Saturn Aura Green Line: Least Expensive Hybrid
By Michelle Krebs March 19, 2007
General Motorsâ Saturn division announced today that, with the tax rebate, its midsize hybrid sedan is the lowest-priced hybrid on the market.
Saturn announced today that the Saturn Aura Green Line has a $1,300 tax rebate. Its Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, including delivery fees, is $22,695, which makes it $195 less than the Toyota Prius. The Toyota Prius lists at $22,795. The current tax rebate is $1,575, which drops to a projected $788 in April.
The Honda Civic hybrid has a list price of $23,195; it has a $2,200 tax rebate, expected to remain the same after this month.
GM began shipping Saturn Aura Green Line models last week for arrival in dealerships in the coming days. The Saturn Aura won the 2007 North American Car of the Year award.
Edmunds.com's analysis shows there's never been a better time to buy a hybrid because of lower prices and incentives.
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I like GM's take on hybrids. By making them more inexpensive, you can get a greater market penetration. When you look at monthly payments, the difference is minimal. This will make it easier to recover the cost in gasoline like those saturn wiper blade. If you can get these mild hybrids to become ubiquitous, you'll make a much larger impact than having 1-2% of the market driving the more efficient (and more expensive) models. This means less money wasted on gasoline, less oil imports, and cleaner air. Now all we have to do is see if the strategy works.
I LUV the Aura, and I think the Green Line will be a hit based on price alone, but I agree with MH somewhat about the interior. I think it's a bit of a mixed bag compared to some of GM's other fine efforts (GMT900, SRX refresh, Lambda crossovers).
In the Aura it looks like Jill Lajdziak won with some bits, like the Saturn stut bar - http://www.satpartswholesale.com/saturn-strut-bar/
- , front seats, low-gloss dash, steering wheel and cupholder assembly.
Then it seems the bean-counters won other battles, like the faux-wood center IP trim and fake-stitched door panels.
But to me, the driving experience (at least in the regular-trim Aura) trumps all of that. It's Teutonic-firm and serious, which is something the Camry hybrid cannot touch. The Accord hybrid, btw, is just an overpriced mess. I haven't had a chance to drive the Altima hybrid (not available in my state).
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