Saturn Corporation
Company type | Subsidiary, LLC |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | January 7, 1985 |
Defunct | October 31, 2010 |
Fate | Defunct |
Headquarters | Spring Hill, Tennessee, U.S. (1985–2007) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. (2007–2010) |
Area served | United States, Canada |
Key people |
|
Products |
The Saturn Corporation, also known as Saturn LLC, was an American automobile manufacturer, a registered trademark established on January 7, 1985, as a subsidiary of General Motors.[1] The company was an attempt by GM to compete directly with Japanese imports and transplants, initially in the US compact car market. The company was known for its 'no-haggle' sales technique.[2]
Saturn marketed itself as a "different kind of car company" and operated quasi-independently from its parent company,
Over time, as Saturn drained resources from GM's extensive brand network and as GM struggled with the 2008 economic collapse, the parent company curtailed Saturn's development budgets — leaving Saturn to
Following a failed attempt by Penske Automotive to acquire Saturn from GM in September 2009, Saturn ended production in October 2009, ended outstanding franchises in October 2010, and ceased operations 25 years after it began.
History
1982–1989: Formation
Alex C. Mair began discussions of a "revolutionary new" small car project, codenamed Saturn, in June 1982, soon after the
In the mid-1980s,
1990–2000: "A new kind of car company"
On July 30, 1990, the first Saturn was built, a red 1991 model-year Saturn SL2. The first Saturn dealership opened in Memphis, Tennessee. Saturn Corporation was launched as a "different kind of car company", and Saturn even had its own unique car models (although later models shared platforms with other GM vehicles to be more cost effective in the market), and their own dealership network that was separate from the rest of GM.
Results at Saturn were more doubtful than positive. According to The Wall Street Journal, the project was too ambitious, as "everything at Saturn is new: the car, the plant, the workforce, the dealer network and the manufacturing process. Not even Toyota, a highly successful and experienced automaker, tackles more than two new items on any single project." While Saturn cars proved popular with buyers,[citation needed] actual sales never met the optimistic projected targets, in part because of the early 1990s recession. It also proved cannibalistic as 41% of Saturn buyers already owned a GM car. Its separation from the rest of its GM parent, plus the fact that it drained $5 billion from other car projects, stirred discontent within GM's other divisions. Also, Saturn opened at considerably higher cost than the Japanese transplants (factories that Japanese automakers established in the United States).[7][8]
The brand was immediately known for its "no haggle" prices. The first Saturn model, the
By the time the Saturn brand was launched in Japan, the
2000–2008: Model expansion
Saturn's first compact crossover SUV was introduced in 2001 for the 2002 model year as the Vue based on a globally used GM design. In 2002 for the 2003 model year, Saturn introduced the ION as a replacement for the S-Series. In 2004 for the 2005 model year Saturn began selling the Relay, a minivan and the first Saturn based on similar models from other GM brands. That same year, the L-Series was discontinued. The Sky roadster was introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model. In 2006 for the 2007 model year, the Aura midsize sedan made its way to dealerships, alongside the Outlook, a larger CUV than the Vue, and 2006 was the last year that the Ion was produced. The Ion was replaced by the European-built Astra in 2008. During the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Saturn revealed its Flextreme concept vehicle, which was a rebadged Opel Flextreme.[6]
Saturn was believed to have had a disagreement with GM and was not very accepting of the company closing. In 2004, GM and the
2008–2009: Attempt to sell brand, market changes
In US Congressional hearings on December 2, 2008, General Motors announced its intentions to focus on their four core brands (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC), with the sale, consolidation, or closure of Saturn and the remaining brands (Pontiac, Hummer, and Saab, with Oldsmobile having already discontinued production in 2004).[10] General Motors chairman and former CEO Rick Wagoner announced during a news conference on February 17, 2009, that Saturn would remain in operation through the end of the planned life cycle for all Saturn products (2010–2011).
In February 2009, GM declared its intent to part with this brand by closing or selling the division, either to investors or to dealers, as part of restructuring plans dependent upon the receipt of a second round of government loans ("bailout" funding).[11] It was the third such action for GM in the 21st century, following those of Oldsmobile, which ceased production in 2004, and Pontiac, which ended production for the 2010 model year by the end of 2009.[12]
General Motors announced in June 2009 that it was selling the Saturn brand to
By the end of 2009, GM closed all of its 46 Saturn dealerships in Canada, even those Saturn dealerships also selling Saab vehicles. GM and Penske decided that they could no longer make a business case to distribute Saturn vehicles in Canada after the sale of the brand. Saturn's customer service, parts, and warranty operations moved to other GM dealerships in Canada.[15]
2009: Failed sale
On September 30, 2009, Penske ended its deal with General Motors because of Penske not finding another manufacturer to manufacture the Saturn cars. At one point Penske was in talks with car manufacturers including
In February 2010, to aid customer retention, GM announced that it was offering existing Saturn owners up to US$2,000 in incentives to purchase a new Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, or GMC vehicle until March 31. Customers were required to have owned their Saturns for at least six months and were not required to trade them in to be eligible for the incentives.[16]
Saturn Authorized Service Providers were introduced since the closing of the Saturn brand, available at GM dealers. Saturn Authorized Service Providers are responsible for all aspects of service, including warranty service, on Saturn vehicles.
Saturn's last vehicle models were the Saturn Aura, the Saturn Outlook, the Sky, and the Saturn Vue. GM had continued to produce the Aura, the Outlook, the Sky, and the Vue into the 2010 model year.
In 2012, General Motors rebadged and reintroduced the discontinued Saturn Vue as the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport. The Captiva Sport was mostly unchanged from the discontinued Saturn Vue. The Captiva Sport did not have a hybrid version available, like the Vue did.
2009–2010: Company end
GM ended Saturn production October 7, 2009[17] and ended its outstanding franchises on October 31, 2010.[18][19]
Models
Earlier models
Originally, the company's products used a dedicated platform called the
The
The first significant change came with the 2000
Production of the Saturn Ion was temporarily stopped for three weeks in 2003 due to Saturn dealerships having an overstock of Ion vehicles.
The Saturn L-Series was discontinued after the 2005 model year due to poor sales, one year after Oldsmobile had been discontinued.
Final model line
In 2007, the two final Saturn models with plastic body panels were the Vue and Ion. Plastic body panels were discontinued on all Saturn models after the 2007 model year. None of the 2008 Saturn models used plastic body panels.
The 2009 Saturn models were the
Some of the final Saturns were virtually identical to certain European
Saturn had featured two sub-lines of their vehicles: the Green Line and the Red Line. The Green Line Saturn models were environmentally friendly mild hybrid vehicles, and the Red Line Saturn models were high-performance and sporty vehicles.
Model lineup
Model | Class | Production |
---|---|---|
Saturn S-Series |
compact sedan and coupe | 1991–2002 |
station wagon | 1993–2001 | |
Saturn L-Series |
mid-size sedan and station wagon | 2000–2005 |
Saturn Vue | compact crossover | 2002–2010 |
Saturn Ion | compact sedan and quad coupe |
2003–2007 |
Saturn Relay | minivan | 2005–2007 |
Saturn Sky | roadster | 2007–2010 |
EV1 |
Electric |
1996–1999 |
Saturn Outlook | full-size crossover | 2007–2010 |
Saturn Aura | mid-size sedan | 2007–2010 |
Saturn Astra | compact 3– and 5-door hatchback | 2008–2009 |
Concepts
- Saturn Prototype (1984)
- Saturn Prototype (1988)
- Saturn Sport Sedan Concept (1990)
- Saturn SC Performance Edition (1999)
- Saturn CV-1 (2000)
- Saturn SCX (2001)
- Saturn LST (2001)
- Saturn Vue Urban Expression (2001)
- Saturn Vue Outdoor Expression (2001)
- Saturn SC2 Concept (2002)
- Saturn Sky Concept (2002)
- Saturn Ion·EFX (2002)
- Saturn Ion QC/T (2003)
- Saturn Ion Rally (2003)
- Saturn Vue Red Line Street Play (2004)
- Saturn Vue "Spring Special" (2004)
- Saturn Curve (2004)
- Saturn Aura Concept (2005)
- Saturn Outlook Adventure (2006)
- Saturn PreVue(2006)
- Saturn Astra Tuner (2007)
- Saturn Flextreme(2008)
- Saturn Vue Greenline Hyline (2008)
- Saturn Vue Hybrid 2-Mode (2009)
Slogans
- A Different Kind Of Car Company (1990–1994)
- A Different Kind Of Company, A Different Kind Of Car (1994–2002)
- It's Different In A Saturn (2002–2004)
- People First (2004–2006)
- Like Always. Like Never Before. (2006–2007)
- Rethink American (2007)
- Rethink (2008–2010)
Awards
- 1991
- Saturn receives two "Silver Anvil" awards for community and internal relations.
- Saturn receives Popular Mechanics "Design and Engineering" award for "manufacturing processes that result in exceptionally high quality for an all-new vehicle."
- Saturn receives "Driver's Choice awards for best small car" from MotorWeek.
- 1992
- Saturn receives "Driver's Choice awards for best small car" from MotorWeek.
- Saturn is in the "Top Ten Domestic Buys" according to Motor Trend magazine.
- Saturn receives the "EVE" award for Saturn's attempt to employ women and minorities.
- 1993
- Saturn receives the Best American Car Value Under 13,000; Lowest Total Cost To Own—American Car; Best Overall Value—Compact Class under 16,500; from Intellichoice.
- Saturn receives Technology of the Year from Automobile Magazine.
- 1995
- Saturn receives Best American Car Value under 13,000; Best Compact Under 17,000; Best Subcompact over 12,500; from Intellichoice.
- 1996
- Saturn receives Best American Car Value under 20,000; Best Compact Value under 17,000 (import or domestic); by Intellichoice.
- Saturn receives the award for Best Small Wagon (import or domestic).
- Saturn receives the award for Best Subcompact value under 12,000 (import or domestic).
- Saturn receives the award for Best Subcompact value over 12,500 (import or domestic).
- 1997
- Saturn receives Best Car Value Under 20,000; Best Compact Value under 15,000; Best Subcompact Value under 14,000; Best Small Wagon Value; from Intellichoice.
- Saturn is the Leader in "Brands under 20,000".
- 1999
- Saturn receives awards for Best Compact Value under 20,000; Best Small Wagon Value.
- Saturn S-Series gets a Double 5-Star rating in Driver & Passenger in front-collision tests.
- 2000
- Saturn is voted MotorWeek's "Best Family Sedan".
- Saturn receives "Best Overall Value of the Year" for the SL1, and SL2 from Intellichoice.
- Saturn in Spring Hill receives "Most Valuable Pollution Prevention."
- 2007
- Saturn's 2007 Aura claims North American Car of the Year.
- 2008
- Saturn's Outlook receives Parents Magazine/Edmunds.com "Best Family Car 2008", "Best Crossover Utility" by MotorWeek Drivers, "Best New Family Vehicle" from kbb.com.
Plants
- Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico (General Motors) – Vue (2008–2010)
- (2003–2007)
- Doraville, Georgia, (Doraville Assembly) — Relay (2005–2007)
- Fairfax District (Kansas City, Kansas) (General Motors) – Aura
- Antwerp. Belgium (General Motors Europe) – Astra
- Lansing Delta Township Assembly, Delta Charter Township, Michigan (General Motors) – Outlook
- L series, Pontiac Solstice
References
- ^ Staff Writer (June 13, 2007). "How Saturn Cars Work". howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ Valdes-Dapena, Peter (September 4, 2006). "Saturn: Secrets of the 'no-haggle' price". CNN Money. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "GM confirms site for Saturn plant". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 30, 1985. p. 1B. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 21". St. James Press. fundinguniverse.com. 1998. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ a b Daniel O'Callaghan (January 29, 2022). "Falling Back to Earth (Part Five); Saturn spirals out of Orbit". Driven to Write. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "History Of The Saturn Car Company – Our Story | About Us". saturn.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
- ^ Robert A. G. Monks (2005). "Corporate Governance case study: General Motors". Corporate Governance. Blackwell Publishers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ^ Greenwald, John (November 9, 1992). "What Went Wrong? Everything at Once". Time. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ Staff Writer (June 26, 2004). "Innovative Saturn-UAW Contract Dismantled". saturnfans.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ Vlasic, Bill (December 2, 2008). "Pursuing U.S. Aid, G.M. Accepts Need for Drastic Cuts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ Krisher, Tom; Thomas, Ken (February 17, 2009). "GM seeks up to $30B in aid, will cut 47,000 jobs". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- ^ "The Last Pontiac Built in the US". autoevolution.com. November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Goldman, David (June 5, 2009). "GM to sell Saturn to Penske". CNN Money. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ Goldman, David; Valdes-Dapena, Peter (June 5, 2009). "GM to sell Saturn to Penske". CNN. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Chrissie Thompson, Automotive News (September 1, 2009). "GM to close 46 Canadian Saturn stores by the end of the year". autoweek.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ^ Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (February 14, 2010). "The Car Connection – GM Offering Saturn Owners $2,000 to Stay with Company". thecarconnection.com. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Nelson Ireson. "Saturn Production Halted, Remaining Cars Sold Off Within 4 Months". thecarconnection.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ Van, Adam. "Savannah Saturn car dealership adjusts business". savannahnow.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
- ^ "GM to close Saturn as sale to Penske collapses". Reuters. reuters.com. October 2009. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ "Saturn: New 2009 Cars, SUVs, & Crossover Vehicles". saturn.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ "Where is the Saturn Astra manufactured? - Ask.cars.com". Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ "GM closes Delaware plant, ceases Solstice, Sky production". leftlanenews.com. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
External links
- Official website (archived)
- Saturn official social network
- Saturn Corporation at Curlie