Next Gen. Astra

[AAS]

Caught this stuff on SaturnFans, and figured I would post links here.

Renderings of next generation Astra (from Motor Authority).

Word that it will be built in Mexico (was going to link directly to Automotive News, but don't have a subscription).

[PurdueGuy]

If they can make it just as well equipped, styled as well or better, drop the price $1-2k, and have more engine options (including something that offers more power, and something that offers more fuel economy - the current setup seems to be an un-inspirational compromise between the two), the next gen could be a big hit... assuming they actually advertise it well and let people know it exists.

[regfootball]

asian opel. very mazda3, impreza, etc. the form is softer. what i like about the current gen is the definition of creases and lines in the body, it looks more muscular than typical imports. this looks a bit derivitive and less german. like it was watered down to sell against toyotas here in the US and AU.

still, if this turns out to be GM's best compact, then booyah! just please give it a 6 speed and some decent powertrain options. i hope they don't dumb down the interior finish quality for US market to cut costs.

Wait, this is GM, so yeah, that's probably a given.

all that said, i'd likely buy one. it looks on par with the ford products. US makes will have competitive product! It just needs to get here! Why do we need to wait till 011 model year? Damn GM, you take forever. GM should have building commuter cars on time to market should be second nature by now.

in the US, we better have sedans and wagons to go with the hatches.

It looks like they ditched the wide cut line of the rear door in the back. Too bad, it really makes getting in and out of the vehicle a lot easier.

Edited September 24, 2008 by regfootball

[regfootball]

and change the saturn logo to the Opel logo please!

[saturnd00d]

drop the price $1-2k, and have more engine options

Since assembly is slated to be on this continenet for the next-gen, I think it's feasibe to say it would cost less than the current one, or at least I hope. As for the engine choices, I couldn't agree with you more. Though 138hp is more than enough for the average person, a little choice wouldn't hurt. I would like to see a diesel option, and a more powerful gas variant as well, but nothing smaller than the 1.8L as the car is 2,800 lbs already. Less power in a car like this could further hurt fuel economy.

[turbo200]

current astra is a fantastic car, with solid pricing. the only problem with pricing is consumer expectation. this is where I see GM doing a wait and see approach with the entire Saturn brand. Having NG Aura and NG Astra pushed back in the States, if that is still the case, means nothing but GM wants additional time to see how the market reacts to the new Saturn, and additional time to perform research. OR another plausible scenario I guess is they don't want to hurry up and reintroduce models and have to spend tons of marketing money so soon after launching the 'all-new Saturn'.

what gets me pondering is this notion that Astra is a great car that should be doing much better. I do beleive the design isn't so fresh anymore, two major elements of the car's stance on both coupe 3 and 5 door models are exactly the same as Cobalt, the rooflines, so that is hurting, definitely. even if people aren't observant enough to recall where they saw that styling cue, they know it's something not new and not different. cobalt coupe and sedan are ubiquitous enough to now have become ingrained in people's minds. yes, price is hurting the transaction somewhat [most of all to previous Saturn buyers]. and yes marketing is most of all at fault.

but Saturn is and was 'small cars'. it has a built in audience, the S-series and Ion after it were at least mildly successful to widely accepted [s-series at one point had over 200k annual sales]. it doesn't make sense because Saturn should be a natural stop off point for some small car buyers. I get that Ion really killed that reputation being such a repellent of a small auto, but still that rep should have lived on.

Additionally, Astra is a great car. superficial items like the armrest, funky controls, all go away once you ride and drive the car, and the 3 door is just great to look at, but the 5-door [mass market model] is much less so, especially in base form.

maybe it's that the small car market has gotten so heated, and astra is launching at the wrong time. astra should get benefit of all the small car=frugal image buyers though....

clearly a lot of ways to look at this car to determine if it's a winner or loser. i love opel's new theme by the way, sure would be nice if we could get those cars here sooner than later.

[regfootball]

vince burlapp's car page has a new spy photo of the next astra.

NICE! very MEGANE.

[regfootball]

left lane news has new astra photos up

http://www.leftlanenews.com/saturn-astra-future.html

Edited January 24, 2009 by regfootball