GM Recalling 275,936 Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS, Pontiac Solstice & Saturn Sky Models

General Motors has announced a recall on MY 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS, MY 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice, and MY 2007 Saturn Sky models. A total of 275,936 vehicles are involved in the recall over a faulty rear axle pinion seal that does not meet all of the specifications and may experience a fluid leak. A rear differential failure may cause loss of motive power and possibly loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008 with GM dealers replacing the pinion seal at no extra cost.

Opel Raises U.S. Saturn Astra Production By 33 Percent

Despite the puny U.S. dollar which is flirting with the 144 mark against the euro (Mon. Oct. 29, 2007), Opel has announced that it will raise production of the American Astras (badged as Saturn) by 33 percent. According to German news agency dpa-AFX, Opel had initially planned to export 30,000 Saturn Astras in 2008, but now the German carmaker expects to dispatch 40,000 units from its Antwerp plant in Belgium which starts production of the 3door and 5door compact mdodel this week. The first batch of Saturn Astras will reach American shores in December with sales starting in early January 2008.

Via: Just Auto (sub. Req.)

2007 SEMA: Saturn Astra 1.8L 160Hp Tuner Concept

With the Las Vegas SEMA Show just around the corner –doors open on Tuesday, October 30, carmakers are letting out all their goodies today. Saturn on its behalf revealed a lightly customized version of the Opel based Astra. The 3door Astra combines an engine upgade kit that lifts the 1.8L unit’s output to 160 Hp (+20 Hp) with suspension revisions and cosmetic enhancements. Among other things, the customized Astra is equipped with OPC (Opel’s sport department) accessories like the 19-inch wheels and rocker panels, Recaro bucket seats and tinted headlamps, tail-lamps and windows. -Images and details after the jump

Vehicle highlights:

• Astra XR three-door
• 1.8L Ecotec DOHC four-cylinder with approximately 160 horsepower, via exhaust header, cold-air intake and modified throttle body
• Five-speed manual transmission
• Lowered ride height
• New front and rear fascia extensions
• New grille surround finish
• Tinted headlamps, taillamps and windows
• Rear center-outlet exhaust
• Production side moldings deleted
• High-performance Recaro seats
• Unique interior trim
• Unique sill plates and parking brake handle

GM Accessories (production and concept)

• OPC 19-inch wheels (concept)
• OPC rockers (concept)
• OPC rear spoiler
• GMA pedals (part number 93183691)
• Blaupunkt sound system

2008 Saturn Astra: Drive It In Arizona On Oct. 22, 2007

Saturn is offering the chance to the public to take a closed course test-drive of the 2008 Astra compact hatch in Scottsdale, Arizona at Westworld on October 22. The Astra won’t arrive in U.S. showrooms until January 2008, so this is a good opportunity for any of you that live near Scottsdale to get a taste of the German compact hatch that’ll be offered as a three-door coupe or a five-door hatchback, both versions equipped with a 140Hp 1.8-liter engine (details here). Registrants must be 21 or over with a valid driver's license and they can bring one guest to share the experience with them. As you can understand, participation in this event is limited, so if you’re interested don’t be late in enrolling at: http://www.saturnevents.com/AstraForm.

Source: Saturn Scottsdale

UAW’s Contract Reveals GM’s Future Product Portfolio! – Cadillac CTS Coupe, H3T Pick Up & More!

We just finished reading the full summary of UAW’s contract with GM (click here) and guess what; UAW included (by mistake?) GM’s future product portfolio through 2013!!! What a #ucking booboo! The list gives us an unprecedented view of specific product commitments in 16 assembly plants across the USA. As you might have guessed, GM isn't at all happy with UAW as this information is considered highly confidential for apparent competitive reasons. We’ve included the whole list for your gratification right after the jump (click the title or below), but here are a few goodies to get you started:

• Corvette and Cadillac XLR replacements due in 2012
• Global Delta Volt beginning in 2010
• Global Delta MPV7 beginning in 2009
• Cadillac CTS Wagon to be introduced in 2009
• Cadillac CTS Coupe coming in 2009
• Hummer H3T Pick Up to be introduced shortly
• Hummer H3 and H3T replacement beginning in 2011
• Two midsize / large rear-wheel-drive cars based on the Zeta platform (Camaro) to be introduced in 2011
• Chevrolet to produce large four-door notchback in 2010

Plant	Products
Arlington, Texas	GMT 900 truck and SUV continued until 2012 C3XX full-sized truck and SUV replacement beginning 2013
Bowling Green, Ky.	Corvette and Cadillac XLR continue until 2011 Corvette and Cadillac XLR replacement product beginning 2012
Detroit Hamtramck, Mich.	Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS continue until 2010 Global Delta MPV7 beginning in 2009 Global Delta Volt beginning in 2010 Global Epsilon Chevrolet beginning in 2012
Fairfax, Kan.	Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura continue until 2011 Global Epsilon Buick and Saturn beginning in 2009 Chevrolet large 4-door notchback beginning in 2010
Flint, Mich.	GMT 900 full-sized truck and heavy-duty commercial cab until 2011 GMT 900 medium-duty truck continues until 2008 C3XX full sized truck and heavy-duty commercial cab beginning in 2012
Fort Wayne, Ind.	GMT 900 full-sized truck and light-duty commercial cab until 2011 C3XX full-sized truck and light-duty pickup replacement product beginning in 2012
Janesville, Wis.	GMT 900 full-sized truck and SUV continues until 2012 Medium-duty truck continues until 2009 C3XX full-sized truck and SUV replacement for current GMT 900 full-sized truck and SUV products beginning in 2013
Lansing Delta Township, Mich.	GMC, Saturn and Buick Lambda products continue until 2011 GMC, Saturn and Buick Lambda replacement products beginning in 2012 Chevrolet Lambda product beginning in 2011
Lansing (Mich.) Grand River	Cadillac CTS, Cadillac STS and Cadillac SRX continue through 2009 Cadillac CTS wagon and Cadillac CTS coupe beginning in 2009 Zeta products (two styles) beginning in 2011
Lordstown, Ohio	Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 continue through 2009 Global Gamma 4-door notchback beginning in 2010 Global Alpha (2 styles) beginning in 2011
Orion, Mich.	Pontiac G6 continues through 2013
Pontiac, Mich.	GMT 900 full-sized light-duty pickup and heavy-duty pickup continue through 2011 C3XX full-sized truck, light-duty pickup and heavy-duty pickup beginning in 2012
Shreveport, LA.	H3, H3T, Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon continue through 2011 H3 and H3T replacement beginning in 2011
Spring Hill, Tenn.	Chevrolet Lambda continues through 2012 Theta Epsilon SUV beginning in 2011 Next-generation Chevrolet Lambda replacement product - demand and business-case dependent beyond 2012
Wentzville, Mo.	Chevrolet and GMC large vans continue through the product lifecycle, beyond 2012 Next-generation Chevrolet and GMC large vans replacement for the current product - demand and business-case dependent beyond 2012
Wilmington, Del.	Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky continue until 2012

Saturn Announces Pricing For All-New 2008 Astra

Saturn released the pricing list on its all-new, Opel Astra based compact hatch, due to go on sale in the States this fall. The Astra will be available in the US in 5door and 3door variants, both equipped with Opel’s 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 140 Hp. Entry prices are slightly higher than most of the competition –VW Rabbit included as the basic Saturn Astra 5-Door XE (manual gearbox) will be priced at $15,995. As for the other versions, the more up level Astra 5-Door XR will start at $17,545 while the sporty Astra 3-Door XR will be priced from $18,495. So, now that you know how much it’ll cost, will the Astra find a way into your shopping list? -Press release after the jump

PRESS RELEASE

DETROIT -- The all-new 2008 Saturn Astra will not only provide a European flavor and taut ride-and-handling characteristics to the North American market but will also offer a wide range of standard equipment, safety features, and very good fuel economy for an MSRP of under $16,000.

Equipped with a DOHC 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (140 horsepower) and a five-speed manual transmission, the 2008 Saturn Astra 5-Door XE will be offered at an MSRP of $15,995. The uplevel Astra 5-Door XR will start at $17,545 and the sporty Astra 3-Door XR will be priced from $18,495. All prices include shipping and destination charges.

Standard features on all 2008 Saturn Astras include:

• 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and traction control
• Six standard air bags, including dual-stage frontal air bags; roof rail head curtain air bags and seat-mounted thorax/pelvic air bags (for front-seat passengers)
• Active head restraints
• Pedal Release System
• OnStar with one year of Safe & Sound service
• Standard tire pressure monitoring
• Rain sensing wiper system
• Remote keyless entry
• Cruise control
• Express-down power windows
• Driver Information Center
• Steering wheel controls

A Premium Trim package bundles leather upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats with manual lumbar and premium door panels for $795 on the 5-Door XR and $745 on the 3-Door XR.

A Sport Handling package, available only on the 5-Door XR, costs $695 and adds 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, StabiliTrak® vehicle stability control, lowered sport suspension and quick-ratio electro-hydraulic power steering.

An Advanced Audio package on both XR models includes a six-disc CD/MP3 player, seven premium speakers, seven-band equalizer and enhanced Driver Information Display for $595.

Optional equipment includes:

• A four-speed automatic transmission ($1,325.)
• A dual-panel sunroof on the 5-door models ($1000) - the largest sunroof in its class
• StabiliTrak® vehicle stability control ($495) (standard on the 3-Door)
• Cloth heated front seats ($250)
• Eighteen-inch wheels and tires on 3-Door models ($495).

About Saturn

Saturn, a division of General Motors Corp., markets vehicles in the U.S. and Canada through a network of about 500 retailers, with a focus on providing innovative products with solid value and excellent customer service. In 2006, the brand began a major revitalization of its portfolio with four new vehicles: the Sky roadster, the Aura midsize sedan, the Vue Green Line hybrid and the Outlook crossover. The aggressive pace continued this year with the launch of an all-new Vue compact crossover (Spring 2007) and the new Astra small car (Fall 2007).

GM Minivans Probed By NHTSA For Sliding Doors That Open While Driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating as many as 175,000 Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Saturn Relay minivans built in 2005 and 2006, due to reports that power sliding doors opened without prompting while the vehicles were on the move.

Asked about the inquiry, GM’s spokesman Alan Adler said, “We are not aware of any instances where the door opened on the open road. There have been no reports of injuries or crashes related to the doors, and the company is cooperating with the investigation”. According to NHTSA though, the agency received nine complaints of sliding doors that had a mind of their own opening at various speeds.

Via: bloomberg