GM: Saturn Penske deal dead.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,712
From: Ontario
Not to mention, Saturn wasn't even producing cars in the 1980s.
That, and the L-series. But mostly the Ion hit the market with a thud and burned up most of the goodwill generated by the S-series.
Didn't the Ion come out on Jill's watch?
What are you talking about, late 1990's is when Saturn thrived.That, and the L-series. But mostly the Ion hit the market with a thud and burned up most of the goodwill generated by the S-series.
Didn't the Ion come out on Jill's watch?
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Joined: Jun 2000
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From: South Bend , IN
It honestly really is . I worked at Saturn when this car was released and a majority of people that bought S-series over the years flat out rejected the Ion and never looked back ....just moved on .
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Roseville, MI, USA
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From: Roseville, MI, USA
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,144
From: SC
There was a show about GM's history a few months ago, when they talked about the introduction of Saturn in the 80's Honda or Toyota (can't recall) purchased and dissected the SL model. The show pretty much said that Saturn was a failure before the first lineup was even launched and i'm sure sale comparisons show it.
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Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 4,320
From: Memphis
I like my Aura a lot so far but with only 1200 miles on it that's not saying much.
I'm disappointed in the news but feel OK about taking it to other GM dealers. Heck I've got a Caddy dealer right by my work... I wonder if they'd technically be required to service it? Probably not a smart idea though since they've never sold a car similar to the Aura. Probably best to go to Chevy since it's basically a Malibu with different clothes on.
I wonder what my local dealer will do? There were two Saturn dealers in town owned by the same guy (different areas of town)... he JUST consolidated them into one dealer by replacing one dealer with a Mazda dealership (he still owns it) and firing his worst employees at the still-open dealer, replacing them with his better employees. Now I wonder what will happen to them? They were all a pretty nice group so I'd hate to see them get pushed out by this.
Well hey, on the bright side maybe my Aura will become a classic.
I'm disappointed in the news but feel OK about taking it to other GM dealers. Heck I've got a Caddy dealer right by my work... I wonder if they'd technically be required to service it? Probably not a smart idea though since they've never sold a car similar to the Aura. Probably best to go to Chevy since it's basically a Malibu with different clothes on.
I wonder what my local dealer will do? There were two Saturn dealers in town owned by the same guy (different areas of town)... he JUST consolidated them into one dealer by replacing one dealer with a Mazda dealership (he still owns it) and firing his worst employees at the still-open dealer, replacing them with his better employees. Now I wonder what will happen to them? They were all a pretty nice group so I'd hate to see them get pushed out by this.
Well hey, on the bright side maybe my Aura will become a classic.
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,577
From: Sandy VJJville
There was a show about GM's history a few months ago, when they talked about the introduction of Saturn in the 80's Honda or Toyota (can't recall) purchased and dissected the SL model. The show pretty much said that Saturn was a failure before the first lineup was even launched and i'm sure sale comparisons show it.
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 669
From: Arcadia, OK
I like my Aura a lot so far but with only 1200 miles on it that's not saying much.
I'm disappointed in the news but feel OK about taking it to other GM dealers. Heck I've got a Caddy dealer right by my work... I wonder if they'd technically be required to service it? Probably not a smart idea though since they've never sold a car similar to the Aura. Probably best to go to Chevy since it's basically a Malibu with different clothes on.
I wonder what my local dealer will do? There were two Saturn dealers in town owned by the same guy (different areas of town)... he JUST consolidated them into one dealer by replacing one dealer with a Mazda dealership (he still owns it) and firing his worst employees at the still-open dealer, replacing them with his better employees. Now I wonder what will happen to them? They were all a pretty nice group so I'd hate to see them get pushed out by this.
Well hey, on the bright side maybe my Aura will become a classic.
I'm disappointed in the news but feel OK about taking it to other GM dealers. Heck I've got a Caddy dealer right by my work... I wonder if they'd technically be required to service it? Probably not a smart idea though since they've never sold a car similar to the Aura. Probably best to go to Chevy since it's basically a Malibu with different clothes on.
I wonder what my local dealer will do? There were two Saturn dealers in town owned by the same guy (different areas of town)... he JUST consolidated them into one dealer by replacing one dealer with a Mazda dealership (he still owns it) and firing his worst employees at the still-open dealer, replacing them with his better employees. Now I wonder what will happen to them? They were all a pretty nice group so I'd hate to see them get pushed out by this.
Well hey, on the bright side maybe my Aura will become a classic.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,144
From: SC
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Charleston, WV
Or were you saying I was wrong about the dealership near me not being nice?
Some Saturn dealers say they will look for other franchises now that Penske Automotive has canceled its plans to buy Saturn from GM, while others say they'll wait and see whether Penske revives the deal.
“I guess I'll be selling the competition,” said George Nahas, who owns Saturn stores in Alabama and Florida. Some import brands want him to carry their products, he said.
“I guess I'll be selling the competition,” said George Nahas, who owns Saturn stores in Alabama and Florida. Some import brands want him to carry their products, he said.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,958
From: Kansas City, MO
What were they going to do, hit up Honda for a Civic to call the Astra, and a Nissan Altima to be the next Aura?
Actually, yes to the Nissan part. Nissan has excess capacity in the U.S. and Renault/Samsung vehicles built in Korea that use Nissan platforms but have unique styling.
It's pretty certain that it was Renault/Nissan that Penske was talking to and rumor is that Gohsn himself vetoed the deal. I assume that they decided they weren't interested in essentially competing against themselves.
Actually, yes to the Nissan part. Nissan has excess capacity in the U.S. and Renault/Samsung vehicles built in Korea that use Nissan platforms but have unique styling.
It's pretty certain that it was Renault/Nissan that Penske was talking to and rumor is that Gohsn himself vetoed the deal. I assume that they decided they weren't interested in essentially competing against themselves.
Actually, I think part of Saturn's problem is that people inside GM did know that they could put some elbow grease into the existing brands and spruce them up. Many resented Roger Smith for starting Saturn "Roger's Folly" rather than reinvigorating Chevrolet. So, there were folks within GM who made sure to trip up Saturn whenever and wherever they could.
But once again, rather than spending unbelievable amounts of money on building a new company/brand to do things "better" why didn't GM just decide to do things better company wide?
I guess we'll just continue to keep our Vue (which my wife absolutely adores) next to my Trans Am in our "garage 'o dead brands." Despite doing a few things well Saturn never lived up to its potential.