Saturn next

[RACER X]

The future of Saturn is becoming distressingly clear: sell or be 'phased out'. The ailing Detroit carmaker confirmed in its most recent viability plan that it accelerate the demise of the brand to the end of this year, with either a sale or cessation of business marking the end of General Motors' involvement with Saturn. Earlier this month we heard about a new investment group by the name of Telesto Ventures reportedly planning to buy Saturn outright and source its own models from several overseas suppliers, though the accelerated time table may make that difficult to achieve.

GM manager Jill Lajdziak revealed to Automotive News that the struggling Detroit 3 carmaker is trying to find a new vehicle supplier for Saturn by September 1. The announcement was also made to Saturn dealers, who at this point are still confused and uncertain as to the direction the brand will take. Beginning next month, Saturn executives and GM higher-ups will listen to different proposals and choose the best deal for both companies. The bottom line is clear, however, with GM saying in its latest viability plan, "If a sale of Saturn does not occur, we intend to phase out the Saturn brand by the end of 2009."

Some of the proposals coming in would alter Saturn's retail operations dramatically. One of the most popular is the previously mentioned Telesto option. Under this proposal, the overseas models sourced by Telesto would not be branded as Saturns, but would rather be sold under various brand names. A Telesto spokesman explained that the Saturn brand would become "similar to a Best Buy model in that customers deal with Best Buy because of the customer experience not because they are the only place to buy a Samsung or a Sony TV".

Presumably there will also be foreign carmakers vying for the brand itself - creating brand recognition in the crowded U.S. market is difficult for foreign start-ups, and having the Saturn brand as a launching pad may seem very attractive to certain manufacturers.

A somewhat mysterious coalition of Saturn's dealer-run Franchise Operations Team and an unknown partner - possibly Telesto - has also revealed plans to take over Saturn if the brand is abandoned by GM. Only time will tell what result is final, but with 2009 nearing its midpoint it won't be long.

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[Particle Man]

cars made out of coke bottles: fail.

[bmblebee]

I am on my 2nd Saturn. I like the 40 mpg both of my Saturns have gotten

[Rider]

Originally Posted by bmblebee

I am on my 2nd Saturn. I like the 40 mph both of my Saturns have gotten

Woah 40mph? Easy there speed demon.

[goof2]

That isn't really a big surprise. There has been a lot of talk about GM selling Opel. If that were to happen Saturn wouldn't have any cars left anyway.

[buzzcutt2]

Originally Posted by Rider

Woah 40mph? Easy there speed demon.

[BobTheBiker]

didnt ya know? saturns begin falling apart past 40mph.

good riddance to oversize coke bottles.

[bmblebee]

Fixed it...thanks for the catch...I have no complaints with either the '01 or the '06 Saturns we have driven

[Homeslice]

Saturn sales reps made a killing in the 90's......People came in thinking "no haggle" was the best thing since sliced bread. Like as if that means it's a good deal. Fact is the dealerships got better profit off those cars than probably any other small car at the time. "No haggle" just made it quicker & easier. This dealer I was working at was making an average of $1600-1800 gross on each one.

[101lifts2]

I worked for Saturn as a student and engineer from 1994 to 2002. Hands down the best company I've worked for. The dealers and the corporation were treated highly by each other, instead of the OEM fucking the dealer. Each employee was so happy to work there it was almost sick..lol. Many UAW workers were fed up from the GM bullshit in the 80s...these were the guys that wanted to transfer to Spring Hill, TN. The union was always willing to help and let the engineers work on anything they wanted. They cleaned the plant when it was shut down and helped each other out. Something I've never ever seen in any company before.

Saturn was team oriented in everything...we did 2-3 team building events every month and monies were allocated for them.

Jill Lajdziak I think came in 2000 and said Saturn would be a 100 year car company. About 80 years short.

Saturn died long ago IMO...when GM took it over in 1998 and killed their brand by giving vehicles to Olds instead. The ION was the last "Saturn" IMO.