At next month’s 
In addition, Opel will unveil the new Insignia ecoFLEX that promises to offer lower CO2 emissions and reduced fuel consumption without compromising on performance. Although the German automaker hasn’t given out any further details, expect to see the same kind of modifications on the Insignia as with other ecoFLEX variants in Opel’s range, including improved aerodynamics, the addition of low rolling resistant tires, a longer axel ratio and reduced weight.
The things people are capable of doing just to obtain the feeling that they may actually win something is truly amazing. Like, can you imagine yourself bending over and kissing a car just to take part in a competition that you have less chances of winning than being stuck by lightning? Sadly, as Saturn’s Kiss My Astra competition proves, there are plenty of folks out there who don’t seem to have any problems of the sort. -ContinuedIn any case, Saturn’s competition has now entered its last phase where online viewers can view the twenty finalists and vote for their favorite Astra-kissing picture at 'saturnkissmyastra.com'. Only one of them will actually win the Grand Prize – a new Astra of course, with the next five runner-ups winning $300 gift cards and the remaining finalists receiving $100 worth of gift cards and the glory of having their face on the internet.
The all new fourth generation Opel (and Vauxhall, Saturn, Holden - forgive us if we forgot to mention any other GM brand...) Astra will make its world debut as a five-door hatchback at next year’s Frankfurt Show but the German automaker has already begun teasing us initially with a pair of sketches and now, with a set of real life photos showing the 2010 Astra covered in a white veil.
Based on GM’s latest Delta platform, the new compact hatch will be insired from the recently launched Insignia as Opel wants to take the 2010 Astra more upmarket setting new standards in its class. “The Opel Insignia has newly interpreted the mid-size segment. Now, with its dynamic design and innovative technology – much of which has been the preserve of higher-class vehicles before now – the new Astra generation will continue the pioneering role of its large model brother,” said Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer at GM Europe “To put it in a nutshell, the next Astra will carry the spirit of the Insignia into the compact class.” -Continued
Opel says that the Astra’s all-new chassis will be mated with equally new engines designed following the right-sizing concept that combines high low-end torque with moderate fuel consumption. Technical gizmos such as the ‘Opel Eye’ camera system that recognizes traffic signs warning the driver and the adaptive headlamp system will come straight from the Insignia.
After the European launch of the 5-door Astra in late 2009 – early 2010, Opel will take the wraps off the sportier 3door GTC at the Geneva Show in March 2010 which will be followed shortly after by the sedan, station-wagon and coupe-cabriolet variants. Expect to see the Saturn badged and this time,
Opel’s British arm Vauxhall, has released the first teaser images of the all-new 2010 Astra ahead of its official launch at next year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Although Vauxhal/Opel’s pictures of both the five-door (black) and the three-door GTC (white) Astras are kinda… sketchy, expect to see an evolutionary styling seasoned with design cues from the firm’s latest model, the Insignia. Inside, GM’s European subsidiary said that the next generation Astra will feature a ‘wrap-around interior with a wing-line sweep that links the instrument panel to the door’. -Continued Mark Adams, GM Europe’s Vice President of Design said: "The present Astra already combines a high level of technical substance and emotional styling, but with the new car we are taking a big step forward in both respects, while emphasising its sporting credentials."
The new Astra will be based on GM’s latest Delta platform and according to Opel/Vauxhall, it will be offered with a new range of engines designed to maximize fuel economy. On the technology field, the Astra will benefit from a series of systems that were launched in the Insignia, including the Front Camera System, which combines traffic sign recognition with a lane departure system, and the next generation Adaptive Front Lighting (AFL) that provides nine unique light beams to improve visibility.
In
General Motors will be sending letters to more than 944,000 owners worldwide, 857,735 of which are located in the MAKE / MODEL - YEAR
A prototype version of the forthcoming 2009 Opel Astra has been snapped at the 
The 2009 Astra is based on General Motor’s new global Delta platform, which also underpins the electric-hybrid Chevrolet Volt. Seen here in five-door trim, the Astra will be adorned with styling cues from the new Insignia both inside and outside. The range will also include a sleeker, more sporty three-door version, plus a station wagon, a sedan and a cabriolet with an electric-folding hardtop. -Continued
Powerplants will stretch from GM’s all-new 1.4-liter turbo to a 2.0-liter turbcharged engine developing at least 250HP in the top-spec OPC / VXR model. The 1.4-liter turbocharged engine will be offered in 2010 with outputs ranging from 120 hp to 140 hp and torque values of 175 to 200 Nm. It is estimated that this unit will deliver an approximate 8% improvement in fuel consumption compared to the naturally aspirated 1.6 and 1.8-liter engine that it will replace.
Via: Autoblog.nl , Source: Autojunk.nl
An Ohio-based company called Advanced Mechanical Products or AMP for short is developing an all-electric version of Saturn’s Sky roadster equipped with twin brushless DC motors (one for each back wheel) that are powered by lithium phosphate batteries. According to AMP, the Sky EV should be able to go from 0 to 60mph (96 km/h) in about 5.7 seconds and on a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h). The company has already started accepting pre-orders for the first 300 vehicles but before you head over to AMP, learn that the conversion costs $25,000, and that of course, does not include the price of the Sky. See the video of the prototype model running up and down a street after the jump. -Continued
Via: Autoblogreen , Link: AMP
If anything else, we have to hand it to GM for at least trying to create a variety of products that confront the energy problems and the changing Currently, GM is testing 11 Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles at the GM proving grounds in
The Vue Plug-in Hybrid that’s set to arrive into the market before the end of 2010 will be equipped with a modified version of GM’s familiar Two-mode Hybrid system that uses a battery, a gas engine and a hybrid transmission to move the vehicle.
Via: GM's Fastlane blog
These are the first official images of the 5door hatchback version of Opel’s highly anticipated mid-size model. As you can see for yourselves in the pictures we’ve added after the jump, even when placed side-by-side, it is hard to tell apart the sedan from the hatchback variant of the Insignia. In any case, both models look the part and if GM execs have any sense left in them, they’ll find a way to bring the Insignia ASAP into the The length of both the sedan and hatchback, at 4,830 mm, and the wheelbase of 2,737 mm remain the same, but obviously the 5door version will be a tad more practical than its 4door sibling. From the beginning, the Insignia will offer seven engines coupled with six-speed transmissions while some versions will also be available with a new 4x4 system. -Continued
The four gasoline engines range from a four-cylinder 115hp unit to a V6 with 260 hp while the three new direct-injection turbo-diesels feature a displacement of 2.0 liters and power outputs ranging from 110 to 160 hp.
According to Opel, prices for the
