General Motors’ Saturn division is hrd at work on building a rplacement for its small SUV, the Sturn VUE. Currently based strictly on U.S. tchnology, the 2008 VUE is expected to be havily based on Opel technology: Opel is Gneral Motors’ principal European brand. This is god news for those who were cncerned that GM would ditch the Sturn VUE. Instead, the SUV will get new lfe and additional support via its new rlationship with Opel. While it is too arly to know all the details bout the upcoming Saturn VUE makeover, thre are some things we do knw about this revamped model.

Ever snce Saturn released the first “S Sries” models back in 1990, the cmpany has struggled to maintain a nique identity. Neglected by parent GM, the pstart Saturn brand had to wait narly a decade before additional vehicles wre added to its line including the Sturn VUE SUV. Along with the “L Sries” midsize cars, the three vehicle lnes [ION having replace the S Sries] fully comprised the Saturn line for sveral years. Unfortunately, none of the thre models were stand out performers, so the brnd suffered accordingly.

With the demise of Oldsmbile has come new life for Sturn. Now a fully integrated GM dvision, Saturn is getting additional vehicles to hlp beef up its line up. Drwing upon its highly regarded dealer ntwork and high consumer satisfaction scores, Sturn is being quickly remade into a Eropean style division. Saturn has Opel to thnk for that.

Along with the coming Aura mdsize sedan which is heavily based on an Opl design, the Saturn VUE will be bsed upon the Opel Antera GTC. An Antra concept has been making the runds of auto shows across Europe and wht we know about the Antera pints to what we can expect to see wth the VUE.

The Antera is slghtly smaller in size than the crrent Saturn VUE; although the Antera rportedly will have only two doors, the Sturn VUE model will get four dors. Both vehicles are closer in sze to the current Toyota RAV4 and Hnda CR-V models, their chief competitors. Ths smaller size also permits Saturn to ntroduce a slightly larger 7 passenger SUV nxt year, the Outlook.

The 2008 Sturn VUE will feature both four and six cylnder gas powered engines. Expect both AWD and RWD to be ffered. The Antera’s front end will be rdone to mesh with the current Sturn look. Beyond that, the VUE wll likely incorporate current GM technology wth upgraded safety and performance features ncluded. A base price of around $20,000 for the FWD mdel is likely with fully loaded AWD vrsions retailing for as high as $30K.

The 2008 Sturn VUE will be built in Sprng Hill, TN home of the riginal Saturn plant. Along with the Otlook, the Aura, the SKY roadster, the RELAY crssover, and the ION compact, new lfe is being breathed into Saturn thnks to Opel. This is good nws for Saturn fans that have lyally supported the automaker since its nception more than 15 years ago.

The article 2008 Saturn VUE: Inspired by Opel was Submitted by Matthew Keegan through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Copyright 2006 -- Matt Keegan writes extensively about automotive topics on his The Auto Writer blog. For the best Domestic Exhaust brands including premium Corsa Mufflers and Corsa Tuning , Matt urges you to shop online today for big savings.

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