GALLERY - OPEL/VAUXHALL ASTRA - 18 PICTURES

Quite a number of years ago, BMW's engineering team helped Land Rover develop the Range Rover you see on the road today. Ford Motor Company paid BMW a lot of money to own Range Rover; fortunately they made plenty of money in Range Rover sales, as well. Under Ford's watch, the whole Land Rover lineup was altered (engines) or rejigged (LR2, LR3, RR Sport). Now Tata is the company that makes the money off those cars, after paying Ford Motor a lot of money to own Range Rover and Jaguar.

Now, don't start assuming the 2010 Opel/Vauxhall Astra is the next Range Rover. We knew the previous generation car as the Saturn Astra, an excellent car but not necessarily a class leader in any one respect. The new car, as a Vauxhall in the UK and an Opel elsehwere, is once again very good-looking and technologically advanced. Curiously, however, these two car companies are part of General Motors Europe along with Saab. GM Europe is potentially up for Fiat control. Now that General Motors has taken care of the Astra and transformed it from a very boring car into something people enjoy owning, Fiat may be the company that makes money off the car. Take a look at the Gallery of Opel and Vauxhall Astra pics below.