jaydunn

I agree, probably looks fine to the kind of folks who would buy a Saturn. My guess is that very few folks on this forum have ever set foot in a Saturn dealership or ever will. Many people just want or need a transportation appliance and this one seems like it will be pretty nice.

LexFather

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AP
GM Hopes to Revitalize Saturn Brand

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writer Tue Apr 11, 2:28 PM ET

DETROIT - Saturn, the General Motors Corp. brand launched in 1990 as a "different kind of car company," aims to differentiate itself once again with four new vehicles that will debut this week at the New York Auto Show.
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At a press preview Wednesday, GM plans to introduce a trio of production-ready vehicles as well as a crossover concept. The company hopes sophisticated features will set the vehicles apart, from projector-beam headlights that wrap around the vehicles to matching leather on the seats, shift *****, steering wheel and door panels of the 2007 Saturn Aura sedan.

The mid-size Aura, which goes on sale this summer, has won praise for its bold styling. The vehicle shares a platform — and many design cues — with GM's Opel Vectra, which is sold in Europe. The Aura will come with a standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine and a more powerful 3.6-liter V-6 with a performance-oriented, six-speed automatic transmission, GM said. A hybrid version of the Aura also will be released later this year.

The 2007 Saturn Outlook crossover offers three rows of seating for up to eight adults but drives like a sedan. The Outlook shares many of the Aura's design elements and its premium feel, GM said. It also has a sliding second-row seat to make it easier to reach the third row. The Outlook will go on sale later this year.

Saturn is giving its Sky roadster a boost of power with the Sky Red Line, which goes on sale this fall. The Red Line has a 260-horsepower, 2-liter Ecotec engine, GM's first direct-injection offering in North America. The standard Sky has a 177-horsepower engine.

Finally, GM will debut the Saturn PreVue concept, a three-door crossover with a dramatically sloped roof and the muscular stance of a sport utility vehicle. The PreVue, first shown as the Opel Antara GTC concept at last year's Frankfurt Auto Show, continues the close collaboration between Saturn and Opel. GM said the PreVue gives a glimpse of its plans to update the Saturn Vue crossover.

Saturn has fallen on hard times since its debut because its ho-hum designs couldn't draw in buyers despite consistent praise for Saturn's no-haggle pricing. Saturn's sales were down 2 percent in the first quarter of this year. GM is determined to change that, in part because it desperately needs to turn around lagging U.S. sales.

"Saturn's new products demonstrate that GM is committed to raising the bar on product execution as part of our North American turnaround plan," Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of sales, service and marketing, said in a statement.

Erich Merkle, director of auto industry forecasting with Grand Rapids-based consulting company IRN Inc., said it's not too late to revitalize Saturn.

"Saturn is really starting from scratch," he said. "It's almost as though it's a new car company because there's nothing there."

Merkle credits GM vice chairman and product guru Bob Lutz for giving Saturn the attention it needed. Merkle said Lutz wanted to make Saturn the stylish Opel of North America and take advantage of the brand's large and loyal dealer network. GM spent an estimated $3 billion to revitalize Saturn's lineup.

Merkle said Saturn may finally have the right mix of products to take on Japanese imports and make the brand what GM always hoped it would be.

"They're not going to be Chevrolet, which is all things to all people, but they can be a very good niche brand for GM," Merkle said.

___

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In a photo provided by General Motors, the 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line is shown in an undated photo. Saturn, the General Motors Corp. brand launched in 1990 as a 'different kind of car company,' aims to differentiate itself once again with four new vehicles that will debut this week at the New York Auto Show. At a press preview Wednesday, April 12, 2006 GM plans to introduce a trio of production-ready vehicles as well as a crossover concept. The company hopes sophisticated features will set the vehicles apart, from projector-beam headlights that wrap around the vehicles to matching leather on the seats, shift *****, steering wheel and door panels of the 2007 Saturn Aura sedan. (AP Photo/General Motors)
AP Photo: In a photo provided by General Motors, the 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line is shown...
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T0ked

iTrader: (2)

The Sky is beautiful. The Aura concept was a handsome car and IMO the production is handsome in its own right. Not as agressive as the concept, but pretty good representation. Nothing some wheels and a body kit couldn't fix. Who knows, maybe the Aura Red Line?

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I don't know why such the negatives about the Aura's looks. Looks like a pretty faithful reproduction of the concept. We all knew it was going to be toned down for the public. Like I said above, new wheels, body kit (Red Line version??) and you pretty much have the concept. Fender flares and all!

mmarshall

You're free to disagree wth me, of course, but the way I see it, Merkle, LaNeve, and Lutz have it backwards. Saturn does not need to move AWAY from what it was in the 1990's....that was the formula for their success in the first place. No, in contrast, Saturn needs to go BACK to what it WAS in the 1990's.....good small cars with innovative ideas like the plastic body panels and spin-off transmission filters.

And.....those so-called 'ho-hum" Saturn designs in the 1990's DID draw in buyers....plenty of them. I was one of them, although by 2000-2001 the quality of the small-car S-Series had gone down noticeably except for the famous engine noise issue, and the Ion that replaced it was even worse.

Milla...

It will be the perfect rental, with its Micky Mouse front end.

videcormeum

Honestly - what is the deal with all the goggle-eye headlight lenses these days? It seems GM suffers from Goggle-Lens syndrome where the headlights have to be bulbous and disproportionate to the rest of the vehicle (see every sedan they currently produce).

M.