I was doing my internet rounds today, and for a change, someone at thecarconnection (it's been overrun with a bunch of really juvenile people the past few months) posted an idea that actually seemed near brilliant.

Oldsmobile's Aurora is one of the best made GM cars (at least in North America), and and one of the many examples of GM killing something just as it gets it right. Although Aurora is selling painfully few cars, it's still a fairly new model, and no investment is needed to continue it.

The idea came up that maybe it should be given to Saturn, the GM division that has the best reputation for quality (deserved or not) as an upscale model. It already has the "Saturn look", and with perhaps a mild restyle and making some items optional where financially feasible, Aurora could be made cheaper (though admittedly it won't be greatly cheaper), put a shine on Saturn by balencing the weirdness of the new Ion coupe. Also, as GM's "import fighting" division, the DOHC V6 & V8s of the Aurora would be just the thing to go against the imports from the Pacific side, without being a joke or a wanna be.

What do you think?

 

An interesting idea....

I hate the idea of monikers switching to different brands, though... so I hope they'd rename the car.

Also, I'd hope they'd give it a sheetmetal update so it didn't look like a car was shifted from Olds...

If they did do both these things, similar to what they did by dropping Bravada and adding Buick Ranier... I'd think it would be at leats worth a shot...

The big question, however, is can Saturn sell a $35k+ car, no matter how good it is?

 

sounds good

 

This is the problem that I see as well. The Aurora is a very nice car, but I just don't think that it would fit well with the rest of Saturn's "value" vehicles. The Aurora would be better suited for Buick. Sadly, I don't see a spot for it (along with LeSabre) there either.


-Mike

 

It's a good idea, but I agree that it just would not seem right to put a car of such, shall I say, luxury, in with Saturn (value).

A the same time, I agree that killing it off completely would seem like a mistake, so what is there as a better option?

It's tough because you can't put it in with Pontiac - too much styling difference. Buick - same problem plus you'd be right up against other models, i.e. LeSabre. Cadillac - see Pontiac and Buick. That leaves Chevrolet and GMC (which we can throw out immediatly). Now we have Chevrolet which makes the most sense to me, UNLESS, this just hit me now so I'm not retyping the whole thing, Unless you transferred the Aurora AND Intrique over to Saturn to fill the gap between small cars and full size luxo?

I think the Aurora is doomed.....DOOMED!

Jeff

 

It seems like a good idea because that was the original idea behind the Aurora. Oldsmobile came close to getting killed off a couple of times before the final axe fell. The "no-grill" look on all of all the outgoing Oldsmobiles is a substantial hint as to major corporate indecision at GM. In any case, the Aurora Gen. 2 could very well have been badged as a Saturn back when it appeared back in 2000.

Could Saturn successfully market this $35K car today? Looking at the dismal sales performance of all the non-Cadillac GM sedans near this price point, I'd say no. With the Park Avenue and Bonneville dying a slow death, I'm not sure a Saturn 'Aurora' would have much of a shot at success. Besides, the Aurora is now 3-years old, and the basic styling themes are getting old.

 

I work at Saturn , and honestly while the idea is a good one .... a $35K + Saturn would not sit well . It took a long time for the regular Saturn customers to warm up to a $20-$24K L-series and the top model L300 which is a near steal @ $23K doesnt sell near as well as the base L200 below $20K . Given what the Saturn name is know for , I couldnt see the general pubic non-Saturn buyers to actually take the car seriously .

 

From a psychoanalytical standpoint, I think Saturn has always had sort of a quirkiness to it; an unexpected, fast paced, peppy, vivid sort of emotion. The Aurora to me seems too grounded, too dutiful, for lack of a better word. I'd have to see a rebadge / redesign, but as of right now I'd be against it. It's just an awesome car in its own right, but it's not gonna fit as a Saturn.

 

That, coupled with the 0% for 60 months, sold the car !

Saturn's trick is that their resale value doesn't cut it, indicating to me that the cars may be priced a bit high from the get-go.

I don't know what profit margin

GM , not the dealer, makes on a Saturn , but if they could reduce the sell price ofd the Aurora it's an interesting thought.

I like the Alero, too, but the Saturn's trunk was bigger.

Maybe they could put the Aurora's powertrain in an L300 - there's a fun thought !


Britt

 

The problem with the L-series was the fact that the car was incredibly bland. Buyers of a base $16-17,000 L200 probably didn't notice, but for $23,000 the L300 was the worst midsized alternative on the market. The cheapest VW Passat manages to feel sporting and luxurious. Sure, you could argue that the L300 was based on a German autobahn cruiser - but that car, the last generaton Opel Vectra, was also the dullest car in its segment. The strange 2003 grill doesn't change the basic fact that the L-series is a boring 7-year old Opel beneath the ill-fitting plastic skin.

If GM had had the courage to axe Oldsmobile back in the mid-to-late 90s, the Alero, Intrigue, Aurora and Bravada would have been introduced as Saturns from day one. That was the original plan. However, its too late to relabel the Aurora. I also think its too late for Saturn to become a serious Toyota competitor. Talk about missed opportunities...