Archive for the ‘Astra’ Category

GM's multi-billion-dollar Saturn experiment hasn't paid off--and in its latest iteration, even a raft of pretty good Opel derivatives couldn't move the needle for the hug-happy, haggle-free division.

So while GM considers spinning off Saturn to Roger Penske, or maybe Renault, what happens to the nearly-new Astra hatchbacks? Introduced just two years ago, the slow-selling pair were supposed to give Saturn the perfect small cars to complement the Vue crossover and Aura sedan.

The cars arrived--and we've ranked them fairly well here at TheCarConnection, giving the Astra twins an overall score of 7.8 out of 10. But consumers have stayed away in...

Saturn to GM: "Do you love me, do you love me not?" Most recently, we reported that GM was promising to keep the brand in the fold through 2012. Then we found out that there would be no 2009 Saturn Astras due to the glut of '08s languishing on dealer lots.

Looks like GM has changed its mind once again, battered about by economic woes. The shrinking giant now says that Saturn's options are quickly dwindling. According to marketing chief Mark LaNeve, they include "a new dualing pattern" (??), a partnership, and "an outright sale."

GM and the Saturn Franchise Operations Team will let dealers know what choices they face later this week. At...

Saturn may be soldiering on, but today we learned that it will be doing so without the Opel-based Astra hatchback for 2009, which comes in three- and five-door flavors. Apparently, Astras are clogging up Saturn dealer lots, and GM has decided to sell off '08 inventory rather than persist with an '09 model.

Steve Janisse, speaking to AutoBlog, confirmed that there will be no 2009 Saturn Astra. But Astra proponents (Marty Padgett) fear not: a 2010 Astra is on track for a spring intro in a little over one year.

Surprisingly, no major changes are forecast for the 2010 Saturn Astra, apart from tidbits like new paint colors.

It's a shame that ...