by Conor Twomey

2008 Saturn Astra  |  

I'm talking, of course, about building global cars. How is it that VW can build the Golf and Passat and Toyota is able to produce the Yaris and Corolla and both companies can sell identical all over the world without too much difficulty, while GM and Ford have never been able to find a single car to keep Asian, European, and American customers happy?

Ford's best attempt, the Focus, got off to a great start in America and looked like becoming the company's first, global, mainstream success, but in transferring production to Mexico it seems much of the quality control got lost in translation and the Euro-chic Focus' reputation ended up in the Euro-trash. For the all-new 2008 model, Ford's designers have grabbed their security blankies and designed a car reminiscent of the good-ol' Escort in terms of design and layout so a bland sedan and coupe replace the bold sedan and hatchback models. An opportunity is missed and status quo is restored.

Not to worry, though, because just as Ford beats a hasty retreat GM steps in to take up the fight. Its resurgent Saturn division is currently preparing to launch the all-new Astra, a car that's more-or-less identical to the European Opel Astra in every significant way...or so we hope. Rather than importing the car from Europe -- which it will do at launch, to get the car more quickly -- GM will build the car Stateside (in Tennessee, we understand)  and massage some of the more expensive content out to make it a more cost-effective proposition for the U.S. market. However, we're pretty sure that GM and Saturn will have learned from Ford's experience with the Focus, so what arrives on Saturn forecourts in the fall of 2007 will be much closer to its European sibling that the over-diluted Focus was back in 2000. MORE--