Saturn to Debut European Astra at Chicago Show

One by one, GM Europes Opels are slowly starting to trickle in to North America as a part of the revolution of the Saturn brand. Already theres the Opel Vectra-esque (but not quite Opel) Saturn Aura, the drop-dead gorgeous Sky (Opel GT), and the recently unveiled Saturn Vue (Opel Antara), but the range is about to get what might be its most important addition to date, helping GM fight the battle in the lucrative compact car segment. Yesterday, GM confirmed that the successor to the polymer-bodied ION will be the Saturn Astra (Opel Astra).

Saturns General Manager, Jill Lajdziak says, "The Astra enables Saturn to occupy a unique position in the marketplace and to strategically broaden its appeal with consumers who usually have import brands on their shopping lists. . . Saturns partnership with Opel is a natural way to expand our lineup with relevant products that will attract new buyers into our showrooms."

Intriguingly, the Astra will come to North America in five and three-door hatchback variants, which will replace the four-door sedan and quad-coupe respectively. Though Opel builds an Astra Sedan thats sold into Eastern European, South American and Asian markets, it has not been announced for North America. It would also be nifty if Saturn followed up with the Astra Wagon and Astra TwinTop hardtop convertible, and the optional panoramic windshield which is the first of its kind, featuring a windshield that stretches to the B-pillar without a crossbar.

In Europe, the freshly updated Astra is available with thirteen different engine and engine output choices, seven of which are gasoline and six being diesel. Its highly unlikely that North Americans will get the bottom end of the Astras powerplant range that consists of 1.4- and 1.6-liter EcoTec engines, as their power ratings are not competitive. If we do receive Europes engines, entry-level Astras could possibly be powered by the 1.8-liter EcoTec four-cylinder that makes 140 horsepower.

Its unknown whether or not the Astra will continue with GMs turbocharging trend - the twin-turbo 2.8-liter V6 from the Saab 9-3, the turbo 2.0 direct-injection from the Sky Redline / Solstice GXP - but theres potential for the 180-hp 1.6-liter EcoTec turbo to be offered as a mid-level upgrade, with the top Red Line spot reserved for the 240-hp EcoTec 2.0-liter turbo engine, as currently seen in the Opel Astra OPC / Vauxhall Astra VXR. We hope that GM will also consider bringing over a couple of diesels, particularly the 1.9-liter CDTI that makes 150-hp and 236 lb-ft of torque.

Because our crystal ball isnt 100-percent clear at the moment, well have to wait for more info, bound to surface sometime closer to its debut at the Chicago show in February. The Astra will arrive in dealerships during autumn, 2007.