling has always been rubbish on both the sedan and "Quadcoupe." But the drive isn't too bad in the car, it just takes some getting used to. Having the tach and speedo placed in the center of the dash is quite awkward, and the plastics in the interior are just a step above Tupperware. But mechanically speaking, the ECOTEC 2.2L had plenty of power (140 BHP), and the CVT transmission was something different, and worked out pretty well (despite the fact that I hate CVT).

---

Anyway, I love the Astra, and I'm happy to see that it for sure comming to the US now. The last news I had posted on the car's import to the US was that it was questionable now, then they talked about the new Astra with the elongated windscreen and how that could come to the US.

 

[Danny]

Just imagine Saturn badging.

There's your SCCA entrant right there.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

This is definately a step up from what saturn has been makin recently. The only saturn I ever liked up until now is the ION Redline.

I like the way the opels look over saturns in general.

 

[JCE]

WOO--FREAKING--HOO! Awsome, Astras are great, and the VXR is brlliant. Anything from Europe is infinitely better than anything from the US. The Ion was ugly, and had a real rubbish interior. Yea, why don't GM just go ahead and rename Saturn Opel or Vauxhall? I mean get it over with.

 

[Tornado]

I suspect becuase of the 4 or 5 repeat buyers who would get confused. Not to mention the 3 satisfied Saturn owners.

 

[Danny]

3 satisfied Saturn owners?

I could have sworn there were 4.

 

[Tornado]

3 satisfied Saturn owners?
I could have sworn there were 4.

One died in a freak shopping cart accident. Those people just kept pushing the carts into his car...

 

[Danny]

My condolences to his Saturn dealer.

 

[a6m5]

It looks VERY nice. 👍 Now I just want good pricing, fuel economy, and handling.

 

[Slicks]

Between the Aura, the Sky, and the Vectra, Saturn could be considered a good brand in a few years. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[harrytuttle]

Between the Aura, the Sky, and the Vectra, Saturn could be considered a good brand in a few years. I'm looking forward to it.

Between the Aura, the Sky, and the Vue, Saturn should be considered the best GM company. All this comes right on the heels of what is probably the ugliest American car in the last 25 years: the Ion.

I'm so used to Saturn being the car company for people who don't like cars, this lineup of good-looking, probably decent cars has me so off guard, I don't know how to react except "angry". I want my crappy cars to be crappy!

 

[High-Test]

I think The General just Rallied all his troops...

Finally! we get an unmolested European car. The Europeans kept the good Focus for themselves, and gave us only the 4 door escort. About time!

I knew The General had a battle plan.

 

[Danny]

Are general motors a big company?

I don't know much about them I'm afraid.

 

[High-Test]

Are general motors a big company?

I don't know much about them I'm afraid.

" Right. you're bloody well right..."


GM is pretty big.

Some of their brands:

Chevrolet
Buick
Pontiac
Hummer
Cadillac
Saab
Saturn
Opel
Vauxhall
GMC
Isuzu

That's all I can think of now.

Oh, they were founded by William Durant and others, who kicked Durant out around 1910. Durant responded by partnering with Louis Chevrolet to build a new car company, and after Chevrolet left because he and Durant didn't get along, Durant Bought out GM with the money he made from Chevrolet cars. The rest is history..

(I'm a bit rusty on my GM history, someone please correct me if I'm mistaken)

 

[YSSMAN]

Are general motors a big company?

I don't know much about them I'm afraid.

General Motors is the largest automaker not only in North America, but the world as well. Companies include:

Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick, Cadillac, Saab, GMC, Hummer, Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, and Daewoo.

GM also owns part of Isuzu and Suzuki as well, and had an alliance with Subaru and Toyota as well. There is also the possibility of GM joining the Nissan-Renault alliance, so it is looking to maintain it's top position.

Most of the company was brought together by William Durant during the early part of the 20th century, the founding companies being Chevrolet, Buick, and Pontiac if I remember correctly.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

General Motors is the largest automaker not only in North America, but the world as well. Companies include:

Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick, Cadillac, Saab, GMC, Hummer, Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, and Daewoo.

Maybe this is why there are so many GM haters.

 

[JCE]

Maybe this is why there are so many GM haters.

That and GM doesn't exactly have the world cornered in design and interior build quality. But that's just my opinion.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its improving, but don't call the kettle "black" Mr. Pot. Your Ford doesn't always rank too high as well (atleast, Ford North America), and the folks at Chrysler aren't known for thier quality either.

But even without my GM blinders on, it is a pretty easy call to make when it comes to improving quality at a better price. You can see it in Saturn, you can certainly see it in Pontiac, and we will be seeing it soon in Chevrolet as well.

 

[Danny]

" Right. you're bloody well right..."


GM is pretty big.

Some of their brands:

Chevrolet
Buick
Pontiac
Hummer
Cadillac
Saab
Saturn
Opel
Vauxhall
GMC
Isuzu

That's all I can think of now.

Oh, they were founded by William Durant and others, who kicked Durant out around 1910. Durant responded by partnering with Louis Chevrolet to build a new car company, and after Chevrolet left because he and Durant didn't get along, Durant Bought out GM with the money he made from Chevrolet cars. The rest is history..

(I'm a bit rusty on my GM history, someone please correct me if I'm mistaken)

General Motors is the largest automaker not only in North America, but the world as well. Companies include:

Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick, Cadillac, Saab, GMC, Hummer, Opel, Vauxhall, Holden, and Daewoo.

GM also owns part of Isuzu and Suzuki as well, and had an alliance with Subaru and Toyota as well. There is also the possibility of GM joining the Nissan-Renault alliance, so it is looking to maintain it's top position.

Most of the company was brought together by William Durant during the early part of the 20th century, the founding companies being Chevrolet, Buick, and Pontiac if I remember correctly.

Yikes!

That is pretty big...