2007 Saturn Aura Green Line in Detail

By Noah Scott

General Motor's Saturn division has released the details and the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid. The car is now beginning to arrive in Saturn dealerships straight from General Motor's assembly plant in Kansas City.

Jill Lajdziak, Saturn General Manager commented: "The Aura Green Line is a great value among the hybrids in the mid-size car segment. With a starting sticker price over $2,000 less than any mid-sized hybrid sedan and a $1,300 tax credit, it makes true hybrid fuel savings available to more people than ever before."

Because the Aura Green Line is a hybrid model, consumers expect that the vehicle will have a clean and lower exhaust emissions and low fuel consumption. The 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid received an official fuel economy rating of 28 mpg city and 35 mpg highway, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to GM's Saturn division, "The Aura Green Line's EPA fuel economy rating of 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway represents up to a 30 percent improvement in EPA combined fuel economy compared to the non-hybrid Aura XE model."

With a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price of $22,695 USD, Saturn said the 2007 Aura Green Line Hybrid has the lowest price in the hybrid vehicle segment for 2007.

As a hybrid vehicle, the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line is equipped with a powertrain package that combines a precise electric motor or generator with a 2.4-liter petrol engine. Overall powertrain output is 164 hp (122 kW) at 6400 rpm and 159 lb.-ft. (215 Nm) of peak torque at 5000 rpm, mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox, and GM thermostats. With this powertrain feature, the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line provides better fuel economy, thanks to the electric motor that assists the engine to produce power output during acceleration. The electric motor can obtain and replenish its electrical energy by regenerative breaking.

Key standard features found on the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid include 16-inch alloy wheels, SBRP215/60R16 BSW touring tires, daytime running lights automatic headlights with automatic on/off, rear window defroster, front dual sunvisors, front and rear body color bumpers, front air dam, and halogen headlights.

Interior and safety features include body color folding power adjustable exterior rearview mirrors, power windows with driver one-touch up and one-touch down, dual-stage front air bags, side head-curtain and front-seat thorax protection air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control (ESC), four-wheel disc brakes with anti lock braking system (ABS), and GM's OnStar safety and security system.

Meanwhile, Saturn has announced that it will launch the Vue Green Line SUV featuring front-wheel-drive (FWD) platform and GM's new 2-mode hybrid powertrain system by 2008.

Federal Agencies Expands Hybrid Fleet

By Anthony Fontanelle

Three federal agencies in Kansas recently added hybrid vehicles to their fleet. The hybrid vehicles included in the fleet of the federal agencies are the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line vehicles. Two units of the hybrid car were already delivered to different federal agencies in Kansas.

Two units of the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line were delivered by the General Services Administration (GSA) to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 in Kansas City, Kansas. One of these will be used by the EPA while the other is for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) office in Kansas City, Missouri. The third vehicle will be delivered to the GSA fleet in Kansas City, Mo.

Romell Cooks, the regional administrator for the NHTSA’s Central Region, was given the keys to the hybrid Aura. “While safety of the motoring public is a key concern of the NHTSA, we are equally concerned about the fuel efficiency of our passenger cars and light trucks,” said Cooks. “These types of vehicles will make a difference.”

Aside from the three hybrid vehicles, the GSA has ordered 50 units in all of the Saturn Aura Green Line. The vehicles will be delivered by GSA to different federal agencies across the country. The Aura Green Line became an obvious choice for the federal agencies in Kansas City Kansas due to the fact that these vehicles were built in General Motors’ assembly facility in Kansas City, Kansas.

The deliveries of the hybrid vehicles is in connection with the Executive Order 13423 signed by President George Bush which mandates federal agencies to increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles on their fleet by ten percent every year. To date, GSA’s fleet management division has already delivered 3,581 units of alternative fuel vehicles and 20 biodiesel vehicles to federal agencies.

Administrator John Askew accepted the keys to the Saturn center shoulder seatbelt-equipped Aura Green Line for EPA Region 7. Askew has this to say after receiving the hybrid car: “Using fuel efficient vehicles like the Saturn hybrid we’re receiving today just makes sense. Not only does it protect the environment by reducing emissions, but using less fuel strengthens our energy security.”

Meanwhile, GSA’s Heartland Region Administrator Bradley M. Scott has this to say: “GSA is proud to join EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as government leaders in using and supporting environmentally friendly vehicles, and we look forward to providing energy efficient vehicles and alternative fuel-use cars to more federal agencies in the future.”

Aside from mandating a ten percent increase in alternative fuel vehicle use, the Executive Order also directs federal agencies across the country with more than 20 motor vehicles to reduce petroleum fuel consumption by as much as two percent every year. The directive will stand until the year 2015.

The Aura Green Line is the hybrid version of the current North American Car of the Year. The Saturn Auras delivered by GSA to the three federal agencies are seen as a good step for the government to take in the present situation. Environmentalists have been lobbying for the widespread use of alternative fuel vehicles because these vehicles are more environment friendly than conventional vehicles which run on petroleum fuels. The Saturn Aura Green Line, according to General Motors, has a fuel mileage of 35 miles per gallon. That figure means that federal agencies will be consuming less fuel as compared to none-hybrid vehicles.