by Nick Twork
How will those famously loyal owners respond to a new Saturn built in Delaware from GM parts-bin hardware? We'll soon find out as Saturn's new mid-size sedan and wagon, the LS and LW, will be introduced at the New York Auto Show at the end of March. They should arrive in dealer showrooms by summer. General Motor's Wilmington, Delaware, production facility will manufacture the L-series; engine options will include a 3.0-liter 24-valve V-6 and a 2.2-liter 16-valve four-cylinder engine.
The 2.2-liter four is the first application of GM's new L850 global four-cylinder engine, salted for production at GM's Tonawanda, New York, facility. The V-6 is an Opel-derived unit from the Vectra (the platform donor for the LS/LW) and another corporate cousin, the Saab 9-5. The 2.5-liter V-6 produces 170 horsepower in the Opel, up to 225 hp in the 9-5.
Shortly after the L-series goes on sale, Saturn will begin selling revised versions of the current SL and SW. The cars will have new front body panels and a revised rear treatment that gives them a family resemblance to the new LS and LW. Taller, more prominent headlamps and a hood that has a raised center section highlight the new SL and SW front end.
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