For a long while we have been under the assumption that the Saturn brand would live on under the ownership of the Penske Auto Group. We even heard about a new philosophy about sourcing cars people want from various different vendors, even electric ones.
Well, it looks like none of that is going to happen.
GM issued a statement tonight that states “Penske Automotive Group (PAG) has decided to terminate discussions with General Motors to acquire Saturn.”
Apparently this decision came because Penske was unable to source products beyond those that GM would continue to build for the next year.
As a result of this decision GM will be winding down the Saturn brand and dealerships.
And so the Saturn brand once exciting and new will now be laid to rest along with Pontiac and Oldsmobile before it.
Is this good or bad? Certainly less competitors means more sales for the brands that remain. Bad though for Saturn dealers and their employees.
On another unrelated but not cheerful note, Bob Kruse who is GMs director of hybrids and EVs has decided to leave the company. He had executive oversight of the Chevy Volt program. He apparently decided to use his experience and knowledge to start up his own EV consulting firm, to help other automakers get successful EV programs (and government grants) off the ground.
He will be replaced by Mickey Bly who actually was involved with the Volt program even before Kruse. All of the other key execs including co- creators Jon Lauckner and Bob Lutz, Tony Posawatz and Frank Weber remain committed to the program.
The loss of this one person, who will rapidly be replaced will have no effect on the Volt program whatsoever.
“There’s no good time to lose good people,” GM spokesman Rob Peterson said. “But that said, the Volt team goes way beyond one person.”
And the show goes on.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Brand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
-60
Sep 30th, 2009 (4:20 pm)(click to show comment)
+2
Sep 30th, 2009 (4:30 pm)It is too bad about Saturn. I was hoping for a Vue Plug in Hybrid for the wife, but I guess that is not going to happen………………….
And I thought, well maybe a Buick, but that doesn’t look too good either.
NPNS
Sep 30th, 2009 (4:36 pm)Kruse wanted to make it clear that his departure shouldn’t be read as a statement about his feelings regarding GM’s future success, but he did admit that they weren’t happy he was leaving.
Kruse will provide automotive and vehicle electrification expertise for companies looking to seize a piece of more than $1.3 billion in federal grants available to Detroit’s Big Three automakers and the state the News reports. GM admits they’re none to happy about Kruse’s departure, but said the Volt remains on target for production in November 2010.
=D~
Sep 30th, 2009 (5:12 pm)If it was really a big loss for the Volt program, GM might decide to work with Bob Kruse in future through his EV consulting firm but probably will have to pay much more.
Sep 30th, 2009 (5:16 pm)This ought to tighten up the market at least a few percentage points, it seems to me, for the benefit of the other GM divisions remaining. It would have been really interesting though, to have been able to see what Penske would have done with Saturn had the supply situation been more practicable for them.
Sep 30th, 2009 (5:51 pm)Wow that sounds like a bad omen. Maybe he knows something we don’t. That’s too bad about Saturn too…
Sep 30th, 2009 (5:53 pm)“Penske said it negotiated terms and conditions to make Saturn cars with another manufacturer, but that company’s board of directors rejected the agreement. Penske spokesman Anthony Pordon would not identify the other manufacturer.”
It appears NGMCO needed to let this event occur or be faced with more direct competition to their product line. And as Dan P mentions, “…benefit of the other GM divisions”.
It’s really time for NGMCO to get administration and the Union in the “we think we can” mind set. Seek smooth steady progress toward the release of the Volt and a Voltec truck (crossover) by 11/2010. The Camaro, Malibu, Impala, Equinox, and other models will hold their own through this development cycle. It is very important for Michigan to stop the “bad news” blood loss.
=D~
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:00 pm)The Captain is a really smart guy. I’m sure he finally just decided that the numbers didn’t add up. I personally couldn’t believe it when he got involved in the first place. It would be a MASSIVE risk to take.
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:04 pm)Does Mr. Kruse know something – like a bleak outlook for the new GM – that we do not? We are still waiting for some independent evaluator to drive the Volt for 100 plus miles and provide proof of the puddin information. I would guess we are about 3 months away from getting that sort of information on the Plug-in Prius, and it is months if not a year behind the Volt’s market date of November 2010. We live in interesting times
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:05 pm)I wonder if Penske will put his focus/money elsewhere?
Chalk up some more unemployment for Michigan (and other states too).
+2
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:33 pm)This is sad. Saturns are good cars. I bought Saturns for my two oldest daughters, one in 1999, the other in 2003. They still have them and they are going strong.
However, I believe that Saturn is a car company that should never have come into existence in the first place. GM had FIVE car divisions – six if you count the GEO, which was sold through Chevy dealers back then. They also had GMC truck division. If you can’t produce all they various types of cars and trucks people need with six companies then something is wrong.
And, indeed, something WAS wrong, and his name was Roger Smith, CEO of GM and the subject of Michael Moore’s “Roger and Me” movie. Saturn was Smith’s pet project, and he siphoned off billions of dollars from the other divisions to create it, leaving them short of R&D money.
No surprise then that Oldsmobile went under, then Pontiac, and now Saturn itself.
What a waste.
Anyway, I am sure that GM has learned some hard lessons in all this.
Make the Volt the best car you can GM!
Go Volt!
-18
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:34 pm)(click to show comment)
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:49 pm)Kruse’s decision to start up an EV consulting firm suggests to me that he believes there will be a lot of new EV entrants in the near future. Maybe he’s been approached by other auto companies. Overall, good implications for those of us hoping for a competitive market with lots of EVs to choose from.
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:53 pm)Right you are, Jim! Saturn (I own a 1994 SW-2 & a 2008 Vue, both purchased new). Both represent by far the BEST automotive buying & servicing experience I’ve ever had! WHAT A SHAME WE’LL LOOSE THEM —IT’S THE ONE THING ROGER SMITH GOT EXACTLY RIGHT!!! (We used Saturn to take men to the Moon & we COULD have used Saturn to beat Toyota!)
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:56 pm)It was more of a shock to me when I heard Penske wanted to attempt this Saturn car sourcing sort of company/concept, than the news now that it will be terminated. It was borderline bizarre to me, yet I figured if Penske was the guy doing it, he could make it work and it would be genious. I feel bad for the Saturn group, and people associated with it. It sounds like Penske gave it try but couldn’t see a way to make it work.
As for Bob Kruse leaving…huh? What is that about? I think there’s more story there.
Sep 30th, 2009 (6:57 pm)This is very tragic for Saturn. This should remind us all how thin the economic ice really is.
I hope GM has the proper noncompete and NDA clauses in place for Bob Cruse.
Sep 30th, 2009 (7:04 pm)PS: A bit more, for anyone curious, about my (long) Saturn background: http://wiki.gmnext.com/wiki/index.php/Hey%2C_I_Helped_Design_the_First_Saturn%21
+4
Sep 30th, 2009 (7:09 pm)Brutus BeefCake:
Game on! My 2000 Saturn had 205,000 miles when I sold it to the next door neighbor. His son is still driving it.
I didn’t baby it either. I changed the oil every 35,000 miles. (Yes you read that right, thirty five thousand, not 3,500.)
I”m sharpening my swords and polishing my steel knuckles. You’re going down!
Sep 30th, 2009 (7:15 pm)I thought the Penske thing was a done deal. Hmmmm. I feel sorry for all those folks who bought Saturn’s since the original announcement, thinking the brand, and hence the value of their cars, was safe.
The automotive turmoil isn’t over yet. I follow the Allpar.com web sight also. It is a Chrysler enthusiast sight. Chrysler is in a similar boat. Announcements are made, then withdrawn a few months (or even days) later.
Ford hasn’t declared bankruptcy and that may hurt them in the future as they were not able to unload debt and overcapacity like the other domestics.
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (7:21 pm)Solo,
WHY would you only change your oil every 35,000 miles?
One of the simplest and inexpensive maintenance items on a car is an oil change.
You may have gotten lucky, but I would assume you had sludge for oil after 35,000 miles.
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (9:34 pm)I am sad to hear about Saturn and specially all the people it will effect. Only I owned a SW2 and it was worst car ever. Bought it new and took good care of it (all scheduled maintenance). Then at 72K miles I was told the engine was no good and had to spend over 3K dollars to rebuild it. Well then in anger against GM I traded in the worthless Saturn and I bought a Honda Civic, which I still have and have 150K miles and have never had any required repairs.
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (9:35 pm)Still it is very worrysome when some one like that ditches. Here is an alternate interpretation:
http://bit.ly/ArHxB
……………………
Lokkii :
September 30th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Hmmm – Been there, done that (on my much humbler scale).
Here’s the way I read this:
You were chosen to lead a project that never really had much chance for great sucess; OK that comes with the territory in any management career. You do your best to make the thing happen.
However, the project suddenly gets a lot of publicity, and some senior management KLutz gets in front of a camera and starts making impossible promises for the project, and publicly gives an impossible timeline. Since God et al has spoken the words, the propaganda line becomes the truth.
Oh, and by the way, since there’s trouble elsewhere, some of your team is transfered out (or retires).
Eventually it finally becomes clear to Senior Leadership that the goals you never agreed to and the timeline you never agreed to won’t be met, and the project may well fail altogether… remember it was always risky.
Now you’re getting screamed at in the boardroom; the fact that you’ve been working 20-hour days 7-days a week means nothing of course.
One Sunday morning, when you’re late going to the office, your wife quietly says, “This is killing you, and you know that you’re never going to get promoted again anyhow after this is done – you should retire. I don’t mind”.
You do the math. The numbers are OK. Then you realize that there’s lots of demand out there for exactly what you know…. but from small companies without the built-in/dug-in bureaucracy. Loyalty to the mother-company you’ve worked for for all these years? Yeah, you’ve been getting a lot of loyalty from them lately for cleaning their Agean stables…. you’re going to be the scapegoat for their failure.
So, instead you become a press release (see above) and God Bless, good luck, and goodbye to them.
………………………………
Sep 30th, 2009 (9:57 pm)I had a Saturn Coupe at one time. Put 98,000 miles on it before the transmission turned into guacamole. I had the extended warranty too. That covered the 7 times it was in the shop for all kinds of things.
It was okay, but it was never FUN to drive.
+2
Sep 30th, 2009 (10:32 pm)This is about when we used to have Statik pop up and tell us that Ford is on the brink of bankruptcy now. I miss the douse of reality. Ford is definitely giving it their best shot, but I fear bad times ahead for them as well.
Sep 30th, 2009 (10:55 pm)Yep. GM totally blew it back then. In 1993 my wife bought an SW2 and we both really liked it. Around 35k miles, it started using about a quart and a half of oil every 3,000 miles or so. Saturn said this “was in spec.” Well, they didn’t know who they were messing with. Turns out the problem was the crappy valve guides on the twin cam motor only. The blow back was bad enough that it used to cause a carbon build up on the throttle body butterfly valve that would cause the throttle to stick a bit and was really annoying. The solution to that annoyance was to remove the intake ducting and clean the carbon out with carb cleaner.
The dealer finally admitted fault and wanted to replace the heads only with a supposed new valve guide. My wife was having none of it. She’s a professional bureaucrat and can write tough and effective letters. In the end they put in a whole new engine.
At around 45k miles, the car started using about a quart of oil every 3,000 miles so she quickly put the car up for sale. Her next car was a Subaru and it was solid and reliable for the next ten years. She will not buy another GM vehicle. I tried. In fairness, she had a bad experience with a Nissan head gasket and will not buy one of those either. She now has a Toyota with a new Lexus on order.
Sad thing is, we both liked the Saturn and kind of missed it when she went to the Subaru, but GM cheaped out and it’s hard to argue with that.
+1
Sep 30th, 2009 (10:59 pm)Or, he might finally want to be the big fish in the little pond.
Plenty of people climb the corporate ladder for awhile, get some experience and money, then go startup a company with what they know. This guy has a limited time window with which to cash in on what he knows about the $1.3 billion in Federal grants being given for vehicle electrification, and he has had exposure in the industry from his high profile Volt position. This will allow him to attract clients, before his star fades…
He wants his business card to say
CEO – E V Consulting LLC
not
Executive Director of Global Vehicle Engineering for Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries, GM
Sep 30th, 2009 (11:45 pm)No omens. The guy seems to be a mercenary. He no doubt asked GM for a raise and they said no. So he thought to himself, with all this free government money floating around and my intimate knowledge on how to get it, why not help others (and myself) get some of that action? It’s short sighted and I doubt GM or too many others will be doing business with him. It’s a cut throat world and that’s how it goes, but business doesn’t usually reward this kind of behavior. Chances are, he will be known as the guy who bailed out to make a quick buck when he was most needed instead of the guy who facilitated an EV revolution.
-11
Sep 30th, 2009 (11:45 pm)(click to show comment)
Oct 1st, 2009 (12:12 am)“The guy seems to be a mercenary”
—————
Ummmm. He’s been with GM for his entire career.
+2
Oct 1st, 2009 (12:23 am)He probably crushed EV1s with his own hands..
+2
Oct 1st, 2009 (12:26 am)Yeah, that’s true – this guy’s jumping ship, total disloyalty to the cause and it all occurred in the blink of an eye time period of just 31 short years.
Of all the nerve, fire this guy before he can quit, jeez who does he think he is after only a short 31 year pit stop, the nerve of him taking advantage of GM generosity like that. Ingrate.
Taking mercenary actions after just 31 years with the company, so short sighted, so selfish. Clearly not a team player. Only 31 years…quitter.
Note: There may be some sarcasm here!!!
Oct 1st, 2009 (12:35 am)A bad omen, but really nothing to panic about.
I think what is happening is awful for Saturn employees, but good for the market in the long run. There were just too many brands.
+1
Oct 1st, 2009 (4:04 am)Saturn dies? Who cares! Opel lives on – Saturns where basically rebadged Opels. And the Ampera will be released in 2011. Everthing is fine…
Oct 1st, 2009 (4:24 am)Now is the opportunity for BYD or Chery to gain a foothold in the US by purchasing Saturn’s assets.
+1
Oct 1st, 2009 (6:05 am)My condolences, Nasaman.
I know how much you wanted a Vue.
Oct 1st, 2009 (6:34 am)Penske is only interested in making money and a bad deal is a bad deal. Too many people get attached to their cars like children attached to a toy, grow up! There are a large number of good cars and a lot of great cars available from many makers, do you live in your car, is it a part of your personality, is you ego behind the steering wheel? Well if you answered yes to any of these you need help. Purchase what you like or can afford and take care of it and it will get you from point A to B. Sure wish this country had good mass transit like Europe, I would give up a car or two very quickly and where is my flying car that was promised 30 years ago?
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:01 am)Bought the wife a new 2003 Saturn Vue AWD V-4 with the Hungarian CVT. GM extended the original warrantly to 75,000 miles. Quit on the highway and got towed in at 74,000 miles, Saturn dealer got it running again. Quit again at 82,000 miles, Saturn was no help whatsoever. Had my cousin’s garage fix the transmission. When they took it for a test drive they said the front differential sounded like it was going. Traded it in for a 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
Was informed of a class action lawsuit against GM and that I might be getting some settlement money. Probably lost with old GM.
The only “trouble” with the Mariner was the engine shut down on the highway once and it had to be towed in. Problem was attributed to a hole in the radiator, no radiator fluid. Got a new radiator and had no problem, so I was happy it shut down and I didn’t have to buy a new engine.
Honda recalled my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid for CVT work with eligibility capped at 100,000 miles. Had around 98,000 on it when I got the work done. Still doing ok.
Just sold my 97′ Chevrolet Silverado (got tired of having that towed in too). First time I don’t own a GM vehicle in 24 years. Volt and Camaro are looking good, but MPG is the game now (advantage Volt).
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:03 am)Ford is on a roll. Even the Detroit Lions won a game.
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:14 am)Thanks, Rashiid! ….No worries, ’cause my two Saturns are now instant classics!
+4
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:24 am)GM spent a lot of money to revive the Saturn division and now it’s going away. GM would have been much better off spending that money into the Chevrolet division. I think the hand writing was on the wall. GM would have to downsize and stop competing against itself .
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:29 am)I’m with you bro, I had an SL1 that went for 13 years and who knows how many miles, it would still be going if it hadn’t been crashed. I now have an L200 with going on 200k miles and runs like a top, an I have a 07 Vue with the V6, best vehicle I’ve ever owned. DANG IT!!!
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:43 am)I do hope the promise of buying a plug in electric car by 2012 turns out better than the promise of a flying car.
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:06 am)NYT suggests that Renault / Nissan was the automaker whose BOD did not approve the deal.
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:14 am)-
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:14 am)what is dead should be buried
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:18 am)I guess this could go either way, but my intuition is that you are precisely correct, Geronimo. This guy has suddenly found himself at a high spot ( visibility wise ) in his careeer, which is apexing just as all kinds of government funding ( the $1.3 B) becomes available. I think he simply sees this as his opportunity to cash out at a young age … and yes, his expertise/knowledge indeed has a limitted shelf life – he’s simply going “all in” at a point where he feels his expertise is most likely to be of highest value to the industry.
As Jason ( and perhaps others ) mention below, it’s surprising that GM’s contract with this guy would allow him to peddle his know-how/expertise to competitors …. I don’t know this guys background – did GM hire him from the outside ( perhaps he specified in his contract that he had brought this specific expertise in WITH him when he was hired, hence couldn’t be stopped from peddling it to others if he left ?) ?
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:33 am)I had hope that Saturn could go on and be the kind of car company originally envisioned by GM. That hope is now dashed to the rocks of the market place. Saturn produced great cars with great value, but somehow never connected with the public to the extent necessary to allow them to grow. Goodbye Saturn. It was great while it lasted.
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:41 am)Herm, you are looking at it through a prism of pessimism that is tainting your perspective. Take a deep breath and realize Kruse just made an economic decision when he saw a window of opportunity before him. IMO.
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:42 am)….yeah sorry Nasaman…I wanted one of those Vues w/ plugs as well
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:46 am)I was kind of hoping Penske could bring in some Opel vehicles from Europe to replace the Saturns when GM stopped manufacturing them for him. The possibilities were nearly endless for a company like Penske who could negotiate around the world for quality vehicles. So sad to see it go this way.
Oct 1st, 2009 (8:54 am)gmtx2652
Holy cow!
You my friend either are doing something wrong or have the worst luck ever!
I hope things go better for you in the future!
Even my ’98 Land Rover Discovery has only had one trip in on the hook… (Failed clutch slave cylinder, it was running fine but couldn’t put it into gear.)
Oct 1st, 2009 (9:01 am)That’s pretty much the game…
If you call ‘first’ here you are asking for the neg votes… it’s well known and harmless, relax my friend.
Oct 1st, 2009 (9:03 am)The “other” manufacturer is Renault-Nissan
Oct 1st, 2009 (9:05 am)Roger Penske buying Saturn is just a bad joke. Nobody believed this was even remotely possible.
My guess is that the Penske headlines bought GM the time necessary to go bankrupt, clear its debts, drop Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer, Opel, and Saab.
Now that the taxpayers and the unions own the company eliminating Saturn is so much easier.
Oct 1st, 2009 (9:11 am)Mostly it is sad for all the people who work at the Saturn dealers. More empty building, more people at home. (Untill they loose the home)
Oct 1st, 2009 (10:13 am)The little plastic 1996 Saturn that my little gray-haired mother drives seems to be doing pretty well. She spends some on maintenance, but she bought it years ago for $2500 and she’s still taking it on road-trips to see the grandkids and to further her post-retirement career doing the fun parts of the work she was doing before retirement.
It seems like a good little car to me, and after ~13.5 years on the road (and about 7 since she bought it), I think we can safely say it’s a good car that meets her needs well.
Oct 1st, 2009 (10:32 am)If you don’t like it, try to post something insightful that will contribute to the discussion.
The “first post” thing seemed fun to me when I was new to blogs in the late 1990s, but now it’s just a tired old meme. Having read the negative responses to first-posts back then, it seems like it had already been worn out for a big chunk of that crowd even then.
+3
Oct 1st, 2009 (10:37 am)Jay,
I have to address this. If you spend 20K, 30K, 40K for a vehicle , and also, by your own words, “purchase something you like”, then you damn well BETTER become attached to it. It IS a large part of your life, you will be paying for it for a long time. And if its something you like (your words), then by definition, it also represents your personality as well.
I do not understand the opinion of some people who insist a car must be considered only as an appliance with no appeal, a way to get from A to B, a ‘transportation pod’.
Why is it that ENJOYING the experience from getting from A to B is a problem? What is wrong with that? Why can’t we like, or enjoy, or be proud of our cars?
A vehicle is what gets you to work to make your living, takes your kids safely on trips in relative comfort, it IS protecting your LIFE everytime you are in it, and in cold weather, it is your lifeline. You pay insurance on it, just like your house. You have to be certified by your state to be allowed to use it. You can lose that privilege if you misbehave. It IS significant and our society recognizes that.
If you truly believe your own words, then you also must not care about the clothes you wear (certainly what you wear has no bearing on how you are perceived), the phone you use (its only a PHONE, for crying out loud), what TV you have (its only an info stream), your sports teams you support (its only a game right? Doesnt really matter who wins), where you live (after all, its only a sleeping module), or what you house even looks like (again, its only a sleeping module). SIGN ME UP!! Sounds like a fun world…..
This kind of attitude just bugs the crap out of me. We are free to do and think what we want, no matter how goofy it seems to someone else.
As far as mass transit, this country is too BIG to have efficient mass tranport. IMAGINE the cost of that; you think your taxes are high now. Do some research. And YOU grow up.
Oct 1st, 2009 (11:17 am)Lyle’s post says, regarding Mr Kruse’s departure
The loss of this one person, who will rapidly be replaced will have no effect on the Volt program whatsoever.
——————
One wishes that the “no effect” prediction to be so.
However, experience shows that specific people do make a big difference.
With enough time most people can be replaced, but it often takes a while for the replacement to be equally knowledgeable and productive. I hope the replacement is interested still in the Volt.
I am really sorry to see Mr Kruse leave at this critical juncture.
Oct 1st, 2009 (11:45 am)Hello MetrologyFirst,
I well understand your position; however you need to spend some time working in Europe as I do for 3 to 6 months of the year. Europeans love their cars too but most can not afford a new or really good one. Public transportation is great there whether buses or trains; they run on-time and are very safe to ride. I enjoy owning and driving a fun car and have a Pontiac Solstice and drive a 06 Vibe GT back and forth to work when I am in the states, but I would ride a bus or my bike (Bicycle) if I could. I dress to blend in with the people I am around and if you spend much time traveling the world you would understand why. When I was young I always wanted the best sports car and ware the latest fade in clothes, but as you get to where I am in your life you just want to blend in and go your way. It’s the safest thing to do for many reasons when you travel the world. Enjoy life but be careful and stay aware of where you are and the people around you. There are a growing number of people in the world who will take what you have and your life if need be.
Oct 1st, 2009 (12:27 pm)MetrologyFirst:
Of course you are 100% correct.
/another +1
Oct 1st, 2009 (1:28 pm)Just read this article and it got my dander all flipped up….
The guy bashes Roger Smith and to that I can somewhat agree…I like the concept he had but GM was certainly arrogant about the implementaion of it………….
Anyhow there is a drastic misinformed statment towards the end of this article that references the Volt and how the acceleration will be affected when the car goes into charge sustaining mode …..
_________
“Wednesday’s collapse of the Penske deal, which was always a chancy proposition, kills the Saturn brand. Will it kill GM’s historic arrogance? Critics see the same mentality that led to Saturn in GM’s zealous promotion of the Chevy Volt.
As one observer pointed out recently, after the Volt’s batteries have been discharged from 40 miles of driving, its performance will be reduced by half. In other words, the acceleration time of this $40,000 car under its gasoline engine will double, making maneuvers like merging onto a highway and passing pretty risky.”
_________
Can you believe this stiff being put out there by these so-called journalists….
Who is this one obeserver?
Who does s/he get his/er information from?
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/01/autos/death_of_saturn.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009100111
Oct 1st, 2009 (1:52 pm)Nasaman, thought I’d peek in on the Saturn posting as I have been driving a Saturn for nearly ten years and have assisted in getting friends to buy them so that I had just one kind of car to work on. LOL!
Here in Houston we see Saturns quite a bit. GM says that they were unsuccessful but I have my suspicions.
Our non Mexican ’07 Vue Hy-Brid is not bad at all despite the Hy-Brid battery issues. And my ’98 wagon at 175,000 miles is still going strong. When GM started to pull Saturn into it’s loving embrace I had grave doubts. When there was not a Saturn engineered motor for the new generation I thought, here we go again. Perhaps Penskie has other playing cards.
Best wishes.———Higgins and the Lads, Zeus & Apollo
Oct 1st, 2009 (2:05 pm)Carcus1, I drive the Planet named car and thought I’d “drop” in and have a peek. Our Vue Hy-Brid ’07 non Mexican breed has just returned from the shop getting it’s second 36 volt battery. Seems like they have a problem with their batteries. Hummm.
Very sad for me to see Saturn join Pontiac in the afterlife. Now for myself, I did not succumb to Mister Death nor his delightful associates. Marathon training coming back on line. Book has been put on hold a bit. On face book now.
Kind Regards!——Higgins and The Lads, Zeus & Apollo
Oct 1st, 2009 (6:03 pm)That’s why I keep AAA road service…
Enough other folks had trouble with the Saturn Vue’s to start the class action. Did replace a water pump on the Honda, but when it went it made a whistling sound. Looked it up on the internet to figure out what was wrong with it and was able to drive it in without loss of use.
Silverado was a Michigan-winter ride, but will “borrow” the wife’s Mariner in emergencies this year.
Put over 30,000 miles a year on the Honda, wife used to drive a lot but doesn’t anymore. Love the new 10k oil change intervals.
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:17 pm)I thought for sure that Roger was going to bring the BYD and/or the Chery. He must have some kind of a pipeline to Warren Buffet(T?), don’t you think. I’m glad it didn’t happen.
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:18 pm)I doubt if you’rte going to see any Opels here any time soon. Which suits the h**l out of me, BTW.
Oct 1st, 2009 (7:21 pm)If you ask me, he got himself into the wrong political party somehow. Corporate infighting never goes away.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (12:05 am)The first mistake people are making is assuming that the Volt is a make/break vehicle for GM. It isn’t. If GM was actually pinning their hopes and dreams on that car, I’d have been among those calling for the General to be put down.
When hybrids are still less than 5% of the market, you can’t expect the Volt to be a game-changer for the non-hybrid market.
Finally, if losing Mr. Kruse will kill the Volt program, it deserves to die. There’s a lot of talent in that program, with people stretching back to the EV1 and before.
Now, if Frank Weber leaves before the Volt goes production… I’ll be a bit more concerned.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (12:07 am)I think the Buick will happen, but it’s going to be a Buick design inside and out. It may not look anything like the Vue two-mode, but there’s no reason they can’t take the Vue platform and design a Buick to go on top.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (12:12 am)Oh my gosh! Someone decides after 31 years that if they’re going to have their own company, be their own boss, that they’d better do it now, rather than later…
And it’s the END OF GENERAL MOTORS! Chevrolet will crumble! GMC will be swept into the Sea! Cadillacs all over the world will spontaneously explode! Buicks will turn to stone in their driveways!
Worse, the Chevrolet Volt, now that it’s Master and Lord has been cruelly ripped away, is sitting in the corner, plotting dark revenge, just waiting for the moment when it and it’s brethren can rise up and RULE THE WORLD!!!
You may detect a slight sense of hyperbole here. It’s probably just the Earth tilting off it’s axis.
Seriously, folks… it’s one guy, who’s decided this is the time to go solo.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (12:17 am)The replacement has been there LONGER THAN THE GUY WHO LEFT.
“He will be replaced by Mickey Bly who actually was involved with the Volt program even before Kruse.”
At this point, all the hard work on the EV side of things is largely done… it’s fine-tuning and production preparation.
Perfect time for Mr. Kruse to leave, actually.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (12:20 am)Actually, Penske is still in favor of the deal, but Renault/Nissan backed out as the supplier of licensed cars. They didn’t want someone getting their cars to the US market before them.
Oct 2nd, 2009 (2:28 am)Learn the difference between “less” and “fewer.” Less is appropriate if you are referring to a hard to differentiate mass, e.g. “less mashed potatoes.” Fewer is proper when you are referring to an explicit number of items, e.g. “fewer brands than before.” While it might seem like an unimportant distinction, getting it right goes a long way in establishing the credibility of the author.
Oct 3rd, 2009 (10:35 pm)Sorry to hear that Saturn will not have a future. I am a loyal Saturn owner of 2 Saturn Vue’s and they are great cars. I guess my next car will be a Honda.