2007 Saturn Aura

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We’ve all seen the Aura Concept a thousand times (Bottom).
But this is the 1st official picture of the production model (Top)

And it looks like GM changed it just enough to turn it into quite a boring looking sedan.
Just look at how the front is now “not so aggressive” anymore.
And the arches around the wheel aren’t so pronounced either.

We can’t see much of the side, but I am not expecting much…

At least it’s not a leap forward compared to what is already out there. Another case of “too little too late” for GM.
Most buyers will still trust a Camry or Accord against this. They need much more compelling designs if they want buyers to give up proven Japanese quality.

But hey, this is just one picture. So maybe I’m just full of it. Who knows…

Conversation 19 comments

  1. I don’t agree Vince.

    They’ve made some very minor changes but I don’t think they impact the overall look at all.

    This is now out in the form of the newest Vauxhall Vectra in Europe, and they look rather good. Definitely my favourite over a Ford Mondeo or anything the French can produce in this category.

    (P.S. Great shots of the Audi TT… well done for getting there before the other websites!)

  2. I think this is similar to what happened to the Lincoln Zephyr. And even the Pontiac G6.

    There are enough changes in the design to completely alter the personality and the stance of the car. Now it is just OK looking, instead of standing out.
    And the Vectra is a known car. This all new Saturn has to prove itself against very tough and long established competiton.

    There is no reason why they couldn’t produce the concept exactly. It wasn’t that futuristic anyway…

    I really think they screwed up.

  3. Were all those little details that made the concept soo much cooler really that far out of reach for the production version?

  4. Vince-
    I completely agree with your take on the Aura.. It was agressive before, but now it’s another BORING Saturn.. And they (GM) think this is going to turn around Saturn? nope.. once again GM has managed any fun or style out of the car. If anyone wanted to know what NOT to do to cars, look to GM to be your leader there..

  5. Vince-
    I completely agree with you.. They’ve managed to take any of the aggressive styling out of the car and replaced it with ANOTHER BORING Saturn! If any car company wants to know what NOT to do, they should definitely look at GM and do the opposite! Wasn’t this supposed to “help” turn Saturn around? Not going to happen now..

  6. does it look bigger than the concept to anyone or is it just me. the concept has a somewhat arched roof line, this one looks like a malibu, and whatsup with the body crease as opposed to the flat surface, its going to end up looking like just another big boring sedan, with an odd front end

  7. i completely agree, whatever they did to change it from the concept was just enough to make it look like the most mundane car on the road

  8. I don’t see how people thought the concept looked aggressive, it was a boring concept too, the design is very basic and unoriginal. All they did was refine the concept, I think it looks better now in the production version. But that doesn’t mean it looks good, it has absoloutely no chance over its competition, unless it is dirt cheap.

  9. quit wining.
    there is now no reason to buy a camry or an accord. even worse a hyunday!
    AND THERE IS NO EXCUSE to buy another foreign sedan
    this will put lexus to shame

  10. There is no reason to complain about the Saturn sucking, the real problem here is “Why the hell does Saturn exist?” Does GM need yet another mid-level psuedo-luxury car/brand?

  11. D Jones…wtf? Lexus to shame? Keep dreaming.
    Anyway…I disagree with you Vince, and with just about everyone else. I think the prod version looks decent. The concept wasn’t all that great. Saturn will sell quite a bit of this to people who really want the Sky but can’t live with the impracticality of a roadster.
    Only time will tell…

  12. what about the interior? i rather liked the aura concept’s interior… the G6 concept’s interior was nicely styled; i don’t know why they crappified it for the production model.

    there’s always a redline model that might bring back some of the concept’s styling cues…

  13. No, Douchebag, there ARE reasons to buy an Accord or Camry: better quality than competitors, higher resale than competitors, better driving characteristics than competitors, better style than competitors.

    Have fun in your Ford or Chevy–don’t forget to keep your AAA card handy!

  14. I agree, the little touches seem to have made it look a bit more generic and bland compared to the concept, despite the “stylized” lighting in that production shot.

    Hopefully the interior will be good, but I’m not holding my breath.

    And the Aura was already behind the competition months ago, when Toyota announced a hybrid version of the Camry.

    Even if the Aura is set to get a hybrid version, don’t expect to see it for a few years.

  15. I agree with you ! Maybe they keep some great detail for the red-line.
    Why this flat doors and this soulder on the hood (like so many cars….) “Gm est dans la merde!”

    By the way, great website, great job !

  16. Saturn showed us the concept far too early, so now there is no surprise. We have become too accustomed to how the Aura would look. I agree with you, Vince—I understand what H. J. from London is saying, but given that GM picks the best angles to do their publicity photographs from, the car does look unnecessarily more upright than the concept.

  17. The more I look at that front, the more I am reminded of the Opel Astra H and the Chevrolet Vectra (the Brazilian one which is a four-door Astra H).

  18. You act like the Accord and Camry are any less boring. These two whitebread snoozemobiles will put an insomniac into a coma. It’s only one photo of the Saturn Aura, and it still looks like an attractive car. What’ll help the Aura is Saturn’s highly rated customer service, which is still superior to Toyota and Honda.

  19. The concept will probably become the red line, but I remember reading a GM exec saying something like, “We’ll tone down the arches and wheels a little bit, but what you’re seeing is the real deal…” and I remember thinking to myself, “Well, why tone them down? They aren’t THAT out there!!!”

    If BMW has proven to the world market anything design-wise, it’s that the wheel/tire combo and its relationship to the overall design makes the model…

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