The Saturn Aura was a mid-size car produced under the Saturn brand of American automaker General Motors. It debuted as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in January 2005. The production model of the Aura was shown at the 2006 New York Auto Show in April, with production commencing in North America in the summer of 2006 for the 2007 model year. The Aura replaced the Saturn L-Series, which was discontinued after the 2005 model year. Although Saturn had never intended to use the Aura name for the production vehicle, the name ended up sticking as a result of the popularity of the concept.
The Aura was considered an important model for both Saturn and General Motors. It was part of a product rejuvenation for Saturn intended to make the brand profitable as well as competitive with European imports. Reaction to the Aura was positive, both in terms of reviews and sales.
The Aura marked the first time since the mid-70's that GM's German division Opel had products sold in the United States. The Aura was based on the Opel Vectra midsize sedan.
The concept used a 252 hp (186 kW) 3.6 L V6 and a new 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission. That powertrain was offered in the production model known as the XR. Also introduced was the 3.5 L V6 with 219 hp (163 kW), down from 224 in 2007 in the XE, and the hybrid 164 hp (122 kW) 2.4 L inline-4, down from 170 hp (127 kW), in the Greenline. The Aura, developed on the GM Epsilon platform, was available only as a sedan and is built at the Kansas City, Kansas, Fairfax Assembly plant.
This vehicle was discontinued after the 2009 model year as a direct result of the Saturn division being terminated for that same year. It was later revealed that a second-generation model based on the Vectra's replacement, the Insignia, was due to be released. However, with the discontinuation of the Saturn marque, the Insignia was offered to Buick, who released it as the fifth-generation Buick Regal.
Read more about Saturn Aura: Engines, Reception, Yearly American Sales
Famous quotes containing the words saturn and/or aura:
“From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Pregnant women! They had that weird frisson, an aura of magic that combined awkwardly with an earthy sense of duty. Mundane, because they were nothing unique on the suburban streets; ethereal because their attention was ever somewhere else. Whatever you said was trivial. And they had that preciousness which they imposed wherever they went, compelling attention, constantly reminding you that they carried the future inside, its contours already drawn, but veiled, private, an inner secret.”
—Ruth Morgan (1920–1978)