The press release may say the Aura (not loving the name) is a concept to show "how" Saturn would build a medium sized sports sedan. But this Pontiac G6 sibling will probably hit dealerships in a year's time. And I don't see why not. Besides the grill/symbol placement the car is a looker. I love the dual center rear exhaust and the interior looks very nice. The release also says it will come with a 3.6-liter 250 horsepower engine with a six speed automatic transmission with manual shifting. Now why doesn't the G6 have that?! Click through for lots more pictures.

The Aura is Epsilon, meaning built from the same platform as the Opel Vectra, Saab 9-3, Chevy Malibu and Pontiac G6. Hints of the G6 can be seen in the taillight area.

Saturn will borrow heavily from Opel’s design book. The Aura “face” is very much like that used on the smaller Opel Astra.

The wheels are 19-inchers and bound to leave when the “street” version is introduced. Remember this is still a concept and will be dumbed down for human consumption (hopefully not too much).

Don’t bet on the trapezoidal center exhaust to stay with the pedestrian version, while the LED taillights and chrome bar look to make it.

This Saturn is powered by one of GM’s high-feature V-6’s, the 3.6, that can be found in cars like the Cadillac CTS and Buick LaCrosse. The engine makes 250 hp meaning that this is ready for the street. Power is brought to the road via a new six-speed auto with manual shifting abilities. This transmission should be ready for this car’s 2007 bow.

Is the green-glow going to be a Saturn signature? It definately adds to flair to the interior which is accentuated with rustica leather seats and trim. Can GM make the street version of the interior just as attractive?

Thanks for making Autoblog.com you home for all things 2005 Auto Shows. Enjoy the rest of the pics and comment-away!