Rumormill: Buick Astra coming in 2011?
Further bolstering rumors that the Buick brand is set to receive rebranded products from GM’s European Opel division are reports from GM Inside News indicating that a small car based on the Astra platform - initially planned for the now-defunct Saturn brand - has been transferred to Buick’s entry-level luxury division.
Assuming these rumors are true, we can expect to see the new Buick in North America in late 2011 as a 2012 model. At this point, nobody is sure if the car will show up as a hatchback or as a sedan or what the car will be named. Skylark anyone? No?
We’re hardly convinced this is good news for Buick. While Buick-GMC dealerships that are about to lose the Pontiac brand might disagree with our take, we have to wonder if an entry-level Buick might compete with upper-level versions of the upcoming Chevy Cruze. Sound familiar to anyone else?
[Source: GM Inside News]