SATURN AURA RADIATES STYLE, REFINEMENT

[Northstar]

***Pics added at bottom***

SATURN AURA RADIATES STYLE, REFINEMENT

Dynamic new sedan features fuel-saving six-speed auto; hybrid model coming

NEW YORK – With the launch of the 2007 Sky this spring, Saturn kicks off its most extensive product revitalization to date. Next to market is the all-new 2007 Aura midsize sedan, unveiled today. Based on last year’s concept car of the same name, the Aura blends Saturn’s new European-influenced design and high levels of refinement with the brand’s customer-focused purchase and ownership experience.

The Aura’s driving character will match its refined design, with a host of technologically sophisticated powertrains and a premium sport-sedan setup. Uplevel models feature GM’s first application of a new six-speed automatic transmission mated with the 3.6L DOHC V-6, creating a powerful yet fuel-efficient package. Later in the 2007 model year, Saturn will offer the Aura Green Line, a 2.4L Ecotec-based hybrid that will use a powertrain system similar to the Vue Green Line. It marks the first application of a hybrid powertrain in a GM passenger car.

“The bold, sophisticated design of the Aura represents another step in Saturn’s revitalization,” said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn general manager. “This is a fun-to-drive sport sedan that will appeal both to current Saturn owners and to those who have never considered shopping at one of our retail stores.”

When it goes on sale late this summer, the Aura will be available in two trim levels: the entry XE model and uplevel XR. Each model is well-equipped, with premium features and interior materials among the best in its segment.

Bold new design

Based on the dramatic concept vehicle unveiled in 2005, the Aura sports sedan carries much of the concept’s bold design. Seen in other new Saturn models, such as the Sky roadster and Outlook crossover vehicle, these elements – including distinctive headlamps with jewel-like appearance and a chrome grille bar – establish a new design language for Saturn’s growing portfolio of vehicles.

“The design language of the Aura – and other new Saturn models – is technical and conveys a premium appearance,” said Clay Dean, GM design director for small and midsize cars. “From the detailed lighting elements to the edginess of the silhouette, the Aura demonstrates a revitalized emphasis on style and performance.”

Aura’s premium design cues include halogen headlamps covered in clear housings that wrap upward and around the corners of the vehicle. This expressive, jewel-like design feature shared among Saturn’s newest models adds a sense of motion to the vehicle, even when stationary. At the rear of the vehicle, LED tail lamps are employed to enhance Aura’s technical ethic while also providing an extra measure of safety. LED lamps illuminate more quickly than conventional incandescent bulbs, which can allow drivers behind the Aura to react sooner when they see the brake lamps.

Additional design details include a radio antenna integrated in the rear window, for a sleeker overall appearance, and a chrome appearance for the door handles on XR models. Standard 17-inch wheels and tires fill the wheel houses, enhancing the vehicle’s sporty, firmly planted stance. XR models come with 18-inch polished, 14-spoke cast aluminum wheels and performance tires.

Aura is available in nine exterior colors: Berry Red, Black Onyx, Bronzed Pewter, Cream White, Golden Cashmere, Midnight Blue, Ocean Mist, Silver Pearl and Techno Grey

Refined interior

A major focus of the Aura’s design is its refined interior, which sets a new standard for the Saturn brand. Premium materials with low-gloss appearance and tight tolerances throughout exhibit excellent fit and finish, while two-tone color combinations for the trim and upholstery exude contemporary style. The interior trim flows across the instrument panel and wraps around onto the door panels for a more integrated appearance. Select use of chrome trim also accents the interior.

The gauge cluster uses LED-lit analog instruments, with amber lighting and animation at startup. LEDs are also used for ambient light projected from the overhead lamp and door pocket lamps. Self-dimming theater lighting enhances the premium feel and provides added convenience at night.

Aura’s front reclining bucket seats are designed to provide firm support and comfort on long drives. Leather seating is available, including finely detailed embossed leather seat inserts with the XR’s optional Morocco Brown interior. Aura’s other interior features include:

• Automatic climate control

• Center console with dual-bin storage and automatic sliding tambour door covering front cupholders and storage area

• Driver information center

• Optional power-adjustable pedals

• Available eight-way power-adjustable driver seat

• Optional heated front seats, available in cloth or leather

• Universal home remote

• Power windows with driver express up and express down feature

• Steering wheel audio controls

• Four-panel sliding Panoramic roof

A diverse range of audio systems also is available, all from GM’s new family of premium radios that feature intuitive controls and flush mounting for enhanced refinement. A six-speaker radio system is standard and includes an auxiliary input jack for portable audio players. Saturn’s Advanced Audio System also is available. It includes an AM/FM/CD/MP3 radio with eight-speaker sound, a 240-watt amplifier and rear-seat audio controls with two wireless headphones. XM Satellite Radio is available on all models.

Refined performance

Saturn offers two powertrains at launch that provide the Aura’s power and performance for a refined on-road feel. Standard on XE models is the 3.5L V-6 with variable valve timing (VVT). This powerplant, mated with the 4T45-E, four-speed automatic, generates 224 horsepower (167 kw) and 220 lb.-ft. of torque (298 Nm ).*

The 4T45-E is a four-speed, electronically controlled, automatic overdrive transaxle with an electronically controlled torque converter clutch noted for its low noise, high durability and smooth shifting.

Uplevel XR models are equipped with the 3.6L DOHC V-6 with VVT, rated at 252 horsepower* (188 kw) and 251 lb.-ft. of torque (340 Nm).* This engine is mated with the all-new Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission, the first application of this important addition to the GM Powertrain portfolio. The transmission allows for strong performance combined with strong fuel efficiency.

In addition, the 6T70 – GM’s first application of a front-wheel drive six-speed automatic transmission – will provide the added benefit of Driver Shift Control (DSC), which enables the driver to manually shift through gears via steering wheel-positioned “paddles.”

The Aura is built on a stiff, robust chassis that serves as the foundation for a satisfying driving experience. The vehicle’s long wheelbase provides a smooth ride, while careful tuning of the suspension provides sharp and immediate response to driver input.

Safety features

The Saturn Aura is designed for strong safety performance in all measurements. A safety cage construction built into the body structure is complemented with reinforced rocker sections, as well as a reinforced front body hinge pillar and roof pillars that were designed to improve impact protection. A magnesium cross-car beam unites the lower sections of the A-pillars. It helps protect passengers in side-impact crashes and also serves as the foundation of the instrument panel. High-strength steel was used in strategic areas to augment overall structural integrity.

A comprehensive roster of standard features helps protect occupants before, during and after a crash. Aura’s standard safety features include:

Dual-stage frontal air bags with GM Passenger Sensing System: The system works with the front passenger seat and differentiates between adults – 5 th percentile females and larger – and small children or child seats to adjust air bag deployment, which can help reduce the risk of air bag-induced injuries.

Head curtain side-impact air bags: For the driver and front passenger, these air bags offer added protection for the head and thorax during side-impact crashes.

Front seat-mounted thorax protection air bags: These air bags add an additional margin of protection to front seat passengers, protecting the chest cavity of driver and/or passenger when deployed in a side-impact crash.

Front safety belt pretensioners: Deploying at the same time as the frontal air bags, they take up slack in the safety belt webbing to minimize occupant movement during a crash.

LATCH child safety seat anchors: Two lower anchors and a top tether anchor secure the child seat to the vehicle seat structure for proper installation of compatible child safety seats.

Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS: Large, 11.65-inch (296 mm) vented front and 10.63-inch (270 mm) rear rotors help provide smooth, quick and assured stopping capability. Four-channel ABS is standard on all models.

StabiliTrak electronic stability control system (Aura XR): Partnered with the ABS system, StabiliTrak provides more precise, controlled stops, as well as enhanced traction/yaw stability during emergency maneuvers.

Traction control (Aura XE): Wheel slip sensors convey signals to an electronic control module, which alters the torque output of the engine to find optimal traction in slippery conditions.

OnStar is standard on all models with a one-year Safe and Sound plan, featuring the Advanced Automatic Crash Notification system. This post-crash notification system makes crash data available to emergency services, potentially dispatching appropriate life-saving personnel and equipment to the crash scene faster. If the crash activates an air bag, the OnStar system automatically notifies an OnStar advisor, who immediately calls the vehicle and/or summons emergency help.

2007 SATURN AURA PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS

*Pending SAE certification. A new voluntary power and torque certification procedure developed by the SAE Engine Test Code committee was approved March 31, 2005. This procedure (J2723) ensures fair, accurate ratings for horsepower and torque by allowing manufacturers to certify their engines through third-party witness testing. GM was the first auto manufacturer to begin using the procedure and expects to use it for all newly rated engines in the future.

[zete]

Hey! Paddle shifters!

Nice interior.

[jbartley]

AURA i LOVE YOU!

ONE complaint, probably addressed on the red-line.

the circle of plastic around radio/AC should be METALIC!

[jbartley]

also, those guages are fantastic!

[dustin]

Very Nice, the interior is true to the concept!

[zete]

Well, that's way nicer than my 2004 CTS inside.

I wonder if we can extraplote from this to the Enclave and then to what the next gen Caddys will have as interiors.

And the Outlook has grown on my quickly. I like it, too.

The Aura should do well against a Camry. It's distinctive enough and more balanced than the Camry to the eyes.

[jbartley]

this so is on my shopping list for this summer!

dear lutz,

thank-you!

[Robert Hall]

Very, very nice..looks quality inside and out..

[Enzora]

I like it. The teaser pic scared me, but it looks so much better in these photos. The interior changes will take some getting used to, but it looks good.

[RJB]

Eh a little bland, slab sided. A nice effort by Saturn though, it still needs to be a little more altered from the Vectra. Hopefully the Redline looks more exciting.

[zbad1]

Good Lord! When did Saturn become a luxury brand? The new pair of vehicles look fantastic! Saturn sure has grown up into something beautiful!

[jbartley]

anyone feel that a NAV console can be fitted in there? as an option they'll add later (6+ mo post launch like usual?)

[PurdueGuy]

it still needs to be a little more altered from the Vectra.

Lutz already said that Saturns would look exactly like the Opels, so that's not likely...

[Robert Hall]

Good Lord! When did Saturn become a luxury brand? The new pair of vehicles look fantastic! Saturn sure has grown up into something beautiful!

Saturn is becoming the new Oldsmobile, between Pontiac and Buick.

[regfootball]

AURA i LOVE YOU!

ONE complaint, probably addressed on the red-line.

the circle of plastic around radio/AC should be METALIC!

aftermarket!

[regfootball]

wow. the interior seemed to survive!

nice.

4 speed auto in the base? BAD.

3.6vvt and 6 speed? THANK YOU.

the exterior lost a little something.........but i think its kinda distinctive.....except for the G6 rear.

Edited April 11, 2006 by regfootball

[scharmer05]

i LOVE everything but those rims....they look like $h! IMO....they would be the first thing to go if I ever bought that car....I hope they have a nice 5 or 6 spoke choice.

[CadillacCTS]

Finally GM learns that you need to put side airbags in as standard equipment! I love the interior and all the LED lighting. GM has finally listened and this car should take a bite out of Camry sales. Welcome back GM.

Edited April 11, 2006 by CadillacCTS

[jbartley]

aftermarket!

AMEN!

[pow]

Meh... I can't say I like it. The interior styling is so '90s, while the exterior is surprisingly generic. I'd take the 9-3, or even Fusion. Good effort, I guess, but it'll attract conquest buyers as well (or poorly) as the Lucerne.

[regfootball]

the saddle leather and paddle shifters are killer!

[jbartley]

i LOVE everything but those rims....they look like $h! IMO....they would be the first thing to go if I ever bought that car....I hope they have a nice 5 or 6 spoke choice.

i like how XE get 17's and XR get 18's

PLEASE be ATTRACTIVE rims!

[regfootball]

the radio and climate controls do scream cheap however

[pow]

Anyone getting a 300M vibe? For some reason, I see more FWD Chrysler than Opel.

[jbartley]

Anyone getting a 300M vibe? For some reason, I see more FWD Chrysler than Opel.

it's those RIMS, they scream sebring?

please someone chop the sky rims on there.

[4gm]

WTF?! It looks like an elephant crapped in the interior. The brown leather and faux wood together is overill. Actually all that faux wood alone is too much.

[ToniCipriani]

T H O S E

P A D D L E S

N E E D

T O

B E

I N

M Y

C A R

A N D

C A L L E D

T A P S H I F T ! ! !

Enough said.

And is it just me or GM's bad photograhy, the ride height on the front looks wierd.

[Robert Hall]

it's those RIMS, they scream sebring?

please someone chop the sky rims on there.

Technically, they are wheels..the rim is only part of the wheel.

Anyway, I see a bit of the current Stratus/Sebring in the greenhouse.

[loki]

the saddle leather and paddle shifters are killer!

agree about the leather, looks very nice.

3.5's upgrades going into the W-platform?

only thing (IMO) that looks stupid on it is the plastic fill panels in the lower grill by the foglights

i hope and forsee alot of these selling.

[VenSeattle]

the radio and climate controls do scream cheap however

You've said this before... and I just don't see it. Yes, they're in most GM vehicles, but no, they do not scream cheap. The Malibu/G6 controls scream cheap... not the Aura's.

Malibu/G6 controls

[PurdueGuy]

(now that I've finally taken the time to read all the info...)

Overall, I think this is a great car, and it will do very well for Saturn.

Dissapointments:

-no true manual tranny

-they need to find a better looking way to put on a sat. radio antenna.

[Variance]

Lookee here:

The gap is there!

The exterior is very nice. Overall, not too much a detraction from the concept.

The interior looks pretty good, too. I just don't like that ribbed background around the IP.

[Satty]

I love the brown leather and the wood, just not with the gray plastic. Something about the combination of colors seems off, it could just be the lighting. I'd rather see a pure black interior with the wood and that leather instead of this grayish color. Otherwise, me likes.

For the love of god, different wheels, please.

[FAPTurbo]

Imagine if we could fit this thing with a flux capacitor and drive it back to the 90's when Saturn debuted! I'd just love to see the reaction.

Edit: Looks like I may have an upcoming project!

http://www.monkeyrivertown.com/brains.php?ART=641

Now, all I'll need is a volunteer Aura...

Edited April 11, 2006 by Captainbooyah

[Lexcar14]

Well I love it! Notice the turn signal on the front quarter panel, just like European cars. I like it!

[Nick]

Not a bad transformation, but one thing that kinda bugs me is they kept the LED taillights and ditched the projector headlights...now, I love the taillights, but why would they ditch the projectors?

[jbartley]

You've said this before... and I just don't see it. Yes, they're in most GM vehicles, but no, they do not scream cheap. The Malibu/G6 controls scream cheap... not the Aura's.

Malibu/G6 controls

MY EYES!! MY EYES!! they BURN!

show the aura controls to soothe my eyes!

[!!!TED!!!]

The Aura looks like a real effort to compete with the Camry.

The interior color choices are a bit overboard IMO.

[Ghost Dog]

I like it. Good Job.

[C.H.U.D.]

I like it, but I heard somewhere that the headlights were to be "refined" on the productiomn version. I was so hoping that was the case.

Good job overall though. This will appeal to the masses.

[caddycruiser]

It's nice, but not as "WOW!" as it could be.

And as far as the interior, looking closely at some of those pics is worrying me...good shaping overall, but I have an inkling it might get picked apart for still being cheap in places...

[mphmag]

i'm really underwhelmed by this. It's like a slight upgrade over the G6 but not as attractive on the outside. The rear looks like the old Chrysler 300M. The interior shots show the plastic has taken over and the gauge cluster looks like poop.

notice how the wood on the doors doesn't line up with the wood on the dash.

[frogger]

I like it, except way too much wood for me, and the wheels are lame.

(Why does the driver side front look like a F1 car tire on one of the pics).

[I hope GMRULES again]

A nice car but doesn't really knock my socks of from these pics. Would like to see some pic with real mags that were not stolen from a Sebring. Like the HP increase for the 3.5, hope all the others get it.

[nyscene911]

Is it me, or does the wood look misaligned terribley where the door meets the dash. it just really bothers me, and it wouldn't surprise me to see soe people try to rip GM to shreads over little things like that...

[Cadillacfan]

Meh... I can't say I like it. The interior styling is so '90s, while the exterior is surprisingly generic. I'd take the 9-3, or even Fusion. Good effort, I guess, but it'll attract conquest buyers as well (or poorly) as the Lucerne.

I see it too. I think just because this is a pre-production mock-up.. not everything is ready.

But damn.. these are press pictures!

Oh.. and I hate GM for using the same black HVAC/radio controls! Damn you!!

I didn't think they would do it, but they made the rear-end look more like the G6.

Not liking that.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Cadillacfan

[Matt276]

Nice car, but get rid of those rims! Looks like a Sebring with them.

[Corsa]

Bravo Saturn...the Aura looks great both outside and inside.

[Sixty8panther]

Nice car... should sell well.

Here's my gripe:

GM pu$$ied out again on a manual trans. I don't want paddles or

freekin' semi-manual trans. If you're going to do something do it

right. A europens style sports-sedan wannabe without a clutch

pedal is pointless. It's like the punchline to a European joke about

us clueless Americans.

[ZL-1]

Finally some good Aura pictures!

I like the exterior: toned down from the concept, but far from watered down. The Redline should be closer to the concept.

As for the interior, the styling is kind of boring, but materials seem good from those pics. It doesn't seem well assembled though: look at the alignment of the wood on the doors versus the wood on the dash...