The Saturn AURA Disguised As An Opel Insignia
General Motors has made it quite clear that the future of its Saturn brand is tied directly to its Opel brand. Opel is General Motor’s strongest European nameplate, having been part of the GM fold for nearly 80 years.
Saturn isn’t quite that old, about two decades in fact, and it is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of GM. Instead, Saturn is part of GM’s brand line up much as Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, and Chevrolet are as well.
Yet, unlike its other divisions, GM is still trying to maintain a distinct identity for its Saturn model line. By offering virtually the same cars Opel sells in Europe as Saturn vehicles, GM is managing to pull this off — with varying degrees of success.
The AURA represents GM’s second attempt at fielding a midsize car for Saturn, following on the heels of its lackluster L-Series. Although the AURA has received plenty of praise from automotive critics it, too, has been a sales disappointment for Saturn.
The Opel Insignia likely represents what the next generation AURA will look like. GM took the wraps off of the Insignia this past week, distributing exterior photographs of the sedan. The Insignia is larger and much more stylish than the Vectra, the car it is replacing, and it will offer all wheel drive.
In the European market, the Insignia will be offered in three body styles — hatchback, sedan, and wagon. Stateside, the sedan may be the only style offered.
The Insignia’s public debut will take place on July 22nd, for the London Motor Show, with the model in European showrooms this November. Look for the second generation AURA to debut as a 2010 model about one year later.
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3 Comments on The Saturn AURA Disguised As An Opel Insignia
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Matt Keegan on
Mon, 28th Apr 2008 12:10 pm
One more thing to add: The Opel will be sold as the Vauxhall Insignia in Britain. Vauxhall is General Motors’ British brand.
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