This sort of fell between the cracks in our Geneva show coverage. It's an Opel GT with a V8 of unspecified origin by performance enhancer Irmscher, and is called the Irmscher GT i40.

Now we know there's a 6.0L GM V8, and I wonder if it could fit under the hood of the Pontiac Solstice? Mr. Lutz, are you reading this? ...And thanks for the tip estreka. :)

Full story here.

Meet the Astra...soon to be docking at a Saturn dealership near you.

Inside Line drove the 2007 Opel Astra, which will be coming to the U.S. as the 2008 Saturn Astra. GM spent a lot of time perfecting the Astra's look and refining the interior with easy-to-operate quality equipment.

Read the First Drive of the Opel Astra on Inside Line.

So, what do you think of this new hatchback? Do you think it will outsell the Saturn Ion?

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

GENEVA, Switzerland – On the eve of the first press day of the Geneva Motor Show, General Motors’ European subsidiary, Opel, unveiled its GTC concept car that strongly hints at the next-generation Vectra.

GM's European head of design, Bryan Nesbitt said the GTC speaks a new design language for Opel in the future.

The GTC (short for Gran Turismo Coupe) also is intended to inject some emotion and interest in the softening premium midsize car segment in Europe.

The GTC concept is very close to the production version due within a couple of years. It uses a good amount of the existing Vectra, introduced in its current form in 2005, but is bigger and heavier.

Opel officials said they addressed all of the criticisms of the current Vectra in the concept. It features an aggressive front end with large vertical aluminum intakes that intersect the headlamps. The elements are mimicked on the rear. The sides are extremely sculptured as is the back end.

The GTC concept further represents the next chapter in Opel's interior brand identity, Nesbitt said. The interior shapes and surfaces, like the exterior, are sculpted. And the GTC goes sporty with red accents.

The GTC introduces a clever rear-seat configuration that Opel calls Flex4. The backs of both rear seats can be docked separately to the front seats via a power remote control. The seats pushed far forward create a spacious flat load floor for luggage and cargo.

The four-seat coupe is powered by a 300-horsepower, 2.8-liter V6 turbocharged gasoline engine paired with four-wheel drive.

The concept uses what looks like a matte silver finish, accented with shiny chrome trim, a scheme not planned for production.

—Michelle Krebs, Senior Editor, Industry

GM announced yet another new Saturn today. The 2008 Saturn Astra will hit the market late next year in both three-door and five-door hatchback configurations. Recently unveiled at the Bologna auto show as the Opel Astra, Saturn's version will debut at the 2007 Chicago auto show virtually unchanged.

I'm a HUGE fan of clever ideas that make sense. Here's one more:

This similar in concept to the upcoming '08 Ford Super Duty's pullout tailgate step. It's from Opel and it's a pullout bike rack (called FlexFix) for the rear of the car. It's being offered on the Opel Corsa 5-door and Antera crossover.

The only thing a bit odd is (in this application) it requires two rear license plates; one for normal use, and one for when it's pulled out to carry bikes.

Want to know what the 2008 Saturn Vue is going to look like? Then take a look at the Opel Antara. Saturn is beginning to adopt designs pulled directly from Opel's studios and this Antara will be one of them. It was introduced for the first time this morning and although it doesn't look quite as striking as the Antara GTC concept shown last year it's not bad for an SUV.

GM kept the shtick level low with nothing more than a short intro video and some words by Euro design chief Bryan Nesbitt of PT Cruiser fame. The most riveting aspect of the press conference came when Nesbitt lost place among his huge handful of index cards and stood in silence with little to say. He was no doubt hugely embarrassed, but we couldn't help but think he would have done much better if GM simply told him to go up and talk about the design of the Antara. Instead, they hand him a full deck of cards chock full of corporate jargon and tell him to make it sizzle. Kind of makes you wonder if that's how the cars get designed at GM too.

Continue reading...