The next-generation Opel Vectra Wagon will be imported and rebadged as a Saturn, according to a published report. It'll join the Astra (the next Saturn Ion) as the second Opel to be sold in North America as a Saturn. Sources from GM Europe have stated that the annual sales goal for the new wagon will be 50,000 units, and that it should appear in Saturn showrooms in '08 or '09.
The car will be built on the next-generation global Epsilon platform and is expected to feature V6 power and all-wheel-drive. Everyone's mum on naming, but it's not outlandish to guess that it'll be called the Aura Wagon or something similar. According to AutoWeek, Saturn marketers are still deciding how to present the car to its new audience. It'll be positioned as either an upscale wagon or a soft-roader a la the Audi Allroad.
If we had things our way, we'd position it as a premium wagon and bolster that image with a hot Red Line variant later on. Let the next Vue (likely another Opel import, the Antara) assume the mantle as Saturn's off-roader.
No matter how GM decides to market it, the new Saturn wagon will give them a stylish, practical hauler that should have some appeal in a marketplace that has seen fuel-cost-fatigued drivers move away from SUVs.
Note: Current Vectra Wagon pictued
[Source: AutoWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jim @ Jul 31st 2006 2:36PM
It's hard to polish sandstone into something you'd want to wear to the country club. Open has been an also-ran in their own country since the 60's....
j i m
bob @ Jul 31st 2006 2:41PM
You know what would make me want it? PUT A DIESEL IN IT!!
JB @ Jul 31st 2006 2:42PM
Yay! Finally a good looking GM wagon. The old L-series was a piece of crap. The Malibu Maxx isn't a true wagon, either.
This looks good, as long as the quality is solid, and they don't price it out of sight, it should be a popular alternative to SUVs and to the import wagons, that can be expensive to operate over time. Swedish car parts are only less expensive than German car parts, which isn't saying a lot. I like the Legacy wagon, I just don't need AWD and don't like frameless windows, either. The Mazda 6 is nice but a little too small. Not a bad car at all though.
GM needs to get the Aura and Aura wagon launched pronto!
ron @ Jul 31st 2006 2:47PM
"An export version would not require any additional expenditure," he said, because "for the first time (the Vectra) is based on a global component architecture."
I find it quite amazing that in all these years GM (and Ford) have yet to implement so-called "global component architecture" throughout the wide range of products offered both here in the states and overseas, particularly in the small and mid-sized car lines.
Bill @ Jul 31st 2006 3:00PM
Good. They don't even need to change the names. Saturn Vectra, Saturn Astra. Sounds fine. The less they change, the better.
JC @ Jul 31st 2006 3:02PM
#3 Ford's been doing it for a long time with their cars, they were just not very successful. remember the escorts and contour?
GM in the past has done it too, just not very successful either... remember the Catera?
Fabulo @ Jul 31st 2006 3:12PM
Yep JC, and when they do it correctly, they do it once and let it rot. Focus anyone? They even killed the Focus SVT...
More on track with this post, I love wagons. *this* current Vectra looks good enough already. In the GM turnaround, the promise of new model is agonazing. We've been hearing about the Aura for 2 years now. And it's not out yet.
Tri-Bob @ Jul 31st 2006 3:17PM
I have to disagree with JB, I had an LW300, and loved it. The room was great and it handled well. The v6 was from Saab if I am not mistaken. This one looks pretty good as well, but I would think they'll tinker and goof it up.
Bob-o @ Jul 31st 2006 3:25PM
So why not just start seling Opel and axe the Saturn line and save tooling costs for each different brand? :)
Michael Karesh @ Jul 31st 2006 3:40PM
The Saturn brand has value. And it doesn't cost much to tool badges.
aliasfox @ Jul 31st 2006 4:29PM
I feel that Opel would have more value if it hopped to the US... import brand, German... maybe?
Saturn's known for making plastic small cars - I don't think there's too much brand value there.
P to the C @ Jul 31st 2006 4:41PM
Wow, in a couple years Saturn won't be making a vehicle I don't love. What an awesome addition to an awesome new lineup.
The Mann @ Jul 31st 2006 4:51PM
well, #12, it appears the College Educated Crowd(us older guys over 40) Like Opel. It would be a Saturn, and No More Plastic Doors.The ONLY FEAR is GM will mess things up, as per usual.
In March, they showed the Antara, 3 door radical Looking Vehicle. It "out-cools" Saturn, without being "ugly"(The Vue replacement, ro what we were told at one time)... now/ Saew a 5 door version on this site, I beleiev, in late June.... a 5 door, that looks like the stole a Santa Fe, and added an Opel grille ! WOW, what a great way NOT to get import buyers onto the lot, by making the thing look "also-ran".
Same for the Vue. They showed a decent 3 door version, yet, uglied it down, like Chrysler did with their Airflight conapcet, and gave us the ugliest car of 2006:Sebring!
Bring in some of the 3 door vehicles, keept he wild styling, and I'll stop by. Make "mom" wagons/ cars, forget it
Bowser @ Jul 31st 2006 5:35PM
"Saturn's known for making plastic small cars - I don't think there's too much brand value there."
Toyota used to be known for the same thing - small, cheap, plastic-y cars - but they evolved, just like Saturn is trying to do.
GM would be very smart to turn Saturn into the American badge for Opel automobiles.
Speaking of which, Ford should market its international cars under the Mercury badge as well.
sanjay @ Jul 31st 2006 6:24PM
Sorry to go against the enthusiasm felt for this range but here in Europe we think these things are dull, being only bought as company cars, virtually no-one buys one of these, new at least, and if they do its with at least 25-30% off list price. Basically they're terrible to drive, if you saw the recent Top Gear episode they pitched this with the 2.8 V6 turbo against the Mondeo ST220, whilst the Vectra was quicker in a straight line it just understeered & understeered, and this is the performance version! The Mondeo was considered vastly better and is perceived as quite an underrated car.
Personally I'll stick to BMW's with a real suspension design, buyers here already vote that way with the 3 series being the best selling vehicle in this class.
aliasfox @ Jul 31st 2006 6:35PM
#13
True, all of the Japanese and Korean makes started out as scrappy manufacturers of relatively poor quality cars, but what I was saying is that it would be better in the short term (and really no worse in the long term) to import a foreign brand instead of waiting for 2-3+ generations of cars before Saturn gets the same level of respect as Toyota or VW. Kind of like Saab, I guess - Better to have Saabs in the US or better to have the 9^3 sold as... say... an Oldsmobile? Such a shift represents a significant departure for the brand and it'll take some time to get used to it and for sales to pick up based on the name.
ron @ Jul 31st 2006 7:36PM
I hope they do a better job of promoting this wagon than they did the last Saturn wagon. When I turned our Park Ave in 4 years ago at lease end the Buick dealer tried to put us in a SUV. We had already made up our mind we wanted a mid-sized wagon. A Regal or LeSabre wagon would have been perfect. When I told the Buick dealer that he told me GM doesn't make any wagons of this size because there is no demand for them. I didn't know at the time that Saturn made just what we were looking for (no promotion) and apparently neither did the dealer (or he lied to me). So we bought a Merc Sable wagon and are now happy Ford product owners!
John M. Colucci, Sr. @ Jul 31st 2006 8:56PM
I caught a glimpse of this as I was on my break at work, and I could hardly wait until my lunch break to read the story.
I suppose I'm not the only one who would like it if SUVs totally disappeared one day ( today would be fine with me ). Trying to back my SC2 out of a parking space with an Escalade on one side and an Excursion on the other is a dangerous feat to attempt. Bring back the wagons. I'm a die-hard manual transmission guy, but I'd take this wagon even if it only had an automatic.
I once owned a Chevy Celebrity Eurosport with the 2.8 V-6 and a four speed slop-box. LOVED the car, but hated the transmission. It was the first year for the 4-speed auto in a front drive application, and it needed refinement. Even still, the Taurus wagon was a joke by comparison. It had a piece of vinyl covered plywood for the third seat backrest! Terrible. So I feel that GM can build a very nice wagon. But I digress. Sorry.
If this Saturn wagon comes to pass, I'll be there. Thanks for making my day!!!
naif @ Jul 31st 2006 10:11PM
bowser, gm is making all the new saturns out of opals.
Proud Japanese @ Jul 31st 2006 11:31PM
Yeah, Opels are seen as boring cars. It just goes to show how tasteless Americans are when it comes to cars. Or perhaps they never had access to a car as good (relatively speaking) as this.