Confirmed: Astra to replace ION in late '07

[Saturn69]

With no word yet of any N.A. plant spooled up to build an Americanized interior, and since they're being brought over from Belgium (at first), could we really be getting that interior? I certainly hope so, but either way, it's a keeper. The recent popularity of hatches - the MINI, the Scions, the Focus, Mazdaspeed 3 - I think this is the right car at the right time. A little utility in your compact car is a good thing, and with the looks.....oh boy.

[TaHoE]

YES! YES! YES! ...sorry, I just had a personal moment...are we getting the push-button start?

[suburbanfoo]

Will the U.S. version get that neat windshield that runs past the roof???

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by Slack

The windshield on the red car... omg. That is amazing. Oh, the visibility!

Ya know, I don't know if we'll get that option. It's pretty pricey, and with the litigious nature of our citizenry, there could be some serious problems. I know glass is a great structural member since it doesn't flex, so what's that windshield do for frontal and side impact scores? I know the Euro crash tests are pretty thorough, so it should be okay. It gets 5 stars for adult and child protection, not to hot on pedestrian, but that's why we have sidewalks.

http://www.euroncap.com/content/safe...?id1=2&id2=185

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by nsap

2007.5 Opel Astra, to compare













High-Resolutions: http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/g...500&ppuser=283

I'll post two negatives about the above pictures...

-The steering wheel looks kinda small. I know in the one picture it is at a funny angle, but it look small regardless.

-I don't like the light grey with the texture on the dashboard. It doesn't look as 'upscale' as it could...actually to me it looks kinda cheap. Maybe a darker grey would help?

[kenman923]

I can't wait to see it in dealerships. I never really was a fan of the Ion.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by TaHoE

YES! YES! YES! ...sorry, I just had a personal moment.

Need a Kleenex? hehehehehe

[Sting Ray]

sweet

[E. Haskell]

Oh heck yes -- that 3-door looks hot.

[Slideways]

It looks really tall. I bet that it would look great lowered, even on those 5-spoke wheels. The 2.0L DI turbo would make the Astra Red Line quite a package.

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by 5 watt

The 3 door I understand but the 5 door seems odd. I guess they are trying to be different than the cobalt.

Good Mazda 3 competitor.

[benroethig]

It's great for the very small group who has the same car buying tastes as Europe, but if it's sold only as a 3 and 5-door hatch, the sales figures are going to make the Ion look like some kind of industry leader.

[civilzues]

now all we need from GM is a price...
I am thinking for 15995 for XE
then 18995 for XR

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by A.J.

What I see coming on:
2-door Conv: XE, XR (This is most likely NOT going to be in the program, but it would be a nice move to compete with VW's Eos.)
3-door HB: XE, XR, Redline
4-door Sedan: XE, XR
5-door HB: XE, XR

It's nice to see that the most useful body styles are being brought over here to the US. However, I think it's odd that Saturn chose the name 'Astra' instead of 'Ion' when they picked 'Vue' over 'Antara'...

I think that the reason was basically due to the fact that the Vue name was already established here in the US and had a good and decent following. The Vue was arguably the only vehicle in Saturn's lineup that was attractive and literally carried the division for a number of years (at one point all we had was the ION, VUE and L-Series; not exactly inspiring). But the Vue sold very well --- especially after the recent update a year or two ago that kept it fresh. Because of that, it didn't make any sense for GM to simply throw that away and adapt the Antara nameplate simply for the sake of conformity and possibly alienate all those buyers.

Besides, Saturn isn't going to have exactly everything that Opel/Vauxhall has in terms of products or nameplates. The Aura is very very close to the Vectra, but it has a unique nameplate --- knowing that probably doesn't make the idea of everything lining up perfectly a necessity between the brands.

I agree with you, I'm glad that the Astra has a good number of configurations, but I hope they bring the sedan over as well. We all know the Poland plant is tooling up to sell a sedan version in Eastern Europe --- so having one shipped to the US would make sense. I applaud Saturn for offering the vehicle here on American shores, but most of us know that hatches aren't always received so well by American consumers. One of the best looking hatches out there -- the Mazda3 hatch -- still only accounts for 1/3rd of all Mazda3 sales with the sedan taking up the other 2/3rds. So obviously looks or no, sedans/3-box shapes are still the better sellers in the US.

Regardless --- GET IT OVER HERE SOON!!

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by 5 watt

The 3 door I understand but the 5 door seems odd. I guess they are trying to be different than the cobalt. It will be interesting to see how the interior will change if at all.

I think the Coblat ommission is probably only a temporary thing until either they get the plant in Poland up and runnning OR they won't offer it at all until the "all new" Astra comes online in 2010. Til then Saturn can soldier on with hatches until they either start to produce sedans to ship over or production of the all new Astra is moved to a NA plant for US consumption after 2010.

I'm just happy Saturn will have a decent product to anchor the bottom of the lineup.