According to Automotive news, sources within GM and its Opel subsidiary confirmed plans of importing rebadged Opel Astra compacts to replace the Ion at the bottom of Saturn's lineup.
Saturn's version of the Astra will probably be assembled in GM’s factory in Antwerp, Belgium. It is still unclear If GM will import only the 5door hatchback and the 3door sporty GTC models, or the whole range which consist of a station wagon and an all new coupe-cabrio model. Sales are expected to start in the US late 2007.
The Opel Astra which went on sale in Europe in 2004 is also sold in Australia from Holden. The models strong points are its design and quality interior while driving dynamics -although much better than its Japanese rivals, it lacks the interactiveness of the Ford Focus. The Astra GTC OPC (blue car in pictures) is the top of the range model, fitted with a very powerful 2.0 Turbo engine that produces 240 hp.
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