GM may sell Saturn

[seal9]

CNN reported this morning that GM may sell SATURN.....In a move to save money and drop brands that aren't selling GM may sell SATURN...So will the SKY go when and if its sold, or will GM rebadge it as a diffrent brand,,..seal9

[SKYtime]

Here's a link to the article on CNN.com: GM considers cutting brands and thousands of job - Jul. 7, 2008

I would imagine if someone BUYS Saturn, they will want to keep making the cars that define Saturn...at least until they develop new models to replace them.

[ParrotHeadNation]

my question is, who would buy saturn? their on the rebound from a cheap econobox company to this european styled car. i think they need to be marketed better, possibly a name change, but I have a feeling that saturn may go away honestly

also what about warrenties? when i get my ion in january, is it gonna be covered by gm for 5 years or by who ever buys saturn?


what other corps are out there that would buy saturn?

[RedHeaded RedLine]

Originally Posted by seal9

CNN reported this morning that GM may sell SATURN.....In a move to save money and drop brands that aren't selling GM may sell SATURN...So will the SKY go when and if its sold, or will GM rebadge it as a diffrent brand,,..seal9

And today we find out that Volvo might be Chinese. -J
Welcoming Arms For Volvo In China - Forbes.com

[ParrotHeadNation]

oh god, have you seen chinese cars lately?


well volvo is safe right. okay so maybe they can safen chinese cars which have been so bad haha

[Ahnuld]

Doesnt actually say "Saturn is leading candidate"

Here's an interesting point of view...
Industry News: GM To Get More Layoffs, Lose A Brand


Saturn could go the way of GEO

[ParrotHeadNation]

Originally Posted by Ahnuld

Doesnt actually say "Saturn is leading candidate"

Here's an interesting point of view...
Industry News: GM To Get More Layoffs, Lose A Brand


Saturn could go the way of GEO

yeah too bad theres no GEO Metro, I was going to get the convert version of taht but i had to settle for the SKY

[eddf]

Quotes from two different articles:

"Among the most likely candidates for elimination are Saturn and Saab."

"We think Saturn's got a good chance of getting to know Geo in the division dumpster."

Of course that doesn't mean they would have to kill the Sky - it could just move over to another division. Chevy?

Not much to save killing the Sky since it shares resources, parts and production with Solstice.

Ed

[thejewcanoe]

haha! yeah right GM is not getting rid of saturn
they are speaking about selling Hummer and cutting large trucks back to seasonal production.
GM will not be selling it's small car market aka Saturn... that's just absurd and a very dumb move. they made money when the built the old VUE i worked many hours of overtime at the plant during those summers. it's the only footing GM has on imports albeit a weak one.
I wouldn't be caught dead in a KIA or a HYUNDAI.

[KimberlySky]

Sorry but I am too much a snob if Saturn starts to get the GEO or KIA looks from people I'm kicking Sinister to the curb.

[uranium-238]

i don't see them selling saturn. hasn't saturn always been branded as a line of inexpensive, fuel efficient cars? wasn't that why GM created saturn in the first place? to produce a line of vehicles to compete with the influx of japanese cars?

i think GM would be shooting themselves in the foot if they were to sell saturn.

[ParrotHeadNation]

i could see the SKY as a Chevy, I wish it was actually, I drive a 94 s10, i used to own a malibu, we also have an impala, and a new silverado z71, so we are not only a GM family, we're a Chevy family

[Celt03]

hmm . . . I'd think Hummer & Buick would be the prime candidates.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by Celt03

hmm . . . I'd think Hummer & Buick would be the prime candidates.

Hummer for sure is a gonner (from the GM stables, anyway). I'd think Buick would be done for before Saturn. Though Buick has a larger dealer network, it doesn't have anything in the way of a memorable product. But the dealer network may work against Saturn. And to the others, yes, in the beginning, Saturn was the econbox import competetor. But Saturn has, by design, moved upscale over the last few years.

[eddf]

Originally Posted by uranium-238

i don't see them selling saturn. hasn't saturn always been branded as a line of inexpensive, fuel efficient cars? wasn't that why GM created saturn in the first place? to produce a line of vehicles to compete with the influx of japanese cars?

My understanding is that Saturn has yet to make a profit. This meeting in August is about keeping GM alive. If Saturn is part of the long term strategy - great. If not, it's an easy business decision.

Ed

[Ahnuld]

I think would be impossible to sell Saturn.
and while the brand "Saturn" could potentially go away...
Would be tough to kill all the cars.

Basically... My logic is the cross-badge platforms can't be split.
Sky and Solsitce are basically same car from same plant
Astra and something in Australia are same car.
etc...

A far-fetched example...How could you have one assembly line cranking out GM Solstices, and Honda Sky's?

My money is on... the future of the Sky is with Chevy... which wouldnt be a bad thing! I think the sky wouldve sold twice as many if it were a Chevy!

[compdoc777]

Well if they sell Saturn and close the division since most of the parts would be shifted over to cheverolet.

We would have some rare cars. Solstice would take over.

I wonder who would buy Saturn? Maybe Honda or Toyota?

If I was a major company I would turn Saturn into a hybrid electric vehicals only company. Go back to the way they started as a different automaker.

[eddf]

"....We would have some rare cars. Solstice would take over."

Yep - that's what I'm thinking. Sky = limited edition.

But ya know, if I was going to consolidate brands, I'd ditch the Solstice body & interior and keep the Sky design

Ed

[Kappa Fan]

Originally Posted by eddf

"....We would have some rare cars. Solstice would take over."

Yep - that's what I'm thinking. Sky = limited edition.

But ya know, if I was going to consolidate brands, I'd ditch the Solstice body & interior and keep the Sky design

Ed

They're talking BRANDS ... not just models. Saturn vs Pontiac and the Pontiac BRAND still leads over the years IIRC. (and I'm not going to get into that - GM makes THAT decision!)

Let's not let this get into a Sky vs Solstice BS match again.

Jeesh ... they're BOTH a great roadster and deserving of being around for many years.

[BlackSkyPilot]

It might be interesting to see Saturn as simply a spin off.

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by Kappa Fan

They're talking BRANDS ... not just models. Saturn vs Pontiac and the Pontiac BRAND still leads over the years IIRC. (and I'm not going to get into that - GM makes THAT decision!)

Let's not let this get into a Sky vs Solstice BS match again.

Jeesh ... they're BOTH a great roadster and deserving of being around for many years.

Just to play devils advocate... Ok, Hummer, Saab, Buick. Sell or shutdown. Sell to whom...? Dubai? Whatever. Flip a coin on Saturn. Olds took one for the team last time. Saturn got it's new lineup as a last chance gasp. Well, tough economy, tough decisions. So goes the brands. Just tossin that out there as a starting point as aside from Caddi and Chevy, everybody else has got to face the harsh light of review.

Ok, now down to models. Can GM afford niche roadsters right now. Historically they're a fickle type of car and not huge money makers. As model crossovers take harsh review, why Kappas at all? Wind out the DE contract and save retooling and move costs?