I was driving to the office today and pulled up along side a 2007 Saturn Aura. I’m not in the market today, but I often look at cars and think, “If I was buying a car today would I buy that one over some other car?”

I have seen a few Aura’s before, but never up close for 5 miles going down a highway. It looks like a nice midsize sedan on the outside, nice lines to it, very clean. It won North America Car of the Year so the industry likes it. When I got to the office I looked it up on www.PriceWheels.com and saw the base list price is just $22,045.00. Good gas mileage at 24/33 MPG. It really isn’t less expensive than the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord which would be my other choices. So is this the reason we don’t see more of these on the road, is the price the problem? The Aura has got great reviews from many folks and new car review sites. So what gives? If it was a Honda Aura would we see more selling? Is it the “America cna’t produce a quality car stigma?” Which brings me to my next point.

When does Saturn grow up? Saturn launched in 1990 to help GM get customers back in the fold who wanted better quality for the price. With GM posting a profit this last quarter, and Saturn seeing solid success in sales and industry mentions, will Saturn grow up to be a bigger part of the GM stable? It always has been seen as a bit of a testing ground for GM. Last quarter all GM brands car and truck sales declined, but Saturn grew 21%. I think GM should get smart and put some promotional muscle behind the brand and the Aura, given the success of the other product lines, it can’t hurt. I might have to stop in at a Saturn new car dealer on the way home and dream a bit further.