Saturn confirms that the Opel Astra compact will cross theAtlantic to join the Saturn lineup late next year.

The 2008 Astra joins the Sky, Aura, and the Outlook in a lineup that GM says is one of the youngest in the industry. All of Saturn's vehicles will be under 20 months old when the Astra makes its sales debut.

The Astra has been rumored in recent weeks to be a stopgap replacement for today's Saturn Ion until a new model with more distinctive sheetmetal can be developed. Indeed, a new Astra is scheduled for the 2010 model year, when it might also be built in America at one of GM's assembly plants.

Saturn also is prepping a new Vue SUV for 2008, one that shares its essentials with a new Opel

via car connection