Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, Saturn
Next-gen Saturn Astra to be built in the U.S.
To say that the Saturn Astra has not been a roaring success would be an understatement of the highest order. It's not that the Astra is an awful car, in fact it's actually quite a nice ride. The problem is that GM literally invested almost nothing to bring it here. Aside from switching the units on the gauges from metric to U.S., the rest of the interior was unchanged and that is the biggest weakness of the car. Well, that plus the fact that is is also kind of pricey for its segment. This is because it's built in Europe and it was introduced here at a time when the dollar was at record lows against the Euro.A new generation Astra is set to debut in 2010 built on the same Delta platform as the previously announced Chevy Cruze. This time around, the Saturn-badged variant will be sourced from a U.S. factory although at this point it's unknown which plant that will be. It might be built in Lordstown, OH alongside the Cruze or it could initially come from the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. The Detroit factory is scheduled to build the Volt and a Delta-based MPV. Initial volumes of the Volt will be low so it could build the Astra for a while until its volumes ramp up enough to justify another plant.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 10:48AM (8/25/2008)
The biggest problem is that there is no right arm rest for the driver!
Come on GM.
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wachoowant 4:29PM (9/03/2008)
You can get an after-market armrest w/cup holder installed by the dealer for about $200. Not including it was an oversight, but to imply that you can't have an Astra with an armrest is wrong.
tankd0g 11:07AM (8/25/2008)
Did GM do ANY marketing for this thing? I don't remember seeing a commercial for it.
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Rick 2:00PM (8/25/2008)
They did more then just change guages, they raised the suspension and gave it vanilla wheels taking away what made the Opel an dream version of what Saturn might bring over. Then, to see how lame GM made the Astra, people went elsewhere.
I can't fathom why US car makers think Americans want boring, unispired cars? Sure, there are sheep Americans who only buy domestic and will buy anything on any domestic lot, but obviously, there aren't enough US sheep anymore. Given the $25 billion dollar bailout they are begging for, it seems the domestics really are quite clueless.
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Jesda 8:58AM (8/26/2008)
Americans LOVE boring cars. Lots of Camrys, Tauruses, and Avalons out there. The Lesabre was the #1 selling full size car just a couple years ago.
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rwcmick 11:22AM (8/26/2008)
Sam,
I don't think this is correct. Every source I've talked to says that N.A. Astra prodcution will be in Mexico. According to Automotive News, it will be GM's new plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
source: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080825/ANA03/808250313/1197/TOC
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www.saturntuners.com 8:22PM (8/26/2008)
I can't wait for the new Astra Redline. That car will be FAST!
-www.SaturnTuners.com Saturn performance parts.
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