May12
New spy shots have captured a 2008 Opel Vectra out testing in Europe in much lighter camouflage. The car is expected to makes its international debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September. The latest round of images provide much better idea as to what the next Opel Vectra/Saturn Aura will look like.
The C-pillar shown in the new photos lines up nicely with the computer rendered image of the next Vectra.
The new Vectra rides on GM’s new Epsilon II platform which is wider and taller than the current Epsilon allowing for more room for the passengers as well as better handling courtesy of the wider track.
The car will be powered by an assortment of drivetrains including a 2.8L V6, 2.7L V6 turbo diesel, as well as several four cylinder powertrains. Expect the car to not only come with GM’s new 6 speed transmission but also with an all wheel drive option.
The car will compete against the new Ford Mondeo and the Volkswagen Passat. Expect to see this car in the US as the new Saturn Aura sometime soon after its European launch. GM has nearly come to an agreement with the Fairfax Assembly UAW Local, where the current Aura and the new Malibu are assembled, regarding work rule concessions to make the car more profitable to sell in the US.
May 12, 2007
May 7, 2007
I didnt know VW made a Passet
The front end reminds me of Toyota
I definitely don’t like the Opel front end, but I can see how it became a Saturn. If you were to do the conversion, I don’t think it’d look much different from the current one.
Wow, it does look like a Toyota/Nissan ripoff. I like Toyotas, but they are bland in styling. GM could have done something better with the design and copied Toyota’s reliability!
It does look like a Toyota with those grill ribs, but that’s just the artist’s picture - so there could still be something unique under that camoflage, I think.
Yet another car going after the front-end look of the Camry. Yuk.
There must be at least 20 cars either currently being built or soon to be built, that have the same shape nose and grill as the Toyota Camry. I don’t get the appeal. What happened to original design???
Yeah…I don’t find the new Camry nose attraactive at all. And I don’t understand why everyone else is copying it.
DAMN hoosierhero beat me to it
Dull as soil. Opel-GM-Vauxhall will never make but a handful of exciting cars. The VXR-GTC or whatever has potential though.
HoosierHero’s right, but it’s potentially interesting, lose some of the Toyota characteristics, lose a lot of the chrome and this could be nice…
As others have mentioned, this is a great looking Opel Camry. I guess if you can confuse the buyer enough they might buy one over a Camry.
Nice and I hope it sells well. But I don’t care about this one.
The reason the front end looks like that is because of the recently enacted law in Europe that mandates more “pedestrian friendly” bumpers. Because apparently it is now possible to simply pass a law that somehow makes it less dangerous to be hit by a heavy object traveling 80+ Km/h. Translation: you’re going to see more of this design cue going forward, not less. How this is going to play out in America is something of a minor mystery; We all know (or should know) that GM has seen great success with the badge engineering that has Saturn playing the part of The American Opel, but they still have the freedom to tweak styling since GM’s main point of consolidating had more to do with engineering than with styling, albeit emotional styling being a considerable priority in any case. If GM can reskin the Holden Commodore as a Pontiac G8, then they are poised to tone down these euro front ends unless they catch on in the USA.
Oh, and I forgot to add: if this is the next Saturn Aura… I am entirely speechless. GM’s upcoming golden age is not a question of “if” anymore - it’s now only a matter of time before this company wins me over as a fan completely. They’ve already taken me away from Mazda with the upcoming G8.
I can’t wait until it’s Ford’s turn to be putting out news like this. Good luck on besting the G8 though..
I see some nasal similarity to a Camry but not as much as you guys make out. This nose looks way better, and the rest of the car has real style for a basically pedestrian commuter sedan. Kudos to Opel for this one.
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If Ford would bring over the new Mondeo they would steal the design thunder from GM, but it does not look like that will happen. GM may not overtake Toyota as number 1 automaker, but cars like this will stop their slide in its tracks. It sickens me to say it but this Opel might have me looking at a Saturn in the near future … it would get me in a showroom anyway.
Actually, from the A pillar back, it looks a lot like an Audi…which is no bad thing. Especially for a car at this price point.
Looks like a Nissan Maxima or Altima with a Camry front end. Not such a bad thing.
For everybody calling this a Toyota/Nissan/blah blah blah clone, i hope you’re referring to the uninspired artist’s piece of work. The 1st pic is clearly nothing more than a cobbled-together picture of many different elements (including other cars). Take a look at the ‘motion’ of the plants behind the rear window. All of these negative opinions are based on someone’s ‘vision’ not Opel/Saturn’s efforts. It is really hard to see much of the real car other than its overall profile, which in my opinion looks anything but typical. Keep up the momentum GM!
In fact, there is no one behind the wheel!
ugh looks like the front end of a camry, and i hate camry’s
Camry!
Oh yea… they finally resorted to cloning their competitor instead of making something original. What’s worse they’re going to release this in late 2009? By then the already bland styling of the Camry would look really dated already. And they expect to make $ of it…
I think it will sell very well, even in 2009. Americans want a good reason to buy an American brand. Up until lately, there wasn’t any reason to even look at American-branded vehicles. This will be good for competition. It’ll help maintain Toyota’s efforts to continually improve not that we have a huge target painted on our backs.
Its a nice, clean design, granted the overall shape and look is nothing new but this might not be a bad thing. Accords and Camry’s have sold well for years with out introducing any ground breaking exterior designs, I think if GM can put a good interior, strong and diverse powertrain offerings all well having a high standard of overall quality (I guess kinda like the current aura) I think they will have a real hit on their hands.
Not a bad looking car, from the outside.
But I’m withholding judgement until I see the interior. GM is FAR too well know for assembling their automobile interiors from the rejected-parts bin of Playskool.
Kaptain is 100% correct about European bumper regulations. That’s why you never see anything good-looking come out of Europe for under $60,000.
To me, it looks just like an Acura RL, which isn’t bad at all…
Altima had intercourse with an Ion.
Yawn.
Looks great to me!
It’s too soon for a new Aura and Malibu, considering one has been in showrooms less than 12 months and the other hasn’t arrived at all yet! But the next Pontiac G6 sedan, the oldest of the bunch, could very well share the bodystyle of the new Vectra, since they all share the same platform.
This is all based on the artist’s picture! No one has seen nuthin’! Nuthin!!!
THANK YOU TOZO!! I was saying the same thing!! No wonder people fall for Dr.Al Gore’s propoganda.
The back end has a real Bangle butt going on…
I love the mule camouflage!
All in all, looks promising. Need to know more to discuss it further.
This doesn’t look anything like a Camry. Camrys are grotesque and misshapen.
If you notice from the new camo shots, even with the covers on it the nose doesn’t seem nearly as pushed out as in the rendering.
GM loves them some zebra stripes.
What’s funny is that the side mirrors and camo’d, as if side mirrors ever change, LOL!
are* camo’d, sorry
Are you sure the new shots are the same car? The grille in particular looks a lot like the Chrysler Sebring.
(EDITED FOR LANGUAGE)
Cool, we have a new homeboy in Flying Sukahara, just even more incapable of making coherent posts!
I would love to know, though, how you know what the new Impala looks like when it hasn’t been designed yet. You must have some incredible sources!
Another soap-bar shaped car.
How long until the Taurus school of design dies ??
Chrysler sell the 300 in spite of poor quality and fuel mileage BECAUSE it doesn’t look like this boring crap.
It may look Japanese, but it’s a big step forward. Please GM give us an affordable car with looks and quality!
Hey homeslice GTP I have more brains in my pinky than you do in your whole body!
And by the way GetReal the same company complaining about Jelly Bean shaped cars- ahem is General Motors- and now they can’t make enough of them. Call them what you like that is what the public likes Aerodynamic shaped cars. So say whatever you want dummy. GM did so and then went back to their design department said we will build what we want and people will buy it.
In essence, they fought modern design flow for years, And after GM said we are losing customers in droves that
they have begun to waken up and change their ways.
But Mr. and Mrs consumer has told GM repeatedly no your not the market. You build what we want. And about the only ones dumb enough to buy GM well lets just say their dumb or their employed by GM
Or like you, they are dumb enough not to buy GM. Go ahead and buy your Camry pal, and when it breaks down on your for the umpteenth time, maybe you won’t be so eager to bash GM.
Some times it doesn’t even seem worth arguing on here. It kinda comes down to a matter of opinion. I like what GM’s been doing. They seem to be the only american car company on some sort of track. You can actually notice improvements. Call me crazy, but being from the US and all, I’m kinda cheering for the home team. At least they’re competitive. Ford and Chrysler really need to get there **** together.
I too cheer for GM every time they introduce something new…but they always let me down with inferior interior design an overall crappy driving experience. Please GM give us something to be proud of!
Seems like the trunk opening of that car must be very small. Wonder if they will offer a hatch…
For a GM fansite, there is an aweful lot of trolling going around here. Why not troll elsewhere for a change? Seems simple enough for even the most childish of posters here.
If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t speak. Go GM.
It looks better than the upcoming new Accord.
#1 its not a gm fansite its a site for car enthusiasts
#2 its an anti american site if you havnt noticed
#3 10 to one its a gm hater site
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flying suckmeahara, stop trolling gm#1 finally stopped is it impossible to talk cars without bashing americans?
GM is diong some things rite for once, give them credit for at least trying to see what consumers want, not just saying “we are GM you will buy what we will build crappy or not”
What I see so far already looks better than the new accord.
Leaps better than Accord. At least this appears to have some style.
I have to agreed with others…the Honda Accord has not looked good since the model in the fourth generation (1989–1993) model years, and this Opel Vectra/Saturn Aura looks much better than even the new proposed Accord.
I still think it is too soon for a new Aura.. perhaps like the current Aura, Vectra and Malibu, the next ones will still have unique bodies on the same platform.. so maybe this Vectra bodyshell will be dualed with the next Pontiac G6 sedan instead, and the concept Vectra GTC coupe could foreshadow the next G6 coupe/convertible? Seems like it would be a good style fit with the upcoming G8.
Some people really have no clue. The Aura has bigger fish to fry than the measly Accord and Camry. The consumers have voted with their wallets and the current Aura is clearly the winner. The new one is about to move beyond that while the G6 and Malibu trounce the Camcords in the market.
Just wait, this one is special.
i dont like neither the nxt accord or this aura. IT IS too soon for a new aura. i dont like the current aura as well.
How does an article on the new Opel Vectra/ Possible Saturn Aura become a hate the new not even seen Accord posts? :-{