Saturn Sky Red Line, Saturn Aura among GM's New York Auto Show offerings
"It's an Opel! It's a Vauxhall! No... it's a Saturn!" Even the haters are a little excited about Saturn going all Madonna on everyone (you know, pretending she was born and raised in Europe all of a sudden). The trio of Saturns set to appear at next month's New York Auto Show stand as shining examples of models GM hopes will trigger a brand revitalization. The Saturn Sky Red Line (the planetary brand's counterpart to Pontiac's Solstice GXP), sources the family 2.0-liter, 260 hp direct-injection turbo. The Saturn Aura (which looks suspiciously like the Opel Astra), is the brand's call to the upscale, with an interior that is by far the richest in the marque's stable. And finally, the Saturn Outlook, which goes into production later this year as an 8-person crossover based on GM's new CUV platform. The Sky Red Line will go on sale this fall, and the Aura hits dealership lots this summer.
In related news, the Big Apple will also play host to the North American premiere of the Geneva Motor Show favorite, Saab's Aero-X.
(The General's full release can be found after the jump)
[Source: General Motors via WebWire.com]
BOLD NEW SATURN VEHICLES DEBUT AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Saab Aero X makes North American debut on Saab USA 50 th anniversary, Pontiac reveals G6 GXP show car
NEW YORK – General Motors will unveil a dramatically revitalized Saturn lineup with production versions of the all-new 2007 Saturn Aura midsize sedan, Saturn Sky Red Line performance roadster and Saturn Outlook crossover vehicle at the 2006 New York International Auto Show.
“Saturn’s new products demonstrate GM’s commitment to raising the bar on product execution as part of our North American turnaround plan,” said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. “Saturn’s dramatic new cars and crossovers, combined with an industry-leading positive retail experience, are a winning combination.”
The Saturn vehicles making their world debut in New York include:
- The Saturn Aura, which goes on sale this summer, brings the new design of Saturn into a fun-to-drive sport sedan, with bold exterior styling and high levels of interior refinement.
- The Saturn Sky Red Line, arriving at Saturn retailers this fall, adds extra power and performance to Saturn’s new signature roadster with a 260-horsepower 2.0L direct-injection turbo.
- The Saturn Outlook is an eight-passenger crossover vehicle that strikes an ideal balance of style, size and capability. Outlook, which goes into production later this year, is built on GM’s new crossover vehicle platform.
- A Saturn concept vehicle that will provide an indication of how the brand’s new design cues will continue on future vehicles.
In addition to the bold new Saturn production vehicles and concept, Saab will showcase its aviation heritage and Scandinavian design philosophy in the Saab Aero X concept, which makes its North American debut in New York. Saabs were first introduced in New York to the U.S. market 50 years ago. AutoWeek magazine named the Aero X concept “Best in Show” in February at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show.
“The Saturns and the Saab Aero X concept demonstrate how GM continues to leverage global resources to develop emotionally compelling vehicle designs, which is key to sustaining our product momentum,” said Ed Welburn, GM vice president, Global Design.
Conceived as a study to explore future design directions, the all-wheel-drive Saab Aero X concept features an innovative front-hinged canopy with no A-pillars, lightweight carbon fiber bodywork and a jet-inspired cockpit without conventional dials and buttons. The 400-horsepower twin turbo BioPower V-6 is fueled by 100-percent ethanol, a renewable and sustainable energy source that reduces vehicle emissions.
GM’s Pontiac brand also has plans for New York with the Pontiac G6 GXP show car. The G6 GXP builds on the clean, contemporary styling of the G6 coupe with a 270-horsepower 3.9L V-6 and a more aggressive, ground-hugging appearance and stance. The GXP show car will test both media and public reaction before a decision on production is made.
GM’s New York International Auto Show exhibit also will feature many of the products recently introduced at auto shows in Los Angeles, Detroit and Chicago.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries . In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world’s leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joshi 4:01PM (3/31/2006)
Does anyone else think that GM is obviously positioning Saturn as it's progressive, low-lux brand, to take over for Buick when all the Buick buyers, well, die?
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Paul 4:28PM (3/31/2006)
GM should be rebadging all of its foreign made cars for its US brands. That way they will have product to sell when delphi shuts down the GM US operations. Then it will be able to shut down all of its US manufacturing and just act as an importer. Not only will the product be better but we wont have to listen to the complaints of the whinny american employees.
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Joel A 4:33PM (3/31/2006)
I'm really curious to see what the Outlook looks like.
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Ryan 5:14PM (3/31/2006)
#2, I totally agree!
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Carlos 6:43PM (3/31/2006)
WHAT?? a sky redline???
I did a pre-order last year on my 2007 sky ... I'm the 1st at the dealer... I still haven't received it (they said is on transport 3 weeks ago) ... and their is a better model coming out already??
oh come on....
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Eric L. 6:51PM (3/31/2006)
#3 - Its a good bet it will be similar to the Buick Enclave.
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jon 7:27PM (3/31/2006)
i was afraid the GM wouldn't do a sky redline becuase the turbo would be too loud.
but it makes too much sense for them not to do it, eh?
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Takeo 8:02PM (3/31/2006)
Sky redline? Or a Red Skyline, that's a tough choice LOL. Seriously, Sky is a beautiful car, as is the Solstice.
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MCS 8:13PM (3/31/2006)
Carlos,
Go buy the Miata. I drove my local dealer's first Sky last Friday (my neighbor is a retail operations manager), looks aside it was awful. The motor is coarse and sluggish, the ergonomics terrible and the steering is so over boosted I could not feel the road. This is the prettiest GM car available and for me, the most disappointing.
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Carlos 8:43PM (3/31/2006)
#9 MCS .. I've thought about it a lot... but to me the miata looks like a gay car.. Don't get me wrong, I bet it drives like a $10000000000 car... but I'm also going for the looks ....
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Steve 10:24PM (3/31/2006)
I think the Sky is an amazing looking car. At the Amelia Island Concours a few weeks ago there was a display of new high-end cars parked in front of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Saturn had a bright yellow Sky parked among Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and a couple of new Bugatti Veyrons. The amazing thing was that it didn't look out place at all. It looks twice as expensive as it is.
I only had a very brief drive in a Solstice. I didn't think it drove badly, but again it was a VERY brief drive. I've owned, raced and driven Miatas for years and hold them in high regard. They are so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget what amazing sports cars they are. They are also much more practical to live with and the top operation is far superior to the Sky or Solstice. But damn, that Sky looks hot. Much nicer than the Solstice to my eyes.
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Tom Design 10:33PM (3/31/2006)
Carlos => I agree from a design viewpoint. The MX-3 is round and pretty, very gay and youthful looking. It is not an aggressive design with a determined "face" like the Sky.
My thoughts in driving, the MX-3 is just so underpowered, it really can't move out of it's own way at speed, when you wish you could take advantage of that fine suspension. And it really has to be revved to get much of a launch.
The Sky has much greater pull from the start to higher revs, and almost as rewarding a suspension with perfect 50/50 balance.
The MX-3 exhaust has been detuned from a puttery puff puff noise, to a slightly more aggressive sound. The Sky exhaust has more engine roar and throaty mechanical sound, which some people who like the muffled Asian sound, misperceive as a "coarse" engine.
Consumer Reports also uses "coarse" to describe the V6 3800 engine on the Buick lineup. The Series II is one of the smoothest idling and pulling engines with a very "signature" rumbly exhaust sound which C-R can't distinguish from the very smooth engine.
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Tom Design 10:45PM (3/31/2006)
Steve => Don't you mean the Sky looked 5 to 37x's as expensive as it is? "...Bentleys ($180-260k), Lamborghinis ($190-330k), and a couple of new Bugatti Veyrons ($1.3m)" Looking twice as expensive as it is just wouldn't be enough.
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Joshi 11:19PM (3/31/2006)
Um...Tom Design? The Miata is the MX-5, not the MX-3.
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Tom Design 9:52AM (4/01/2006)
Joshi => Thanks, late night typing and a few beers influenced that typo, but the facts checked out in my morning-after check. Thanks for the correction.
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MikeWarner 2:53PM (4/03/2006)
Anyone know if they are going to do a right hand drive Vauxhall version for the UK market?
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JC 9:45AM (4/04/2006)
I'm sure they will, it will either be an Opel or a Vauxhall. Vauxhall already has the Lightning concept in a right-hand drive model, and I imagine the announced Opel GT (same car as the Sky) will be right-hand as well.
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Mongo 2:38PM (5/08/2006)
The Sky Redline may never be as refined as the MX-5 (Miata is no more), may never have the handling abilities, build quality or resale value. What it will have is the looks, the scoot (0-60 in 5.5 seconds, or close to Boxster S territory) and, one hopes, the soul to give GM a decent product.
I am no GM aplogist, and haven't owned a GM product since I wrapped my '67 Camaro around a tree almost 20 years ago. What I've been waiting for is something like that car to come out of GM. Aside from the high-priced Corvette, this is the first GM vehicle that has stirred my interest. At least in print. Hope the drive matches the hype, and I hope they get the exhaust note right.
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