Opel Astra Coupe
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Still just an illustration, but it does match recent spy shots.
Just like always, the coupe should be the best looking one of the Astra line.
With the sedan version coming over here as a small Buick, I just wonder if this coupe will end up in the US as well.
It would be great competition to the Civic Coupe.
Vince said, It would be great competition to the Civic Coupe. are ya sure vince seeing the last opel coupe (saturn) didnt compete with anybody, hell it didnt even sell ! ive seen 3 here in so cal total "in all" …. if this car does go to buick it will once again be way overpriced for its segment competition .
U could swear it looks like a Saturn I saw today.
If these didn't sell as Saturns, what is going to make them sell as Buicks? For some reason, the dopey American public has never been crazy about hatchbacks, no matter how good they are.
This looks really good. I'd rather have this instead of the Cruze.
Hmm, it looks like a Mazda back in 2005 with Kia K7 headlights.
"hell it didnt even sell"
I happen to own the coupe and love it. Why didn't it sell? 1. It's a hatch. 2. Almost no marketing for it. 3. Instead of aiming to Civic coupe or Scion TC it try to aim at Civic SI or even GTI. 4. Import from Euro means overprice in the state ($17-21k instead of Civic $16-19); by the time they throw all the incentive it's too late.
When I got it at $15k (knock down from $20k) it's the best car for the money.
I gree with the Saturn owner, they are great cars. But Buick needs to target their audience, they can't be all things to all people. If they are trying to compete with Lexus and Acura, this isn't going to draw any of their customers. Buick rejected the VUE because it wasn't their customer. While this coupe is nice, a Buick buyer probably isn't going to buy a hatchback.
Careful Buick…
Previous post is right on the money – this hatch is not quite right for North American Buick.
Even BMW and Mercedes don't market their small A-Class and 1 Series hatchbacks here.
I believe it would make sense tp quickly graft a trunk on it and load up with premium features and interior trim.
"Buick buyer probably isn't going to buy a hatchback."
I think it's pretty clear that Buick isn't going to rely solely on their existing customer. Read the obituaries. Every time someone dies of old age, there goes another Buick or Lexus customer. So there's little appeal in trying to acquire or retain their traditional demographic profile. In the 80s, Buick shook up their customer base by offering the Grand National and it became an instant classic. They can do it again. But better and with more conviction this time.
GM masterfully used their bankruptcy to eliminate 30% of their dealer network and sales force.. but as for their underperforming and multiply-branded products, all they seem to be doing since killing Pontiac and Saturn is to shoehorn those same "poor-selling" product niches into the Buick and GMC showrooms that Pontiac used to share!
The Regal/Insignia replaces G6, Astra/Excelle replaces G5, GMC Terrain replaces Torrent, and the upcoming GMC Granite will pretty much replace the Vibe and G3. If that brand and those products were so unnecessary, why are they reappearing? If this Astra batch returns as a Buick, that would be a clear indication that GM still has no idea how to market their vehicles.
Bring it as a Chevy instead of the (yawn) Cruze. I don't see many Saturn Astra coupes on the road, but every time I do see one I turn my head and stare a little. It is one damned good looking car. I saw a Cruze at the local auto show and, interior design aside, it doesn't seem any more modern than the Cobalt. In other words, it looks like it's been on the market for 8 years already! Bring back the Astra Coupe, just don't throw that ugly Buick grille on the front.