Author Topic: Bye-Bye Saturn?? (Read 1543 times)

sailor723 · « **on:** September 30, 2009, 06:45:28 pm »

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/gm-shutting-down-saturn/article1307443/

safristi · « **Reply #1 on:** September 30, 2009, 08:02:04 pm »

..who'se gonna wipe tha RINGS OFF THE TOILET..............

inco · « **Reply #2 on:** October 01, 2009, 07:39:05 am »

Penske won't reveal who the company was that they hoped to build the replacement cars. I wonder who it was - could it have been Magna?

Magna would have made sense and has the capability, but I wonder if the non compete clause got in the way.They agreed on something along those lines in order to get Opel IIRC and maybe that's what stopped them from delivering to Penske.

conwelpic · « **Reply #3 on:** October 01, 2009, 09:09:03 am »

I read somewhere a few months back that KIA had expressed an interest in taking over these dealerships due to their locations or carrying both products (but now that doesn't apply anymore). Anybody heard any update in this regard?

What will happen to the dealerships? The guy who owns the closest Saturn dealership to me, is also is the same guy that is going to loose his GM flanchise!

Cord · « **Reply #4 on:** October 01, 2009, 12:19:23 pm »

IIRC, Canadian Saturn dealers have been doomed for quite some time now. The Penske deal never included Canadian dealers. Now the U.S. dealers that have had their survival hopes crushed.

Ontariodriver · « **Reply #5 on:** October 01, 2009, 12:32:23 pm »

Quote from: Cord on October 01, 2009, 12:19:23 pm

IIRC, Canadian Saturn dealers have been doomed for quite some time now. The Penske deal never included Canadian dealers. Now the U.S. dealers that have had their survival hopes crushed.

It never really lived up to it's promise as the important fighter. Plus It was a car salesman haven. No haggling LOL. Although that started to change latter. In car History. it is like stain on the carpet once it has been clean up, It will be soon forgotten. Because really who cares.....Hands up.... anyone...

Leviathan · « **Reply #6 on:** October 01, 2009, 12:36:43 pm »

Quote from: inco on October 01, 2009, 07:39:05 am

Penske won't reveal who the company was that they hoped to build the replacement cars. I wonder who it was - could it have been Magna?

Found this:
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200909301809DOWJONESDJONLINE000801_FORTUNE5.htm

Quote

Penske, which runs a network of U.S. auto dealers, said a deal to source cars for sale under the Saturn brand after GM ceased production had been rejected by its prospective manufacturing partner, which people familiar with the situation identified as Renault SA (RNO.FR).

Cord · « **Reply #7 on:** October 01, 2009, 01:17:34 pm »

Quote

Plus It was a car salesman haven. No haggling LOL.

I thought that no haggling was the dream of car shoppers ?

inco · « **Reply #8 on:** October 01, 2009, 04:39:44 pm »

That would have been interesting if Renault had gone through with it. Too bad although they likely were still not interested in us (Canada) anyway.

Thinking Out Loud · « **Reply #9 on:** October 01, 2009, 08:33:43 pm »

If Fiat can get it's product US friendly in a shorter timeframe Renault likely could have in a longer period of time if it saw the business case - given the entire dealer network was already in place.

Guess Renault is smarter than Fiat? Or does Fiat see something Renault doesn't?

Thinking Out Loud · « **Reply #10 on:** October 01, 2009, 08:36:06 pm »

Quote from: Ontariodriver on October 01, 2009, 12:32:23 pm

Plus It was a car ~~salesman~~ order-taker haven (sic). No haggling LOL.

I fixed that for you!

rrocket · « **Reply #11 on:** October 01, 2009, 08:36:21 pm »

Quote from: Thinking Out Loud on October 01, 2009, 08:33:43 pm

If Fiat can get it's product US friendly in a shorter timeframe Renault likely could have in a longer period of time if it saw the business case - given the entire dealer network was already in place.

Guess Renault is smarter than Fiat? Or does Fiat see something Renault doesn't?

Personally...maybe apart from some good Fiat 500 sales...I don't see them being a sales success with the brand in NA. Where they will make money is putting their very good engines into Chryslers.....

Thinking Out Loud · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2009, 08:38:44 pm »

Would be nice to have both brands here, even if not through such extensive networks....oh well!

Mitlov · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2009, 01:03:55 am »

When Pontiac died, everyone reminisced about the first GTO and moaned about the demise of the new G8. But Saturn? What Saturn model, past or present, will be missed? The past models all sold on price alone, and the only new model that's not available from another brand is the capable-but-profoundly-flawed Sky.

Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

Roddy · « **Reply #14 on:** October 03, 2009, 01:41:31 am »

Quote from: Mitlov on October 02, 2009, 01:03:55 am

When Pontiac died, everyone reminisced about the first GTO and moaned about the demise of the new G8. But Saturn? What Saturn model, past or present, will be missed? The past models all sold on price alone, and the only new model that's not available from another brand is the capable-but-profoundly-flawed Sky.

Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

LOL you make a good point. Saturn really doesn't have a history or any past or current products that were particularly memorable. All in all, it likely will be a pretty quickly forgotten about story.

Roddy · « **Reply #15 on:** October 03, 2009, 01:48:46 am »

Quote from: rrocket on October 01, 2009, 08:36:21 pm

Quote from: Thinking Out Loud on October 01, 2009, 08:33:43 pm
If Fiat can get it's product US friendly in a shorter timeframe Renault likely could have in a longer period of time if it saw the business case - given the entire dealer network was already in place.

Guess Renault is smarter than Fiat? Or does Fiat see something Renault doesn't?

Personally...maybe apart from some good Fiat 500 sales...I don't see them being a sales success with the brand in NA. Where they will make money is putting their very good engines into Chryslers.....

My feeling is that fiat has made a huge error with buying Chrysler. They really must see something that I and most other car companies don't see to. Interestingly magna Int (Frank) recently made the comment that in retrospect it was a very good thing that they didn't win their bid for the company. The task that fiat has has taken on is daunting to say the least.

swishguy · « **Reply #16 on:** October 03, 2009, 10:37:29 am »

The Saturn Vue with the Honda V-6 was for the most part an amazing vehicle. The only downfall was the versatrak awd system. I had to replace me RDM (rear drive module) annualy. If you can fin a V-6 FWD these are great cars. It was as quiet & smooth on the hiway as my 07 Highlander & way more power & better mpg. I was getting 31 mpg at 110 hiway with the V-6 AWD. The cheap awd system was the deal breaker after owning 4 of em(04/05/06/07)

UmroAyyar · « **Reply #17 on:** October 03, 2009, 10:55:11 am »

Time to move on. GM gotta get Chevrolet competitive. Malibu is going in the right direction.

Mitlov · « **Reply #18 on:** October 04, 2009, 04:11:29 am »

Quote from: UmroAyyar on October 03, 2009, 10:55:11 am

Time to move on. GM gotta get Chevrolet competitive. Malibu is going in the right direction.

Cruze, Malibu, Equinox, and Traverse have most non-enthusiast buyers covered (at least in the subcompact-averse States; a proper subcompact is still a big hole for the Canadian market). And all are pretty capable, competitive vehicles as far as I can tell. I'm not going to say "THEY OWN THE SEGMENT!!!" for each, partly because the differences between a Malibu and a Camry (etc) are largely subjective, and partly because I haven't been following these cars THAT closely. But it looks like GM is headed in the right direction by killing Pontiac and Saturn and consolidating all of their mass-market energy in the Chevy brand.

UmroAyyar · « **Reply #19 on:** October 04, 2009, 10:59:19 am »

True, GM's brands were competing against each other mostly. We do need some GM eye candy from China and elsewhere as well.