Report: Saturn/Opel To Share Platforms by 2014

PARIS — General Motors' top executive in Europe says the Saturn and Opel brands will be virtually interchangeable by 2014 following a seven-year consolidation of product portfolios.

"From now on, whenever we develop a vehicle, we have to make sure we can export it to the U.S. and vice-versa," Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, told Ward's Auto.
GM already has said the 2008 Saturn Vue will be the same as the new Opel Antara, and the new Opel Astra will replace the Saturn Ion.

According to Ward's, the Saturn Astra will go into production in fall 2007 at GM's plant in Antwerp, Belgium. The line will include three- and five-door hatchbacks, but no sedan is planned.

The Opel Antara will be imported from South Korea, while the '08 Saturn Vue will be assembled in Mexico, supplier sources told Inside Line. Both models were developed initially in Korea by GM-Daewoo.

Saturn won't get the new Opel Corsa compact, which is just being introduced in Europe. But GM executives told Automotive News that the next-generation Corsa, due in about five years, likely will be rebadged as an entry-level Saturn in North America.

Likewise, the midsize Opel Vectra sedan and Saturn Aura will be consolidated on a common platform, with common sheet metal, but probably not until 2009 or later. The Aura is just rolling into U.S. showrooms as a 2007 model but is expected to be redesigned for model-year 2010.

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