Penske - Deal Fails GM Moves To Close Saturn

[DriVer]

DETROIT — General Motors said Wednesday that it would shut down its Saturn division by next year after Roger Penske abruptly cut off talks to acquire the brand.

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[FLYTYER]

I just lost about $6000 in car value between my Saturn ION and Vue !!

[golden]

I'm still very happy with mine and have no intention of getting rid of it. The only thing I've had to do in almost four years, other than routine maintenance, is get new tires last week.

My guess is that although the Saturn may have lost value to the GP, it will still retain it's value to the motorhome towing folks.

[RovinOn]

It's a shame for Saturn, My wife and I just purchased an Aura and we are rather pleased with it. My understanding so far is that service will still be available through GM.
Sad part about the whole Penske deal was that he was eventually going to take it off shore for production! I'm sure if he wanted to he could have taken the whole deal and kept manufacturing here at the Saturn plant.
There is just no loyalty to the U.S. anymore, it's all about money and greed!

Regards
RovinOn

[Tom N]

GM may be dropping the Saturn line but the Vue will still be produced by GM and will be badged as the Captiva in the USA.

-Tom

The Saturn Vue is a compact crossover SUV from General Motors' Saturn marque, and is Saturn's best-selling model. It was the first vehicle to use the GM Theta platform. The Vue is the oldest model in the Saturn lineup since the demise of the L-Series in 2005. A second generation Vue was launched in 2007 for the 2008 model as a rebadged Antara model. The vehicle is also known as the Chevrolet Captiva (Mexico, Europe, Brazil), GMC Terrain (Middle East, not related to the North American version), Holden Captiva MaXX (Oceania), Opel Antara (mainland Europe & Ireland), and Vauxhall Antara (UK). It replaced the Isuzu Rodeo in Canada because Saturn dealerships in Canada also sold Saabs and Isuzus, as Isuzu withdrew from Canada after the 2002 model year.

Following the withdraw of a bid by Penske Automotive to acquire Saturn, the Motors Liquidation Company of General Motors announced in September 2009 that it expected to phase out the Saturn brand by October 2010,[1] and will be moved to the Chevrolet brand as the Captiva.

[Source: Saturn Vue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom N GM may be dropping the Saturn line but the Vue will still be produced by GM and will be badged as the Captiva in the USA. -Tom ...the Motors Liquidation Company of General Motors announced in September 2009 that it expected to phase out the Saturn brand by October 2010,[1] and will be moved to the Chevrolet brand as the Captiva. [Source: Saturn Vue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

Isn't the 2010 Equinox being sold by Chevrolet already essentially the same vehicle as the Saturn Vue???

All I really want to know is which remaining GM division will be selling parts and providing service for Saturn.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz Isn't the 2010 Equinox being sold by Chevrolet already essentially the same vehicle as the Saturn Vue???

paz, No it's not really. I shopped for both and drove both. We chose the Vue over the Equinox from a dealership approximately 60 miles from our home. The Chevy dealer was right up the block.

We loved the 2008 Vue from the first day that we saw it. The Equinox on the other hand didn't have the appeal of the Vue.

The Traverse OTOH is a nice looking car. If Chevy makes an Antara we will no doubt be looking at that vehicle when it becomes available.

My GMC dealer told me that they could get parts for my Vue, it just would take a little bit of time and a couple of phone calls probably more so than my Saturn dealer.

My Saturn dealer (Saturn of Florence) is the best. Recent service had me in a 2009 Vue overnight until our vehicle was ready. The dealer drove the 09 to our house and took our car back to Florence to fix it. We kept the 09 Vue for about 36 hours.

Now I don't have confidence that Palmetto Chevrolet would have done the same thing.

[Jim Stewart]

It may not be over yet. The reason that Penske ended their bid for Saturn was that they could not come to an agreement with Renault. Renault has had a desire to come to the US market again ever since the AMC debacle. The problem for Renault was a ready made sales and service network. With the world becoming global most foreign manufacturers will have to have a US presence to succeed long term in the global marketplace.

In financial circles, the rumor is that Renault may have not come to an agreement with Penske because Penske wanted them to manufacturer Saturns for them. They wanted Penske to sell Renault at the US Dealerships. Renault may be a viable candidate to take over Saturn and provide a complete car line with manufacturing in the US.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Stewart Renault may be a viable candidate to take over Saturn and provide a complete car line with manufacturing in the US.

Jim, Could be. Most all the major European manufacturers have a presence in the US market except for France it would seem. With Renault building here that would be a good thing for US car workers.

I never did feel comfortable with Penske just selling the cars and GM making them. That would not have worked well long term I would expect.

[empty pockets]

As far as i can remember the Vue was being built in lansing MI up til the GM bankruptcy. the rest of the models are built in Mexico or Belgium. the Saturn plant in Tennnessee hasnt built a Saturn brand car since i believe 2005 only the Traverse, I believe that to be the correct model. Might be wrong on that name.They are a nice car but hey not built here and Penski wasnt going to either so MHO who cares.No Americans out of work. that will make a few of you mad.

[Fred B.]

it's my belief that the Penske, GM deal was a way to get rid of inventory & nothing else.

[tmh462]

Penske says he couldn't get anyone to build the cars for him (probably offshore). He didn't want to build them in the US because of labor costs, GM said they lost money on every Saturn they sold, and I'm sure it would be no different for Penske.
Unless it has changed in the last year, Renault does have controlling interest in a manufacturer with a huge presence in the US-- Nissan. They got that around 2001 or so. Corporate games are tough to keep track of, even with a scorecard...