Though no official word of a diesel version has been said there are two versions of a 1.7L common rail diesel available in Europe. It’s a pretty good looking car so let’s hope they do.
From Green Car Congress

GM confirmed that it will add the Astra compact car to the Saturn line-up late in 2007. The Saturn Astra will be nearly identical to the 2007.5 Opel Astra, unveiled this week at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy.

The Saturn Astra will be sold in the United States and Canada in three-door and five-door configurations. When the 2008 Astra joins the Sky, Aura, Outlook and all-new Vue, no Saturn will have been in the market more than 20 months.

The Astra is part of the larger collaboration between Saturn and Opel. GM hopes that by sharing resources, the two brands can develop strong, broad product lineups that will attract buyers to the brands both in North America and Europe. Early examples of this collaboration include the Saturn Sky and upcoming Opel GT, as well as the Opel Antara and 2008 Saturn Vue.

The Opel Astra offers a range of diesel powertrains as well as alternative fuel options such as compressed natural gas, depending upon the local market. In 2005, GM showed a concept Opel Astra Diesel Hybrid featuring an application of GM’s two-mode hybrid system.

GM will provide more information will be available when Saturn unveils the 2008 Astra at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2007.