Trying to buy a 2009 Saturn Astra hatchback? No? Oh, just play along, would you? Well, even if you were, now you can't. That's because there will be no 2009 Saturn Astra.
Saturn is skipping the '09 model year and jumping directly to the 2010 model. Officially, the company is holding off bringing any more of the sharp-looking but slow-selling hatchbacks because, well, dealers have more than enough '08s already on their lots to get them through until the 2010 model arrives in the fall of 2009.
But the secret reason for the skipped year was revealed to us in an exchange yesterday with a Saturn official, who admitted, "I did it for personal gain. One day I'll be on Jeopardy and will totally nail that question... (In what year did Saturn not produce an Astra...?)."
It's a master stroke of reason and good sense to be sure. But given that the response of our source would not be in the form of a question, it's ultimately futile. Foiled again, Saturn. Foiled again.
flicmod says:
11:51 AM, 01/29/09
The title is rather mis-leading, isn't it, Dan? The Astra isn't really dead... it's just skipping a production year because production volumes were too high.
jederino says:
01:07 PM, 01/29/09
Well, I will defend the clever title, because while the current model is "dead", there is a new one positioned to replace it.
billt9 says:
05:53 PM, 01/29/09
The 2009's not dead. It wasn't born in the first place. It's like... it's like... that movie The Unborn.
oooooohhhh freaky...
redliner says:
07:27 PM, 01/29/09
Will it come back to haunt me if i buy one?