Jill Lajdziak on the Saturn Astra
By Bill Betts
Manager, GM Blogs
Recently PodTech.net’s Matt Kelly had a chance to chat with Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak on the unveiling of the 2008 Saturn Astra at the Chicago Auto Show. Jill gives Matt a tour of the car and discusses how the Astra is the “capstone” on Saturn’s revitalization.
- Posted in Auto Shows
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
Dear Mrs. Lajdziak,
you mentioned the Honda Civic as a rival to the Astra. If you would decide also to bring the Astra as a 4-door sedan to the US, I could imagine this might be compelling to people, who otherwise might consider the VW Jetta, which is not unpopular in the States so far. The Astra’s price for sure is more competitive than the Volkswagen’s and, if I am not wrong, 4-door-sedans are not only beloved in Eastern Europe or China, but also in the USA. Referring to my information the 4-door Astra anyway will come up later this year. This would fit perfectly to the launch of the Astra in America.
edvard
I’ve had some time to really look at the Astra on various videos, pics, shows, etc etc.
My big problem with the car is that it looks fairly anonymous.Fill in the blank ( civic/Golf, Mazda 5, etc) This car will probably do ok. But there isn’t exactly a super compelling reason for a Civic driver to switch when the Astra isn’t that grand a departure from what they currently own.
I don’t think it would take a great deal of change to make this car stick out. Work on the trim details so that it has more character. Experiment with different contrasting materials on the body. Perhaps a few flairs of black plastic on the mid-section or rocker panels? Maybe an interior with some nice coloring beyond the typical grey and black. Less emphasis on the jewel headlights, which seem to have replaced most headlights on cars these days.What I’m getting at is that there isn’t a great deal off embellishment in this car that makes much of a statement other than: “hey, Saturn can sell a ho-hum car like everyone else”. Seems to me that after cars like the Sky, which is beautiful, sticking to the progressive theme might need to apply to the entire lineup, including the Astra.
I’m no designer, but as a consumer, I can’t see anything in this car that makes me really want to buy it. It is almost there, but it is missing the attention to small details that would make it sit apart from all the other generic small people carriers out there.
The Astra is a step forward from the Cobalt, which in my opinion really looks too much like a cheap econo-car rather than a true import fighter.
kurtW
Looks like a very nice replacement for the Ion. Kudos!
It would be nice to have option of a direct injection engine in this vehicle to help with low end response and fuel economy.
Phil
4-door sedan please. Better transmission please. Or this will be a medium seller at best.
Phil
Oh, and by the way, GM needs to put some skunkworks to work on a fundamental advancement of that torsion BAR suspension in the rear!
I know it costs nothing and is effective as a ’semi-independent’ unit, but assign someone to make a significant breakthrough in it’s DESIGN and TUNING so that more platforms can have A GREAT INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION ON THE CHEAP, SPREADING SAVINGS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
And stop letting people call it torsion BEAM. That sounds so weak. Come up with a real strong name like INDEPENDENT TORQUE ARM or something.
That’s all.
JoshH
While I appluad Saturn for their new models. I am perplexed as to why they are not designed, engineered and built in the US. I thought Saturn was an import fighter. No longer I guess with an Aura engineered in Germany, a Vue engineered by Daewoo and built in Mexico and now an Astra designed & engineered in Germany and built in Europe. Oh well… I’ve written the company off. Good Job GM! Very sad considering I loved my 94 SL2 which I had for 11 years.
Mark
Would love to have a turbo diesel option on the 3 door model Astra. It would be a great selling point if the car had 30’s mpg in the city and mid 40’s mpg on the highway (like the VW Jetta turbo diesel).
John
But seriously, tell us more about the Buick Dealers dismissing a rwd Buick.
Is this part of their new “We don’t really want customers, we want to follow Oldsmobile’s path into oblivion” campaign, or is there something more to it?
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
Hi Edvard,
a time ago there was a comparison test on German TV. The Astra CLEARLY gained the first place, also against the Honda Civic. For many people over here the Astra is the benchmark of the compact segment. I also was test-driving an Astra on my own. It’s really great and I could understand immediately that it belongs to the very best selling vehicles all over Europe. In Germany alone there had been sold more than twice as much Opel Astra’s than Toyota Corolla’s in 2006. You’ll be amazed, when it arrives in the US.
Like I mentioned, in my opinion, American drivers sometimes trend to overestimate Japanese vehicles. Well, these are really good, but you may ask yourself why Japanese brands never play such a big part in Europe than in the US.
If I am correct, there will be transferred 40.000 Astra’s to America at the beginning. As I believe, Saturn will be wondering how fast these will be sold out.
Very satisfied Saab 9-3 owner
Bottom Line: By all accounts, the Astra is a really appealing vehicle. Offer the 200hp engine in the Astra, and it will be in my top 3 for my next car. (The other 2 options being the 9-3 and the 9-3 sportcombi)
edvard
“No longer I guess with an Aura engineered in Germany, a Vue engineered by Daewoo and built in Mexico and now an Astra designed & engineered in Germany and built in Europe. Oh well… I’ve written the company off.”
JoshH,
This is the way most automotive companies function. Cars could not possibly be more internationally produced than they are today. For example, Toyota Camrys and Avalons are built in Kentucky using Japanese, Chinese, German, and U.S. produced parts. My 96′ Tacoma was made in a Fremont, CA plant with roughly 50% of the parts coming from the U.S. First thing you see when you flip the hood on it is a Harrison radiator with a GM icon stamped into it.
BMWs and Mercedes are made in Alabama. Nissans in Nashville TN. Toyotas in California, KY, TX, and Indiana. The water pump I replaced in my truck was made in China. The Denso starter was made in TN. I could go on and on, but in reality, no company can source all their parts from a single country if it doesn’t bring them maximum efficiency and profitability.
Gereon,
I have no doubt that the Astra will sell very well here. What’s interesting to me is from what little time I have spent in Europe, it seems like the European arm of GM and Ford have a considerable amount of loyalty, perhaps even more so than in the U.S.
Some of these cars might as well have been made by an entirely different company. The new Ford Mondeo came out recently and I’d love it if they brought that car here. Perhaps with GM deciding to start widening their international product offerings, this will become more accepted in the industry. The concept of a “world car” has been around for decades. It’d be nice to see this come true.
ted
I was at the Philly car show, and the Saturn lineup is looking better than it ddi several years ago. Buick’s lineup, on the other hand, was the most boring, totally unexciting lineup at the show ! The Buick lineup needs something a little more exciting, so someone under 60 may actually want one. How about a new retro-styled 1970 Buick GS400 ? Those were the days when Buick didn’t mean boring. If that’s too ambitious, perhaps a GS version of the Lacross ? The model line definitely needs something.
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
Hi Edvard,
thank you for your reply. I agree with you. If the latest reports are correct, I think we can anticipate the next generation Corsa at Saturn showrooms, either.
To the other direction, the Opel GT (a.k.a. Saturn Sky Red Line) will be on sale over here, soon. The first year’s production already is nearly sold out in Germany, referring to the “Autozeitung” car magazine. That’s even more remarkable, since nobody over here had a chance to look at the vehicle yet, not to mention doing a test-drive. I strongly believe, this Saturn/Opel-link is a fantastic transatlantic idea.
Rick Lupori
Just seen an article stating that the Astra 4-Door sedan and 2-door twin-top will be sold as Saturns.
Hope this is true, that only leaves the Estate and it would make a great replacement for the SAAB 9-2X with the 240 HP turbo from the OPC.
And please bring one of the three diesels over in a SAAB or Saturn.
Paul
I can think of a couple things. A six speed manual or automatic or CVT coupled to a TDI engine would do it. Adding a hybrid option to push it over 40mpg in the city would make it stick out, too.
Andre
Give me a good turbo and I’ll take it over a Civic Si and GTI anyday.
John in Buffalo
Jill,
How about a Holden Adventra wagon as a Saturn?
Bob Lutz,
How about a Holden Adventra wagon as a Chevy or Pontiac or Saturn?
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/modeloverview?modelid=22004
John in Buffalo
gary smith
Has Saturn ever made money since its introduction?
Who is this brand supposed to appeal to? Is this supposed to be a Japanese alternative line?
Remember the Geo? The world beater?
Do Saturns still have plastic doors? Or what’s the gimmick now?
Does the Vue have a Honda engine?
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
“How about a Holden Adventra wagon as a Chevy or Pontiac or Saturn?”
Hi John,
I have some doubt that it would make sense to bring over the Adventra to the US. You might recognize that this model is based on the previous Holden Commodore and consequently it’s simply too old. In addition, if I am not wrong, the demand for wagons in the US is relatively low. If there’ll be a next-generation Opel Signum, it might be useful to check out its perspectives (as a Saturn) in America, since this model is not a typical sedan or wagon, neither. See: http://opel.de/shop/cars/signum/gallery/photo/content.act?pic=1
talonsaab
The 3 dr OPC turbo is a must for NA. Offer it with a limited slip differential and the tuner crowd will go mad. Then have a factory backed drag car as well and Saturn will be on the yound crowds map for a long time. The Astra is also a great opportunity to start offering a diesel in a small car. We know you have great diesel engines. Just throw on a urea system and get it over herer. You can market it as another green line product. NA is ready and waiting for diesels.
John in Buffalo
Gereon,
The Adventra Wagon is something I’m interested in. Before we got our Saturn LW300 my wife was in love with the VW Passat wagon. But she really likes the LW300 wagon. My brother-in-law drives a Saab 9-5 wagon. In western NY state I see a lot of wagons driving around. Volvos, Subarus, BMWs, MBs, and Mazdas. I like wagons because minivans and car based SUVs are still too truck-like for me. A wagon is a car all the rest are trucks. If I wanted a truck I’d buy a truck. I know the US may not want enough wagons for GM to make them. I know we sell mostly automatic transmissions here. I’m just giving my opinion. Maybe there aren’t enough people like me for GM to make a wagon. GM gave up on minivans and they have a lot invested in the Outlook/Acadia/Enclave - but they are not what I want and they are over what I want to spend. If I was a minivan buyer then I might consider them but I could get a minivan cheaper. Look if GM can bring the Pontiac GTO here from Holden they could bring the Adventra wagon. I’m sure Bob and the important people at GM know exactly how many wagons sold in North America for the last 10 years and maybe it’s too small a segment. They know they can’t make everyone happy. A business can’t operate that way. As far as the Signum goes, it looks too small ala the Chevy Malibu Maxx.
John in Buffalo
Bwright
Jill,
I tried to alert you in your January 24th posting that the reason your division and its cars will ultimately fail is your dealer network. At the time I was trying to get someone to overlook a Honda, Nissan or another Toyota like they had and consider an American car for a change.
A bit of background, I’m an auto analyst for an investment company. As a result, literally dozens of people come to me every year asking me what they should buy and to refer them to different dealers. I have sold approximately $3mm worth of cars (many Chevys and Cadillacs) in the last 3-4 years and have never collected a cent on any of these sales. I don’t care to. I am happy to do it because I love cars and love seeing people get comfortable with a situation they are normally loathe to be involved in. The dealers in my network are like family. I am happy to support them.
In addition to this, in my spare time I write about cars. Things I have written have appeared in The New York Times, Details magazine etc. You can find more than a dozen Letters to the Editor published in Car and Driver, Automobile and Motor Trend.
Fashion magazine, V-Man is poised to publish this month my deservedly glowing review of GM’s Corvette Z06.
Pray that I am never asked to review a Saturn because I believe a review of any car should be holistic and reflective of anything untoward in the total ownership process.
The treatment one of my clients received at a New York area Saturn dealer was the most reprehensible I have ever seen in 20 years in this business. The salesman actually became belligerent when my client pointed out that his own website listed two rebates (a customer conquest and a cash rebate if you did not choose their captive finance rate). The salesman all but cursed at my client, one of the mildest people you will ever meet, who had simply asked if the rebates applied.
As I said in my January posting, Saturn, decent cars, bottom feeder dealer network. The even more disturbing thing is that that dealer was the best of a bad lot of three so this was not an isolated incident worthy of dismissal.
None of my clients will ever darken the door of a Saturn dealer again.
Not ever.
I will also make it a point to recount that experience each and every time someone says they are so much as thinking about a Saturn vehicle. With any luck they will recount it to their friends.
Gereon Langlitz (Germany)
Hi John,
thanks for the explanation, now I understand. Well, the Opel Signum looks compact from outside, actually it has just a length of 183 inches (465 cm). But nevertheless, its interior dimensions are still remarkable. If you fold down the front-passenger- and backseat, it allows you to transport objects, which are 9 ft. long. The legroom and other dimensions inside the car are comparable to those which even can be found at the luxury car-segment. That’s really amazing, when you stand in front of the Signum. You never would expect that!
Well, you said, you are not interested in Crossovers or Minivans - but on the other hand, what about the Pontiac Vibe? We saw it in person, as we visited my brother in Florida two years ago. Normally my wife isn’t keen on large vehicles, but she liked the Vibe. As I could read, its EPA-Rating is also pleasant. Couldn’t it be an alternative for you?
John in Buffalo
Bwright,
You are right about dealerships but you are Bwrong if you think it’s just one company or brand. Manufacturers have to know that the dealership is the weak link in the customer relationship. I have had serious customer service issues with several dealerships. My two worst experiences were with a local Mazda dealer and a local Honda dealer. Sales people come and go. The person you like or hate probably won’t be there the next time you go. Sometimes I wish there was a regional GM owned repair/warranty facility and all the dealerships were company owned. All employees of a dealership with customer contact have to know that they are the face of that brand and that dealership. Everything they say and do in front of a paying customer or a potential customer will have either a postive or negative effect for them, their dealership, their auto group (stand alone dealers seem to have slipped into history), the men & women who build and market the cars. Companies spend millions on advertsing and one jerk at a dealership can blow it all in 2 seconds.
John in Buffalo
Gereon,
The Vibe would be great for me as a commuter car but not as a family car it’s too small. We take vacation trips in the LW300. There are 4 of us - mom, dad, daughter & son. We pack plenty of stuff in the LW300 and also have a roof box. Inside the car we put a cooler behind the back seat. My daughter can reach back and get food out of the cooler for us to eat. So a sedan or a hatchback with fold down rear seats doesn’t fill the need.
It’s just like some guys that drive pick-up trucks. They don’t need a truck they want a truck. I don’t have to have a wagon, but I want a wagon. Sometimes you have to give the customer what they want instead of telling them what they want.
John in Buffalo
doug in everett wa
Dear Mr Lutz,
Saturn Astra sister to Opel Astra. Loved the diesel electric hybrid concept. Will GM ever follow through with it? Or will GM continue to loose market share to toyota & honda because they follow through with hybrids. Commuters and taxi drivers want hybrids. HHR hybrid & malabu & impaula would make for good taxies. Plus goverment is giving tax brakes.
Tugrul
Hi, I’m totally dissapointed that a diesel option is not offered. I owned Opel Astra 1.3 Ecotech diesel sport package, believe it or not 700mi/a tank(more than 1100 kmph). This is a real fuel efficiency!! New generation green diesels are enviroment friendly,fuel efficient,have power and extreme performance. So, why is it not offered in states? Because Americans do not deserve it, the OIL companies think. They need to sell fuel to each individuals at least once a week, not once a month! If you want a fuel efficient vehicle, you need to pay double and get Hybrid, which is bunch of BS. When I contacted saturn to find out if a diesel option will be offered near future, i was told that it will not be offered anytime soon because of the emmision regulations in the states, which is another bunch of BS. Because, like Guenter mentioned, Europe is much stricter and they require soot filter (DPF) for diesel engines, which by now are cleaner than gasoline engines. Although, it’s owned by GM, this is a real European car that offers safety,luxury,fuel efficiency.It’s small classy car,designed and built by German engineering, assembled in Belgium.
Mike
Very nice car but would a turbo diesel make it over? I would plunk down my money right away if it did make it.
guy castorani
got gasoline sl 2 saturn now.great car.now want astra diesel or nothing.i want 60 mi per gal diesel.i will wait untill its on the market.now getting 40 hiway 30 city.fiat is now comming over with astra diesel.will wait for it.had fiats most of my life.would still have fiats if they were here.guy in sarasota.p.s.have 87 alfa near 200.000.never had any break downs
snocat
Mike,
From here in canada, I agree that a Diesel would make saturn Astra stand out & sell well. I drove the Diesel in Germany, and found it nearly on par in road manners with (and its 6 gears were superior to) the VW Golf Mark IV TDi.
Disappointingly, while it’s styling will turn a few heads, Astra 2008’s planned 1.8L 140hp petrol engine has inadequate acceleration, with torque a feeble 125lb-ft. Based on this, the following would be faster off the mark than the Astra : VW Jetta 2008 2.0L Diesel [140hp, 235lb-ft], VW Rabbit 5-cylinder 2007 [170lb-ft], Mazda3 2007 [150lb-ft], even the Hyundai Elantra 2007 [136lb-ft] & Honda Civic 2007 [128lb-ft]!
Jill Ladziak at Saturn, i doubt that the Astra will poach many North Americans away from buying the japanese and german competition unless you promptly equip it with a more substantial and efficient powerplant; take a risk and bring the Diesel Astra to North America!
anthony
The 4 door MUST be launched as it will be a strong competitor for the VW Jetta…which is a top seller for VW.
Chris
Dear Jill,
I have been an avid Saturn fan since the company was first founded on the principals of good customer service, fair labor practices, and well built cars. Now that Saturns aren’t just well-made but exciting to look at and thrilling to drive, you need a major shift in your marketing strategy to sell the _product_ and not just the company.
Let’s face reality. Saturn isn’t a popular brand. Most people have either lukewarm or negative impressions of Saturn product, thanks to years of being stuck with the admirable, but pedestrian and eventually dated S-series (I would know, I owned one), or from fit & finish issues with the Ion (currently drive a Redline) and 1st gen Vue. Saturn already has a loyal customer base who are pleased with the dealerships’ outstanding record of honesty, friendliness and fairness, but the brand has to grow in order to succeed. This means appealing to all those people who think Saturns are cheap plastic appliances.
How can you do this? Steps like advertising on facebook are a major step forward. Posting some behind-the-scenes material like the photo shoot album is great, it builds a sense of inclusivity and appeals to younger generations’ postmodern sensibilities of advertisers not taking themselves so seriously. Ride & drive events are headed in the right direction too. The “Like always. Like never before” kickoff ad was fantastic and got the point across about Saturn completely replacing their lineup. But the ads that followed it were weak and required a tough and distracting ideological leap from the message of the ad to the message of the campaign. If you’re going to have a campaign message, all of the components of the campaign have to be on target!
Speaking of which, how many times has the Saturn slogan changed in the last two years or so? First there was “It’s different in a Saturn.” Then “People first.” Then “Like always.” Now it’s “Rethink American.” How long has BMW had “Ultimate driving machine?” I think in the last decade, Toyota has swapped slogans once. Saturn’s campaigns are so un-memorable and silly that I get frustrated every time I see a new one. it’s an absolute tragedy that the company has fantastic product, and yet my local dealership is still pretty empty every time I’m there.
Case in point is the Aura car of the year campaign. The Aura should be marketed at the top of your lungs as the best midsize car in its class, as proven by the car of the year award. And yet what did we get? A feel-good campaign about mailing plastic trophies, which barely showed the product, didn’t mention any product content worth remembering, and a premise which was cheesy to the point of disbelief. Did the company really mail out trophies? Maybe they did, but the style in which the people in the commercial were shot portrayed them more like actors in a transparent corporate stunt. If you want to wax warm and fuzzy about the brand, do it in a way that’s at least engaging and clever. The “Think Different” campaign planted the seeds for Apple’s shocking turnaround by making the underdog look cool without showing a single product. (Why not talk to TWBA if you want to go that direction?) Saturn already has a great reputation as a company that cares about people. Don’t lose sight of that focus, but for the love of octane, _please_ hire someone good to make an ad about, oh, I don’t know, the AURA! Or, you’ve got a halo car, now use it- make an ad that features the Sky for more than 10 seconds (the “Ideas” ad was a good start).
The Astra presents yet another opportunity to make a big splash about a fantastic product. Drumroll, please: “Clipping your nails in your car?” asks the first page of the website. No, I do not clip my nails in the car, nor is that relevant to the vehicle at all. Pay attention to driving is an OK brand message, but people nowadays *want* high-tech phone integration, music & entertainment systems, etc… in their cars, and you want to tell them to stop adjusting their iPod and drive? Honorable, but alienates a rather large segment of the car-buying public. If you want to focus on the car’s basic sportiness, driving dynamics and the like, there must be a better way to do it than admonitions about cuticle trimming.
Saturn, you could become the shining star in the GM portfolio that you were always intended to be. You have every other ingredient right, now it’s time to get out there and show em what you’re really made of.
-Chris Tipton-King
Saturn Enthusiast
PS: Your website (saturn.com) actually got *uglier* after the last redesign. Not very confidence-inspiring. Dump your current designers or design firm and get the people who did the volvo c30 site, jaguar.com, acura.com, or even chevrolet.com.
joe90
Apparently, Astra sales are so bad that Saturn is not even reporting them. If you don’t believe me just look at Autonews and you will see no sales data on the Astra. If you can’t sell a compact like the Astra during a time of high gas prices then you are in deep trouble.