PC World published a story this week about a project Google is believed to have underway that is leading up to the European launch of its popular "Street View" service for Google Maps. The magazine says two Google employees were spotted on the streets of Paris collecting photos and location information using a Opel Astra rigged with all sorts of electronic equipment.

Drive, an Australian online motoring magazine, has a sneak peak at what they think the next-generation Astra will look like. Due in 2009 and sold by Holden in the land down under, Saturn's version is expected to go on sale in North America a year later. According to the article, the new car will feature "sexier looks, sportier handling, and fuel-efficient engines."

Fox News recently reviewed the Saturn Astra XR and said: "In true Euro-compact fashion, the ride is stable and sure, with a high comfort level over bumps, but excellent composure through turns.

You can tell that Ralph Gray had a great time test driving the 2008 Saturn XR 3-door. "The seat and steering wheel configuration dictates that the driver extend his arms straight out to handle the wheel," he wrote. "That's the way it's done on the Autobahn."

Dan Neil of the LA Times is a self-described European car fan who liked driving Saturn's Astra hatchback. "It's well equipped, a great value, surprisingly comfortable – even in the back, under that umbrella of a roof – and on a tight twisty, it's just phenomenal," he said in his review.

CR road tested the Volkswagen Rabbit S, Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, Toyota Matrix S, Saturn Astra XE, Mini Cooper Clubman, and Scion xD in the June 2008 issue of its magazine. According to their testers, the vehicles were ranked in the order above with the 5-door Astra coming in fourth place. Nonetheless, the compact Saturn hatchback was rated "very good" for how well it performed.

Jim Mateja from the Chicago Tribune reviews the 2008 Saturn Astra and talks about how a recent TV commercial for the brand effectively showed how the Astra signifies the culmination of Saturn's revitalization efforts. "A young man walks into a dealership, sees very attractive hardware, and with a quizzical look peeks back out the door to make sure the sign says Saturn," he wrote.

The Shenandoah Valley News liked the Saturn Astra so much they said it was one of GM's best small cars - ever. "The handling is precise with excellent steering feedback," wrote the paper, "and all the tires stay well planted even when pushed hard."

While Saturn's overall sales were down 15.5% to 16,888 units last month, sales of the brand's Aura midsize sedan and Vue sport-utility saw healthy increases from a year-over-year perspective.