The next Astra is a crucial model for GM as its launch in Europe will coincide with a launch in the U.S. where the car will be sold as a Saturn. Speaking with AutomobilWoche, a GM engineer revealed the new car will be based on the latest version of the Delta front-wheel-drive compact platform, which will eventually spawn 13 different models including a new baby Saab.
The hybrid system GM will use for the Astra is a conventional two-mode hybrid, similar to the setup used in the Toyota Prius. As for the more advanced E-Flex system, the GM insider said this won’t arrive on the market until the end of 2010, possibly in a production version of the Volt concept.
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