Sometime last week, I was discussing the future of Saturn and the death of Pontiac with a friend. He mentioned how it broke his heart that the Saturn Astra, which just came to the stateside, will most likely be forced out of production. Of course, it is widely known that if Saturn lived to see the future, it would have eventually become the Opel for North America, featuring products from GM’s German division.
It seems like there may still be hope out there for the Astra to stay in the stateside. According to sources at GM Inside News the Astra is going to be rebadged as a Buick. Sources said that the Astra has been approved by the GM Product Board to become a part of the North American Buick lineup.
However, the Astra has not been approved for Buick in China, which enjoyed a 63.6 percent growth in the month of April.
Sources say that the Buick Astra will be built at GM’s Lordstown, OH plant or at its new San Luis Potosi, Mexico facility. Production will start in December of 2011 for the 2012 model year.
No word on whether Buick will keep the Astra name or which variants of the Astra Buick will get.
- By: Omar Rana
Source: GMI
