The Saturn Vue Green Line is the original hybrid SUV from General Motors. Now in its second generation, boasting a sexy new restyling, it is officially the cheapest hybrid SUV on the market. Slightly. Prices for the Vue Green Line will start at $24,795, under cutting the Ford Escape Hybrid by just $280. GM has just announced that the Vue Green Line is already well into production, and should be arriving in showrooms within the next few weeks. Just in time for the holiday season!

This generation of Vue Green Line uses a belt-alternator-starter hybrid system linked to a 2.4 liter 172 horsepower four-cylinder engine. The result is 25/32 mpg city/highway under the new 2008 EPA test procedures. This makes it one of the most efficient hybrids available as well, since most manufacturers found that their hybrid vehicles were losing an average of 20% economy under the new standards. The Vue hybrid also has a sizable 19 gallon fuel tank which GM sources tell us should be good for cruising up to 585 miles on the highway.

Two more Vue hybrid variants are supposed to make production in the next couple years. Next autumn, a Two-Mode hybrid version should be available, followed by a plug-in version the following year. And for those of you who like your SUV’s conventionally powered, the regular Vue with a 2.4L four cylinder gasoline engine is also available now for $21,395.

Saturn’s official press release and pictures after the jump.

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GM sources have let slip that there could be a targa top version of the Pontiac Solstice with production expected to begin as early as January. The targa will come from the same Wilmington plant that the Solstice, Sky, and Opel GT are built. GM refers to the project internally as GMX627, which should have a 2 removable roof pieces, keeping with traditional targa top form.

The targa launch date coincides with the redesign of both the Solstice and Saturn Sky, so one might hope that GM will be redesigning the trunk a bit to accommodate for 2 big roof pieces to be stashed within. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said that building hardtop versions of the Solstice and Sky would be a logical move, and would certainly go a long way in filling some obvious product gaps. Whether or not a targa top would sufficiently fill this void in lieu of a hardtop remains to be seen. According to Lutz, the targa should look identical to the concept of the Solstice coupe, which was first revealed in 2002. (Pictured in this post)

Production may be limited to as few as 10,000 units annually, and its possible the first debut venues would include SEMA ‘08 or LAIAS ‘08.

There’s been no official word on whether the Saturn Sky will be getting a targa version, but it would make sense since both vehicles are built on the Kappa platform, in the same plant. Furthermore, Sky sales are going up while Solstice sales seem to be dropping.
Keep your eyes peeled to Driver’s Life for updates.

More photos of the Solstice Coupe after the jump.

[Source: Left Lane News]
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Saturn has just announced the official sales date for the Astra, the model replacing the outgoing Ion. Starting January 2, 2008, you can drive away in a brand new Astra 3 door or 5 door hatchback starting at $15,995. Because GM has intended for Saturn products to shift upmarket, you won’t be buying a stripped down piece of junk with no options. Nope, coming standard will be six air-bags, ABS, traction control, moisture sensitive automatic wipers, keyless entry, and cruise control. The Saturn Astra of course is a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall converted to left hand drive, but retains its decidedly european flavor. Ironic isn’t it then, that Saturn’s newest tagline is “Rethink American”…
No matter, the general public won’t care after driving an Astra. With its european good looks and build quality, and a great value, the Astra could be just another step in a series of things GM has actually done right. With better looks and better economy then the outgoing Ion model, the Astra is a definite winner.

Power comes from a a 1.8-liter, 140-horsepowerEcoTec inline-four that incorporates variable valve timing. The engine itself isn’t anything remarkable, but it’s on par with other cars in its class. The engine will be mated to either a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic transmission. The Astra should therefore have decent performance and the kind of fuel consumption figures which compact car owners come to enjoy.

Now for the big question… will there be a Redline version? At this point, Saturn has remained mum about this, but we can tell you that overseas, the Vauxhall Astra VXR hot hatch boasts a turbocharged 240 horsepower engine that is capable of launching the little car into orbit. GM would be moronic not to bring over such a sweet ride.

And now,just for fun, lets watch Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson toss one around a track! (After the jump.)
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You may recall a few weeks ago there was a post about the 5 coolest cars that you could actually afford.
We pegged the Saturn Sky Redline as one of those cars. We’d love to get our hands on one and review it ourselves, but alas, here in the City of Calgary, there’s a pretty hefty waiting list at Saturn dealerships to even get a test drive. So we’ve decided to sit back and let our industry peers over at CarTV do the hard fun work.
Enjoy!

Earlier this month, GM released information and photos of their newest subcompact model, the Opel/Vauxhall Agila. This vehicle should come with a ton of cool optional features, such as stability control, and a choice of 2 small displacement gasoline engines, or a torquey common-rail diesel. The Agila should also come loaded with safety a safety package containing no less that 4 airbags. GM will also be introducing a similar vehicle to the Asian marked, though it will be sold as a Suzuki Splash. There is no word weather GM will bring the Agila over as a Saturn, but if they do, we really hope a diesel engine will be available, as diesel subcompacts are still a yet untapped niche on this side o’ the pond.

[Source: Cheers and Gears.]

We decided to have some fun tonight at Drivers Life so we compiled a list of 5 sporty, fun, yet affordable cars that would be worthy of parking in our garages.

Our decisions factored in pricing, performance, and style. For clarification, we considered anything under $30,000 USD affordable. You may not find any Porsche’s on the list, but don’t let that stop you!

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Seen here are spy photos of the Opel Vectra in light camo, set to debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Based on GM’s Epsilon II platform (also shared with the Pontiac G6, and Chevy Malibu) this car should make its way to North America as the next generation Saturn Aura. While there is no word yet on any of the drivetrain and suspension components, we can tell you that this car should appear in both 5 door sedan and wagon variants.

[Source: AutoZeitung, thanks to TriShield for the tip]
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