General Motors Corp.?s effort to revitalize the lineup of its import fighting brand Saturn has resulted to the injection of European blood into the brand?s lineup. The Saturn Ion will be replaced the Saturn Astra as part of the company?s step forward.

The compact car Ion has been in Saturn’s lineup since 2003 but failed to generate much attention among car buyers. Its conservative styling is one of the reason it has not attracted the attention of young car buyers. And for that, General Motors see it fit to replace the Ion with an entirely new vehicle.

Partnering Saturn with Opel, the German automaker has resulted to Saturn being the fastest growing brand in the United States. The Saturn Vue is based on the Opel Antara, and the Saturn Sky is a rebadged Opel GT. Thus it is not surprising that the replacement for the Ion should have a connection with an Opel auto model.

The replacement for the Ion is the Saturn Astra. The vehicle is a rebadged version of the Opel Astra. While the European Astra is known for its performance, its American counterpart will not exactly share its drivetrain but the two will be resembling each other very much and that means that by looking at the Astra, American car buyers will know what to expect more or less from the Saturn Astra which will hit showrooms in the country this fall.

The Opel Astra was introduced in the European car market in 2004, a year after the Ion. Although the Astra and the Ion has almost similar dimensions, the Astra differs significantly from the Ion in terms of overall length. Although shorter than the Ion, the Astra compensates for it with a wheelbase measuring similar to that of the Ion, it still provides a roomy interior.

Critics call the Ion as an unsurprising car; in contrast, the European styling incorporated into the Saturn Astra is a breath of fresh air. The sleek and clean lines of the Astra give it an appeal hard to resist. Available in either a five-door or a three-door variant, the Astra is said to look better as a three-door hatchback. Using Saturn body kit with the Astra will further enhance its aesthetic value.

According to Saturn, the five-door variant of the Astra will come in two trim levels, the XE and the XR trim. The three-door hatchback Astra will only be offered in the top-of-the-line XR trim. This makes the three-door more attractive than its sibling. With the XR trim, it will come with a lot more standard features and sportier handling to add to its already loaded visual package.

The power of the Saturn Astra will come from a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine. Incidentally, this is smaller than the engine that used to power the Saturn Ion. Re smallest engine offered with the Ion is a 2.0-liter engine although it is supercharged. The standard engine for the Ion is a 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The 1.8-liter engine of the Saturn Astra can be paired to either a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission. The Astra will be produced in General Motors?s assembly facility in Antwerp, Belgium.