Earlier today, BusinessWeek named Saturn's new Aura sedan the "Best Production Car $21,000 to $25,000" on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

While the Aura is technically labelled as a concept vehicle, its no secret that the car is basically the same car that we'll see when it goes into production next year. According GM's car czar, Bob Lutz, "the Aura, as far as the sheet-metal is concerned, is 100 percent production-ready, right down to the size of the tires. And that also goes for much of the interior. The thing is ready to go."

So what did BusinessWeek have to say?

The magazine's Detroit Bureau Chief, David Welch, said: "This is just what GM needs - a high-volume car that looks good. The Aura midsize sedan has a bold, wide stance from the front that should give it real road presence when it goes on sale in early 2006. Inside, its fancy leather and chrome gauges give it panache that's well beyond the interiors of anything from GM's other divisions. The 3.6-liter, 250-horsepower V-6 should be plenty peppy, too. GM has focused lots of effort - perhaps too much - on putting out convertibles and low-volume sports cars for every division. Finally, a nice car for the masses."

His colleague, and Senior Correspondent Kathleen Kerwin added: "No argument here. Its sibling, the Saturn Sky roadster is lovely. But while turning out a gorgeous roadster isn't such a stretch, designing a family sedan with eye appeal to sell to the masses is much tougher."

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Source: Business Week, GM FastLane Blog