Better as a Buick? Buick Astra Rumor Reignited

Better as Pontiac instead of Buick.
Buick Pontiac GMC makes more sense with Pontiac=Sport & Performance, Buick=Refinement & Near Luxury, and GMC=Professional Grade.

GM is trying to too hard to make Buick a "jack of all trades" in order to fill the hole left by killing off Pontiac.

As I recall, the Astra was underpowered and overpriced. Those are two big whammies, not even counting the fact it was a hatch. So, no surprise that it didn't sell as a Saturn.

It was good looking, though.

I thought the Astra was a really good car and suggested it to several people. They basically said no way to a Saturn. I tried to explain but no use.

Not sure if being a Buick will help either. The people that will like this car won't like Buicks and the people who like Buicks won't like this car.

I agree, the astra was a bit expensive, the darn fixed price on the Saturns, they should have fixed the price a bit lower. And probably a bit underpowered but the biggest problem was they didn't advertise it at all.

The current insignia is the replacement for the old Vectra which was basis for Malibu/Aura. Its a better car becuase its a NEWER car, that's how things work in the auto industry. as for "much better"? That's a stretch. Aura and Regal were well styled sedans. Both handle well, both are quiet, the Aura was much faster. The Buick has better materials (as to be expected from a next gen car) and more luxury kit (to be expected with a higher price)- and the Buick isn't selling better than the Aura used to so I'm not sure how IL determined that Saturn had no success with the Aura.

The Verano looks plain and awkward. Every brand on a roll stumbles at some point (see Cadillac SRX, Audi A8, Hyundai Tuscon). Buick was about due.

I wouldn't go near a Verano unless it had a stick shift. I could see myself in a larger car with an automatic, but the relatively small Verano calls for a stick. Hey, if they can put one in the Regal, they sure as hell ought to be able to put it in the smaller car. There would probably be more takers, also. If the engine is at least adequate.

This car as a Buick makes as much sense as the Cimmaron did for Cadillac. In this case, the car itself may not be bad...but not a Buick. I think firstwagon nailed it "The people that will like this car won't like Buicks and the people who like Buicks won't like this car."

I'd like to see this car, but with the current lineup, I see it as more of a Chevrolet. A sportier compact, in coupe form, as an alternative to the sedate Cruze sedan. Just don't stick it with 138HP Crapmotor. Base engine the 2.4DI with the 2.4DI Turbo (the real 260HP) optional on the SS.

I always thought the Saturn Aura was a really good looking car when I saw them (few and far between though). But it's hard to see a Buick hatchback.

"I wouldn't go near a Verano unless it had a stick shift."

The turbo will have a stick, not the base 2.4L however.

chrisa:

The price point of the Astra would be too high for Chevy. People already think the Cruze is too expensive. The Astra would be equipped like the Verano and cost more than the Cruze- probably $30k loaded. I dont think any Buick will offer the 1.4L turbo- the Verano will have 177hp standard.

That's definitely the car I'd drive if I lived in a flood-prone area. :D

This is from the AutoExtremist

"GM. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Long before the "old" GM did its pirouette into bankruptcy, I suggested in my "too many divisions, too many dealers" ranting that GM would ultimately be best served by focusing on just two divisions here in the U.S., Chevrolet and Cadillac. Buick would be one of GM's "global" nameplates that would continue to thrive in China, and GMC would then go away in favor of a full line of higher-end Cadillac-based SUVs. Given the amount of time GM marketers still spend on justifying the existence of their divisional offerings in relation to their other divisional offerings, before they even think about their competitors, maybe it's time to revisit the two-division strategy. - PM"

http://www.autoextremist.com/on-the-table1/

This guy has been right so often in the past...he has spent his life in the auto industry and is the son of a GM engineer and had been a GM ad exec.....the guy knows what he talking about.

I would love to see this. What is wrong with a hatchback? I wish we had more to chose from. We need to get out of this suv rut.

There arent a ton of American branded hatches so it seems like a smart move to me. The Astra had numerous problems when it a Saturn- limited engines and mediocre mileage were chief amongst them. It was also WAY more expensive than the discounted Ion had been so people balked at the price. As a Buick they can start this car at $23k or so without a problem. Plus Buick has the Verano for people who want a sedan layout. With the Cruze and Sonic, Chevy doesn't need this car.

Vibe re-incarnated?

I like the idea of a "new" Astra...just not as a Buick. So to echo the above comment, I don't see a lot of AMERICAN (don't know about the other global markets) Buick buyers wanting a car like this and vice versa. I am sure you could argue the whole "brand perception" thing ad nauseum. For me anyway, it was the same with Hyundai and especially Kia. But they have given me a reason to reevaluate them and accept their new products as legitimate. I am not there yet with Buick.

If it drives anything like the astra pictured, id love to give one a spin. That car, to add to ed124c's assertion, didn't just look good, it drove awesome.

It could have used more power, but I felt that 140 was good enough....it needed an extra cog in the tranny though. And an auxilary port....