CarBrandLogos archive · Saturn · 2008
A European hatchback shipped to America just as the dealer network was closing.
Discover the storyPhoto: © M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Saturn Astra, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
The Astra was the last new car Saturn ever received, and it was not really a Saturn at all. GM imported the Opel Astra from Europe essentially unchanged, in three-door and five-door forms, and put Saturn badges on it for the 2008 model year in place of the Ion.
1998 Holden Astra City 5-door hatchback · Jeremy from Sydney, Australia · CC BY 2.0
02
On its own terms it was decent: a tidy front-drive compact with European steering and ride, better built than the Ion and more grown-up to sit in. But it was expensive to import, offered only with an automatic in most trims that American buyers wanted, and reached showrooms as fuel prices spiked and GM slid towards bankruptcy. Sales were negligible, and the car was gone after two model years, taking Saturn with it.
2005 Holden Astra CD 5-door hatchback 01 · OSX · Public domain
At a glance
Produced
1991–presentTechnical specification
Badge at launch
This is the marque emblem that accompanied the Astra's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.
Explore the logo history →From the journal
Lineage
Contemporaries from the 2000s
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