Seconded.

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IMO, the problem with the Astra is its hatch only body style, which historically the US hasn't taken too, plus its tight and not very nicely appointed inside. And while it offers great handling, its let down but its no-go motor.

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The image transition is hurting them it seems.

Saturns were known to be cheap (purchase price), competent cars with great service.

They just lost the cheap factor and are moving upscale along with Opel.

That'd be like Hyundai making Kia their luxury brand.

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Did you just say it what tight? Have you even sat in the new Focus?

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GM is not really interested in selling a lot of Astra's. They lose money on every Astra sold because of the weak dollar and the high Euro labor cost. Its just a gap filler for the Ion. The 2010 Astra can't come quick enough for Saturn, which by the way is to be built in the North America.

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THAT'S RIGHT MAN, THEY'RE JUST INTERESTED IN KEEPING THEM ROT ON LOTS SO THEY CAN LOSE EVEN MORE MONEY ON THEM! GENIUS THINKING.

Yes, they lose money on it, but they're better off selling them without discounts, right?

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Well, gee, when you alienate your existing customers (Polymer? Gone. Wagons? Gone. Happy marketing image? Gone.), supplant them with products that are ok, but not head-and-shoulder above the competition AND THEN park the best competitor to your bread-and-butter products in your sister brand's showroom (Aura/Malibu, Outlook/Acadia), what did you expect to happen?

Basically, GM is doing to Saturn what they did to Saab. And it's playing out exactly the same way. Sheer genius.

Goddamnit, GM, can you please just can your product planning and marketing people, as well as the upper management, from Wagoner on down, that approves their work? It's painfully obvious that, no matter how good your engineers and assembly people are, you could not sell gold bricks for free.

And no, "the customers don't appreciate us" or "the media doesn't give us a fair shake" doesn't cut it as an excuse, because we've heard it all before and it's sounding a bit like a broken record. You've had at least five years to turn it around, and your senior management has proven completely incompetent. Read that again: yes, you have labour problems, and cost issues, and image issues, but your job, as management, is to provide leadership and direction to fix that. And you failed.

Rick et al presided over the loss of 10% of GM's marketshare over less than ten years. At any other company, that would mean sending them packing; at GM, apparently, that constitutes--and I'm quoting directly from the board--"the right people". If that's the right people, I'd hate to see the wrong ones.

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Wow. The most interesting thing is that Toyota Motor Sales was within 15,000 units of GM this month.

Now it makes more sense why Rick Wagner made the announcement this morning. When your sales are down 27% from a year ago, that serves as a good wake-up call.

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I went and test drove an Astra last Friday after work and I actually liked it. I had a few minor quips, but definitely the most compelling small car in GM's lineup (in the States) after the Cobalt SS Turbo. Here's why it isn't selling:

1) No advertising at all on it. None of my friends know what this car is (I told a few people that I test drove an Astra, and they were like, "a what??")

2) Kind of pricey for what you get. You can get a Focus or a Civic for less, with more features.

3) Not set up correctly for US market - should have iPod adapter and XM ready radio - I probably would have traded in my tired old 98 GMC Jimmy right on the spot if it had these things.

4) Needs about 20 more hp.

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gmcbob, the Astra also lacks cupholders which Americans are very fond of.
I say its a good thing the F150 lost its crown (which hurts to say since I own one) but now Ford and GM can see smaller vehicles are what sells now.

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I actually think the Astra isn't doing as well because of it's somewhat high price and the fact that it's not as fuel-efficient as the competition.
I actually like that it's a hatch, but my friend was shopping for a replacement for his Saab that died, and he was comparing the MPG figures for the cars he had in mind, and even the difference between the Civic and Corolla was something that almost swayed him. He had read the MPG figures for the Civic that Honda put on it's main page...which makes it seem like it's more fuel efficient than the Corolla, but the EPA numbers are actually slightly in the Corolla's favor.

Speaking of which, I really wish Honda wouldn't pull shady crap like that when everyone else puts the new EPA numbers front and center. You can only see the EPA numbers if you look at the detailed specs in a comparison, but the front page for the Civic uses numbers that appear to be Honda estimates.

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who cares - the F-150 is built with QUALITY not QUANITY, anyway remember the old saying you can't compare apples and oranges - well who care about cars vs. trucks. the F150 is still the BEST and longest lasting truck on the road today. I have one that is just about ready to turn 400,000 miles, and they are hard working miles not pleasure miles. This was a work (business) truck that ran every day when we had our business. So, who care about Mazada, Toyota and whatever. Cars are NOT trucks just like Apples are not Oranges

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I agree but Toyota needs to take out Matrix sales from the Corolla.

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Thats fair Matrix should not count.

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Thanks for the breakdown links. I cant believe the link for GM?????? Only 1000 Astra sales? What happened to the Outlook? That many people buy Corvettes every month? Is it worth making only a few hundred Escalde pickups every month?

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They keep the sales under the Fseries umbrella because until 1998 they were the same truck. The F-250/F-350 was just a beefed up version. But in 1998 they started to do two distinct trucks. But why mess with the numbers when it allows you to inflate it year after year and lets you run commercials calling it the best selling vehicle in America 31 years running? That claim is so wrong I dont know where to start.

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