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When people think of Saturn, they don't think high performance red-line stuff. I think if Toyota comes out with this rumored completely hybrid-only brand, Saturn should become GM's hybrid brand.  Anyone else agree?  

ws6, its a nice thought, but not the direction Saturn is headed toward. we are finally seeing some good Saturn's (Opal's rather). I think just to survive Saturn needs some seriously good quality cars. As Jamie Kitman wrote, being the brand for people who just don't care about cars only took them so far.  

More Saturn hybrids models may be a good idea down the road, but there's a better option GM should be looking at. The re-badged Opel Astra imported to the U.S. (as the Saturn Astra) has long been available in Europe with fine turbo-diesel engines capable of 45-55 mpg. VW, Mercedes and BMW have upgraded their diesel vehicles to meet the new ultra-low emission standards; GM can certainly do the same and sell these turbo-diesel Opels (er..."Saturns") in the U.S.

The Astra is the first Saturn I've ever had an interest in buying. The advance reviews have been positive, even though this generation of the Opel Astra has been on the road overseas since 2004. The Saturn Astra, if properly equipped and marketed, will attract a wave of new customers who for years, like me, would rather have been run over by a GM vehicle than own or drive one. Overseas, there are seven different Astra body styles available, including a wagon and a new notch-back sedan, though in the U.S. only the 3 and 5-door hatchbacks are currently offered. Saturn needs to expand their Astra lineup ASAP.

The Astra (currently the 2nd best selling car in Europe) has the potential to offer many things to many buyers; everything from stingy turbo-diesels to family sedans to Redline-equipped hot hatches. If GM continues to forgo providing American customers with turbo-diesels, wagons, Redline engines and 6-speed transmissions (all readily available elsewhere) they’ll likely end up like their orphaned captive-import Opel predecessors.