Driving Saturn's (Maybe) Future Small Car

[69Firebird400]

By Andy Bannister

03.04.2008

If the trend towards smaller cars in North America continues to grow, chances are before long Saturn will have to look seriously at offering the European Opel Corsa as its entry-level car.

The Corsa slots in below the Astra in Europe and competes with models like the Yaris, and Jazz (Fit in the US). One of its deadliest rivals is Ford’s long-running Fiesta - soon to be seen in a new version which will be heading Stateside. Another big competitor in Europe is VW’s Polo, also bound for the US market.

Roughly the size of the Korean-made Chevrolet Aveo, the Corsa is now in its fourth generation and has grown up a lot since its 1982 original, GM’s first ever small hatchback. Although principally a European product, Corsa derivatives - sometimes from previous generations - are also built in countries as far apart as South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.

I recently had the chance to drive the current Corsa, during a visit to the Portuguese island of Madeira, and was impressed by the solidity and “grown-up” feel of the car and its quality interior, a huge step ahead of its Korean-built cousin. Eventually, Corsa and Aveo will share platforms in the next generation.

In case you’ve not heard of it, Madeira is a dot of volcanic rock in the Atlantic Ocean, about 300 miles off the coast of North Africa. It combines sub-tropical vegetation with some pretty amazing scenery, being a island where every square inch of fertile soil is utilised to grow crops meaning the island is connected by a network of sometimes impossibly steep and narrow roads.

More here.

[GMusa]

I think a vehicle like this would be good for Saturn!

I still think Saturn should have the Astra sedan though!

[GMusa]

The Astra sedan looks better then the 5-door. But im a fan of the 3-door!

[NoNameDenton]

I love the Corsa, good MINI sized car and if they did a Red Line version, it would be amazingly fast

[wildgoosechase]

It's about friggin time. The greatest appeal of the Aveo is price and it competes well against the Koren brands. The Corsa will be a better match to the Fit and Versa.

[NoNameDenton]

Originally Posted by wildgoosechase

It's about friggin time. The greatest appeal of the Aveo is price and it competes well against the Koren brands. The Corsa will be a better match to the Fit and Versa.

The problem with the Aveo, is the fit and finish, and the engine is awful (fuel efficient, but still awful), the Corsa has a better interior and smoother engines

[GMusa]

Originally Posted by NoNameDenton

The problem with the Aveo, is the fit and finish, and the engine is awful (fuel efficient, but still awful), the Corsa has a better interior and smoother engines

German engineering > Korean engineering

[NoNameDenton]

Originally Posted by GMusa

German engineering > Korean engineering

That is not fair, Hyundai and Kia have made strides in engineering and quality

[t-rex]

Originally Posted by GMusa

German engineering > Korean engineering

German engineering also costs much more than Korean engineering!

I still think GM should have snapped up Proton. They could have dropped the Proton products, rebadge some Opels as Protons for ASEAN markets, and have a low-cost production base to build, say, Corsas and Astras to sell in Oz/NZ, where they'd be more price-competitive. Plus it would have given GM access to the booming ASEAN market, and it would have gotten Lotus to boot! That is, if GM could have afforded to do so!

Too bad we won't be getting this generation Corsa. Hopefully the next-gen will be just as appealing. Saturn could really use this, and the Meriva and Zafira too!

[NoNameDenton]

Originally Posted by t-rex

German engineering also costs much more than Korean engineering!

I still think GM should have snapped up Proton. They could have dropped the Proton products, rebadge some Opels as Protons for ASEAN markets, and have a low-cost production base to build, say, Corsas and Astras to sell in Oz/NZ, where they'd be more price-competitive. Plus it would have given GM access to the booming ASEAN market, and it would have gotten Lotus to boot! That is, if GM could have afforded to do so!

Too bad we won't be getting this generation Corsa. Hopefully the next-gen will be just as appealing. Saturn could really use this, and the Meriva and Zafira too!

Proton and thus Lotus are still up for sales and I heard rumors that GM is still interested, the VW-Proton deal fell through

[montrealvue]

Originally Posted by NoNameDenton

That is not fair, Hyundai and Kia have made strides in engineering and quality

Got that right! For that reason, I am leaning towards Hyundai as my next ride. I am sick of quality issues with my Vue!

[Koasterking]

The Corsa is probably the best looking small car out there. It'll be a big mistake for GM if the don't bring the next generation over here.

[69Firebird400]

It's a shame that they didn't have the foresight to make this version of the Corsa, which just hit the streets in the past year, compatible with US standards. It's a little long to wait for the next generation of a car that just hit the market so recently.

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by NoNameDenton

The problem with the Aveo, is the fit and finish, and the engine is awful (fuel efficient, but still awful), the Corsa has a better interior and smoother engines

I think the 2009 Aveo is alot better than the current one. It matches up well with the Corsa.

[D C]

Originally Posted by NoNameDenton

The problem with the Aveo, is the fit and finish, and the engine is awful (fuel efficient, but still awful), the Corsa has a better interior and smoother engines

I'll disagree. The Aveo's interior is the best in its class imho. Far better than the cheap crap offered by Toyota in the Yaris. But it suffers in fuel economy. The powertrain really isn't that efficient in comparison to its competition. Hopefully that will change with '09.