General Motors has scrapped the vehicle that was supposed to replace the Saturn Ion for 2007, company officials said today. Saturn had planned to replace the Ion with a new model called the “Evoke.” According to a report today by Automotive News, the Ion replacement was well received by those who saw it during a press preview last summer. GM is said to be scrambling to find a new replacement, with a collaboration of some kind looking likely. GM has openly said it plans to align its Opel and Saturn brands, leading Auto News to speculate that GM could re-badge the Opel Astra (shown right) to replace the Ion. In March, GM’s Bob Lutz openly praised the Astra, and even talked about it as a possible Ion replacement. “The Opel product is good. Does Saturn wish they had an Opel Astra (compact car) instead of a Saturn Ion?” The answer is yes, he said.
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04/17, 3:37 PM
posted by:
lars ulrich
finally NEW NEWS!
04/17, 3:41 PM
posted by:
Carlos
The Astra name works with the whole Saturn theme anyway. I say rebadge it and bring it over. No need to bother with any changes that might take up any time… just replace that Ion already.
04/17, 3:56 PM
posted by:
Greg
that’d be sweet. I’d likely buy one if it looks like an Astra…or if it IS an Astra for that matter.
04/17, 4:04 PM
posted by:
Northeasterner
Astra is a solid good-looking Euro hatchback. Bring it over.
04/17, 4:19 PM
posted by:
BlaRo
Wow, that’s rare: people actually supporting a GM rebadge for once.
Count me in, the Astra is a pretty cool car and makes sense in Saturn’s lineup.
04/17, 5:00 PM
posted by:
rwcmick
I agree with those above: rebadge the Astra and get it over here pronto. No changes needed.
04/17, 5:27 PM
posted by:
Jonas
It’s instances like this were I completely support badge engineering… When a brand sell good cars in europe and we don’t have that brand in America, just rebadge it, and sell it here… Opel will make Saturns cool…
The astra is a nice looking hatch… It could be a perfect new car for Saturn… This would give the Saturn Brand a total strong line-up. I hope they do it…
04/17, 5:54 PM
posted by:
peter
I also agree, if Saturn=Opel; then badge engineering=good.
In fact, unless they mess with damper setting or do other stuff, how would this be any different than the opel/vauxhaul relationship that already exists in Europe?
04/17, 10:37 PM
posted by:
Dallas
I say just kill off saturn and sell opel here. No badge engineering needed.
04/18, 1:25 AM
posted by:
durfff
if they align the two companies, i think they should ditch the ’saturn’ name and keep opel., cuz no matter what they make, wheneve ri hear Saturn, i think of crap.
to ‘peter’ im not sure what ur saying, but the difference would be we get opel cars sold in america rather than having to import them.
04/18, 7:18 AM
posted by:
canut4ever
I totally agree with DURFFF. GM can save more by not making extra Saturn badges to be placed on the car.LOL…
04/18, 4:31 PM
posted by:
Garris
Can you see similar headlines to this coming out of a well run company?
“Honda to cancel Civic replacement. Will rush vehicle on extended FIt platform to market…”
“Toyota drops planned next-gen Corolla. We rebadge well-received, top-line Daihatsu…”
“Hyundai kills Excel replacement at 11th hour. Dealers brace for anticapated gap between model generations…”
This is Detroit’s fundamental problem…
Oh, and as much as I want to see GM badly succeed, a word of advice to their brass: Before you go and yell to anyone who’ll listen how blown away we’ll all be by the the next generation of a model, make sure first you’re not going to kill it…
04/18, 4:40 PM
posted by:
Jon
Although…who remembers the last time GM tried to sell the Opel badge in the US?
04/18, 9:22 PM
posted by:
StanFord
Yeh #13, but look who they tried to do it thru, Buick.. No wonder they failed as you had boat salemen pushing ‘furrin’ cars w/ manual transmissions..
“Imagine that, Muriel, it doesn’t have a dynaflush nor nailhead V8 under its little hood?”
or
“Sir. No, you don’t really want that, take a look at this one over here (pointing to a Regal that gave the salesman a bigger commission check)
If GM can sell rebadged Opels in Mexico as “Chevrolets” then why can’t Amercians get them as “Saturns” or better yet, as “Opels”.. The European design and quality they have could definately do nothing but good here as in the last 5 years Saturn has been diluted to the point of having no real uniqueness anyway.. sorta like alot of GM’s US product.
http://www.chevrolet.com.mx
04/19, 12:55 PM
posted by:
Saud
Man, the Saturn brand is really going up.