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GM's Lambda crossover vehicles are selling well, yet the company has decided to cut one of three shifts at its Lansing plant where the vehicles are produced. The move will cut 1,000 jobs by the end of the year, of which 497 were temporary anyway. The remaining 510 low-seniority workers will either be sent to another plant, or they will enter the jobs bank. The Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook, and GMC Acadia have sold at an average of 13,000 units per month for the past few months, and the Enclave has been sitting on dealer lots just a bit less than a month before selling. The Detroit News quoted GM spokesman Tom Wickham as saying that demand is not slacking, and that the third shift was viewed as a temporary measure to meet initial demand for three vehicles.
The introduction of the 2008 Saturn Vue is the latest element of the Saturn's ongoing product overhaul. In the wake of the Sky, Aura, and Outlook, we had high expectations for the all-new Vue. Gone are the outgoing model's clunky styling, cheesy faux grille, plastacular body panels and ho-hum street presence. In its place, we're given a smart-looking, well-packaged Opel Antara clone that's positioned as an obvious step up from its predecessor. Sure, the old Vue had some things going for it -- after its last facelift it had a decent-looking interior, and despite its outward visual shortcomings, it offered plenty of useful cargo room -- but it just wasn't very exciting in the grand scheme of things. Its departure is decidedly unlamented, and we eagerly accepted the keys when GM entrusted us with a spanking-new Vue Red Line for a week. Read on to see how well the newest Saturn lives up to the hype.
click above image to view gallery of the 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line
The second generation of General Motors' original hybrid SUV has arrived, and it's still the cheapest hybrid SUV on the market, but just barely. The $24,795 price slides under the Ford Escape Hybrid by only $280. The new mild hybrid Vue Green Line being introduced this fall is the first of a trio of hybrid variants that will appear over the next two years. This time next year, a Two-Mode hybrid version will appear, followed by a plug-in version the following year.
For now though, the belt-alternator-starter (BAS) system has been optimized to yield a couple more miles per gallon. The Vue has earned a rating of 25/32 mpg city/highway under the new 2008 EPA test procedures, which is quite a feat considering most hybrids saw their fuel economy drop with the EPA's new testing procedures. Combined with a 19 gallon gas tank the Vue can cruise for 585 miles on the highway, which should be enough to outlast most bladders. For those with a more limited purchase budget, a non-hybrid 2.4L four cylinder Vue is also available now for $21,395. Update: GM verified that the Vue hybrid is in production and they will still arriving in dealerships over the next few weeks. By Mid-November they should be widely available at all Saturn dealers. [Source: Saturn]
According to what are being described as "well placed sources," General Motors is planning to introduce a Targa version of the Pontiac Solstice in the first half of 2009. Known internally as the GMX627, the Solstice Targa would sport two removable roof sections that will somehow be stored within that diminutive trunk.
The Targa is rumored to begin production in January of 2009 at GM's Wilmington plant, with about 10,000 units being built annually. The debut would likely happen at either the 2008 SEMA show or soon afterwards at the Los Angeles show that same year, and it will likely coincide with the redesign of both the Solstice and Saturn Sky.
And what about the Solstice Coupe? Reportedly a hardtop Solstice is still being planned. A convertible, targa and coupe model would certainly flesh out the Solstice line nicely and make the RWD hot rod more appealing to a wider audience.
GM has a huge hit in the current generation Opel Astra, and the General is well into the development of a replacement for the compact hatch too keep the good times a-rollin. The next-generation Astra will likely be made in multiple locations for markets like the US and it will be one of 13 global products to ride on an updated Delta platform. If the Opel E-Flex concept ever hits production, it may not be alone. A GM engineer told Automobilwoche that the next Opel Astra will also employ hybrid technology, which would give the small car Prius-like mileage. Saab may also be getting a small hybrid from the same platform, with the US market a near definite.
The US is just getting the Saturn version of the Astra this fall, and we in the States will get the newer version of the Opel's little hit, too. The success of the Euro Astra makes its Saturn twin the best small car effort GM has made in years, and North America's largest automaker will likely pull out all the stops to make sure the hatchback hits its target. Since the newest Saturn hasn't even launched yet, it's premature for GM to announce hybrids on the next-generation architecture. We're hoping battery power is part of the general's North American plans, but since the US is much more receptive to hybrids than Europe, the green powerplant makes too much sense not to duplicate here in the States.
click above image for more views of the Saturn Astra
While Ford chose to rehash the compact Focus with a dubious restyling instead of giving us the highly regarded European Focus, Saturn has gone the opposite direction with its smallest model. It has picked up the Opel Astra, swapped out the Opel badges for Saturn ones and announced an on-sale date. Americans can pick up an Astra as soon as their New Years Eve hangover wears off on January 2nd, 2008. Saturn had already previously announced pricing for the Astra which won't come in a stripper low-ball model, but is pretty nicely equipped at the base price of $15,995. The Astra comes standard with six air-bags, ABS and traction control, moisture sensitive automatic wipers, key-less entry, cruise control and a very European driving experience.
click above image to view all the new 2008 Saturn VUE Red Line pics
General Motors released a new batch of 2008 Saturn VUE Red Line official images today, which we've gallerized for you while taking a peek for ourselves. The last VUE Red Line was loved by owners, though there weren't that many. For 2008, Saturn at least has a better canvas with which to work thanks to the European market Opel Antara that's the basis for this new VUE. GM's 3.6L VVT V6 producing 257 HP and 248 ft-lbs. of torque at a low 2,100 RPM doesn't hurt, either. While the design is still very boy racer, at least it doesn't look comical like the last VUE Red Line. The best way to tell you're looking at a Red Line rather than a normal VUE is that front bumper, which on a Red Line version incorporates a very large lower grille flanked by two more smaller intakes with integrated driving lights. This bumper ups the aggressive factor of the little CUV, but also lowers its ground clearance to that of a sedan. A six-speed automatic does dividing duty in the VUE Red Line, while your choice of front- or all-wheel drive is available. Pricing starts at $27,395, though if sales don't immediately eclipse the old model, we bet an incentive or two might be placed on the hood.
We've got a 2008 Saturn VUE Red Line in the Autoblog Garage as we speak, so look for a review and more live shots of the vehicle soon.
The new Epsilon II based replacement for the Opel Vectra is now expected to make it's official debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, and the first interior shots have now surfaced. A pretty much camo free prototype was nabbed while testing in Colorado and the photographer managed to get some shots of the interior. Judging from this mule it looks like the new Opel will have an interior almost identical to the GTC concept that was shown at Geneva this year.
In addition to a whole new look, the Vectra is also likely to get a different name. The new sedan will probably be called the Insignia, although it's likely to retain the Aura name when it shows up at Saturn dealers in 2009.
We don't get it. Saturn has done an amazing job transmogrifying itself into a productive division for The General, and people are wistful for the Saturn of yore? In internet parlance, WTF? Three years ago, it would have been apt to predict that Saturn would be nearly done circling the drain by now and well on its way to the same fate as Oldsmobile. What has in fact happened has been an impressive brand renaissance, invigorated by GM's smart utilization of its global operations. Jerry Garrett opined in the September 5th Wheels section of the New York Times that GM's realignment of Saturn amounts to quietly smothering the brand with a pillow and then swiping its identity. Saturn's communications director Kyle Johnson shot back a reply on the GM FastLane blog, and it all makes for fascinating reading.
We'd like to point out that global asset and platform sharing has been going on for decades at GM. It's really no big thing that Saturn is selling Opels. Heck, the Chevette was an Isuzu Gemini, and who can forget the final Pontiac LeMans? Platform sharing has been going on for a very long time at all of the big three, we're not sure why Saturn's excercise of the practice is such news to Jerry Garrett. Kyle Johnson delivers a pretty good dope-slap of a reply, too. It's always entertaining when the fur flies on the interweb.
The Chevy Volt concept that debuted this past January in Detroit has generated more buzz than any concept in recent memory, mainly because of outrageous gas prices, coupled with the fact that GM is working its tail off to get one built by 2010. To generate the same level of buzz across the Atlantic, team GM is prepping an Opel version of the battery-powered green-machine. The two models will vary in design, and the Opel will likely produce electricity via a diesel powerplant instead of a small gasoline engine. The European model will also charge in about half the time of the Volt, as its 220v capability can take twice the juice as our sorry American 110v infrastructure.
Since the Volt and Opel variant are both built on GM's next generation global small car platform, there is a strong possibility that the Opel version will give hints at the design of the next generation Astra. That's important to us here in the States due to the fact that Saturn will likely sell an exact duplicate of the small car. You may have to take a few days off if you plan on keeping up with the progress at Frankfurt at the end of September, there will be a lot of news, and we plan on covering all of it.
The General's chief product guru, Bob Lutz, responded to questions regarding GM's reliability in the company's FastLane Blog's most recent video Q&A chapter. According to Lutz, who cites comparisons to company "H" and company "T" as being perpetual reliability yardsticks, GM has aimed at making every component throughout the automaker's brands "bulletproof," including the engines, transmissions and every mechanical part imaginable.
The move began about four or five years ago, and despite high ratings in J.D. Power and Associates initial quality reports, Lutz explains that all the money spent was in an effort to "shoot for infinite life," as opposed to what Lutz calls, "100,000-mile bogies."
When the Pontiac Solstice hit the market last year, there was enough electricity surrounding the new model in GM's "Excitement" division to power a small mid-western town. That buzz has apparently dropped off in quick order. Whereas before, dealers were tacking on huge markups, there are now reports of $1,000 being thrown on the hood of Pontiac's beautiful, bulbous roadster.
An article in the New York Times outlines a number of reasons for the recent sales slump, which include sales of the Saturn Sky rallying, Pontiac's brand perception waning and fashion victims, whose tastes change quicker than their Platinum card balance, losing interest in a vehicle that is becoming more commonplace.
Historically, highly stylized sports cars and convertibles have a short shelf life and that, coupled with the introduction of the GXP variant of the Solstice, may be the biggest culprits in the recent sales decline.
Although the German tuner Irmscher wasn't kind enough to provide us a press release in English (a Google-translated version is after the jump), we were able to decipher a small amount of information about its newest Opel creation. Utilizing the already capable two-liter turbocharged Ecotec four in the Opel GT (aka Saturn Sky) the firm was able to boost power up to 315 HP, although no torque figures were available. Additionally, they didn't explain how the extra 45 ponies were released, but we'd stand to guess that some revised intake plumbing and ECU tweaks were employed, along with the firm's stainless steel dual exhaust.
The exterior receives a new front lip and 19-inch GT-Star aluminum wheels, wrapped in 245/40 ZR 19 tires, while the interior gets a mild makeover including a leather-wrapped wheel and seats. The GT also sits a bit lower to the ground, but again, no details were given on how this was achieved.
The Saturn Astra may be the most exciting all-new small car to hit US shores in some time. The Opel version of the Astra is one of the most popular compacts in Europe, which is saying something when you consider all the great small cars available overseas. While Europeans are OK with paying a premium for smaller vehicles, we in the US tend to equate value with size or performance, so price point is key.
To see if the Astra is priced right for you, go no further than the Saturn website, where a mini-brochure awaits your perusal. While priced higher than entry vehicles from Honda, Toyota, and Ford, the Astra will focus on refinement and features instead of volume. The base XE five-door will sell for $15,995, the upscale XR five-door retails for $17,545, and the option-rich three-door stickers at $18,495. Options include 18' rims (three door only), stability control, and a dual panel sunroof. The entry price is still a little higher than the competition, but with gas prices affecting buyer's decisions, now is as good a time as any for the General to unleash the Astra on the buying public. From everything we've heard, the Astra should be far superior to any small car GM has ever produced for US consumption, and that's a good thing.
The Saturn Astra hasn't even hit production, but Car and Driver has already named the three-door version of the small hatch the safest car in the US under $25,000. This point becomes interesting when considering that NHTSA hasn't even crash tested Saturn's still unreleased model, but the European NCAP has. While the NCAP testing is worth precisely zero here in the States, the Opel version of the Astra was named the safest small car in all of Europe, beating, among others, Volkswagens that scored a Five Star NHTSA rating for side impact collisions. Since the Opel and Saturns are identical save for different badges and tires, the General has scored a PR victory before the first Saturn Astra left the assembly line.
The stylish and fun to drive (based off the Opel) Saturn Astra has almost been a forgotten launch for GM, with the release of the updated CTS and Malibu, but this small car represents a huge win for GM and its customers. It also magnifies the fact that we still can't get the European Focus Stateside.
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Autoblog Podcast #80
