4 cylinder Aura to become availiable

[haypops]

Most of us have already forgotten that car, whose only advantages over the equally mediocre (period) Malibu were a slightly bigger trunk and a station wagon body style.

OHC v6 engine, DVD entertainment system, polymer panels.

[PurdueGuy]

OHC v6 engine, DVD entertainment system, polymer panels.

Light weight... good fuel economy for its size...

If it weren't for the 6cyl being difficult to do some of the maintenance on and the early year electrical bugs scaring me, I'd consider one for a nice daily driver... after the redesign the sedan looks really sharp in black.

[carman21]

Well, I'm holding my breath to see this confirmed by a genuine source but,

rumor has it that the Malibu will only target the Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion, and the Chrysler Sebring. Why?

Buick and its P-B-GMC dealer network want a true Camry, Accord, and Altima fighter in the new 2009 Buick Regal.

The Regal is likely to target specifically the Camry LE/LE V-6 and the Camry XLE/XLE V-6. Which is not bad at $20-28k. It goes far more upscale than any current Epsilon I know of yet.

Where this leaves the Aura and G6? Who Knows?

Meanwhile it's nice to see the Aura is getting more practical in its line-up.

[drew770]

Have you driven one?

I know in my area, I'm starting to see Auras a lot more than I used to. Hell, just a few days ago I saw a silver one, then a black one a few days after that, then one in Berry Red just like ours yesterday.

I don't think we're giving the new Saturn enough time to catch on. I believe a lot of us expected Saturn to be the hottest thing since sliced bread the first moment it was even rumored and expected it to sell in droves. Not so. I think we were all aware of the negative stigma attached to Saturn (after all, they did build the Ion and that was a painful sight to behold) and the amount of work it would take to turn it all around. But yet we've somehow forgot that. I say we should give Saturn the proper amount of time to catch on with buyers, and then we'll see if it's truly a flop.

I will admit GM needs to expand the amount of Saturn dealers, though. That, of course, would help sales a lot.

And, for the record, we own one. We've put a little over 1600 miles on it since we first got it and I personally find it to be just as much of a car that the Camry and Accord are and just as solid as nice as any Passat. Our XE is very competent and the base model came with nice features for the twenty-grand sticker price. I'll admit, though, I am confused by this addition of a four-cylinder to the line, but there are people who will undoubtedly buy it. It also fixes an ugly issue with the Aura having a six in base form and the Malibu having a four in base form and starting at similar pricing points.

I don't have to drive one to know it is a sales disappointment. The Aura is selling slower than the L200/300 that it replaced. So I don't think having enough dealers is that much of an issue.

Don't get me wrong, I am a true fan of Saturn but if GM wanted to take it upscale than GM should have did it right.

The Aura will be a direct competitor to the Malibu.

What was GM's goal with the Aura? There was talk of the Aura taking on TSX, Passat and other upscale makes but GM didn't push the Aura in that direction. What it did was push it right onto the Malibu's toes.

[haypops]

I don't have to drive one to know it is a sales disappointment. The Aura is selling slower than the L200/300 that it replaced. So I don't think having enough dealers is that much of an issue.

Don't get me wrong, I am a true fan of Saturn but if GM wanted to take it upscale than GM should have did it right.

I believe the number of Saturn dealers are down considerably since the departure of the L series.

Aura sales are almost 6000 units in July, the Malibu is only not much greater at 9000 units.

[jbartley]

then again.... who'd pay 40k for a Passat?

haha, suckers! and people who life to visit their VW dealers at least once a month.

[The O.C.]

"Upscale" doesn't have to be defined in terms of engine size, but also equipment level, styling, performance, comfort, and build quality. If the AURA were truly a more "premium" vehicle than its mainstream Epsilon mates, a four-cylinder wouldn't be a problem.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

I'm reading that Aura's sales are relatively poor. Why is that? The only thing I think that car is missing is a little rear seat and cargo space (especially given the longest-in-class wheelbase, which usually has absolutely nothing to do with passenger room whatsoever contrary to popular opinion, but this is front-drive car), but still...And the only other reason I can think of for poor sales is the lack of Saturn dealers, that is only in certain locations. Aura is not meant to do Chevy Malibu's job in chasing Camry, Fusion, Altima, and Accord. That is Chevy Malibu's job, and the Aura is meant to be a more upscale car than Malibu and it should stay that way. Point is, I see a lot of Aura's unlike what the sales records say.

[haypops]

Point is, I see a lot of Aura's unlike what the sales records say.

A couple of weeks ago I was at th local Chevy/Buick dealer waiting for my car to finish its warranty repairs. I saw two Saturn Aura cars parked next to each other in the short term (customer) parking area. They were two different but innocuous colors (perhaps beige and silver). Next time I looked in that direction there were three young ladies in business attire (high heals, skirt, and jacket). They were carrying brief cases. After a few minutes conversation they drove away. My suspicion is that they are GM corporate people (factory reps?). Perhaps GM is using the Aura for company cars to get the out in the public's eye.

I hope I don't have an over active imagination. :AH-HA_wink: