Saturn seems to be making all of the right decisions lately, and its new Sky roadster and Aura midsize sedan, plus its upcoming Outlook crossover are getting the right kind of attention as a result. What is it doing differently? What we have been hoping they would do all along: import the design language, and in some cases entire cars from GM's German subsidiary, Opel.

The latest car to get be considered would be a surefire hit if Saturn chose to float it across the Atlantic en masse, Opel's stylish new Astra as a replacement for the less than inspiring and poorly selling Ion. And why is the rumour mill agog with the possibility? Because Saturn has applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to use "Astra" as a vehicle name; although there's an argument that it has only done so to stop another automaker from using the name.