The End of an Era: Reinventing Saturn

What sort of credentials does Saturn have, originally GM's economy-import fighting brand, to make a stand against the

Most of Saturn's newfound design language is derived from GM of Europe's Opel division. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

likes of Volvo, Audi and Subaru. Not much, really, but I doubt that will stop plucky little Saturn from getting a step up and taking a stab at the General's cookie jar. Most of Saturn's newfound design language is derived from GM of Europe's Opel, as well as its British outlet, Vauxhall. The upswept cat-eye headlights, the thick chrome bar with a bold centre logo in the middle of the grille opening, the flared wheel arches and strong shoulder creases running along the sides of the car, all evident in the brand new Opel Astra and shared by the Saturn Aura.

Though the Aura leans to the midsize sedan segment and the Astra is a compact hatch, it's likely that Opel, Vauxhall and Saturn will all be a big badge-swapping, panel-sharing happy family, with the biggest difference being that the Saturns will be made in North America.

So with the Sky expected to arrive in showrooms later this year and the Aura already slated for production, what else can we expect from Saturn? The 2006 VUE already shows that it is leaning towards the European flair of the Aura and Sky, but only the Red Line edition sports the new grille and chrome. The VUE is going to be completely new for 2007, and judging by spy shots it will sport the same arcing roofline and

For clues to the next ION, check out the Opel Astra and imagine a Saturn badge in the middle of the grille. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

flared wheel arches of the Aura and Opel Astra, and no doubt the rest of the front end treatment.

For clues to the next ION, check out some of the Opel Astra photos and imagine a Saturn badge in the middle of the grille. Why mess with it? It's near perfect as far as I can tell. It will likely start as a sedan in North American markets, but keep your fingers crossed for the hatchback, which in European Opel trim is trimmed out in an OEM tuner edition known as the GTC, complete with a slammed body kit just begging for Saturn's boys to drop in the Red Line's 205-horsepower supercharged Ecotec monster. Get in line!