Posted on 09/30/2009 1:52:08 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
General Motors said Tuesday it would wind down its Saturn brand after talks broke off with Penske Automotive Group on a bid for the nameplate.
GM said in a statement that Penske "has decided to terminate discussions" to acquire Saturn "because of the inability to source new products beyond what it had asked GM to build on contract."
"This is very disappointing news and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees and Saturn retailers who tried to make the new Saturn a reality," the US automaker said.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Lower the damn price and sell it, you idiots.
I have had two Saturns and loved them. Stupid GM. Never again will I buy one of their products.
destroying America and her economy one piece at a time.
Penske knew a loser when he saw it.
Without throwing off the yoke of the UAW contract and legacy costs there was no way Roger was going to bite the bullet and take this on.
Even if the brand is today profitable and viable without stripping the union of its crippling power no one would buy any part of GM.
This sounds like Penske can’t find a factory to produce new Saturn models that Obama Motors won’t. In this day of sore unemployment, why is Penske having that trouble?
I wouldn’t buy one. I looked at a Saturn up on a lift at a garage, and was amazed at how flimsily it was constructed. I wouldn’t drive one of those things on a highway if you paid me.
Did the deal require ALL Saturns to be union made?
Isn’t Saturn one of their most popular brands?
It’s too bad GM can’t just say to its employees - look, if you want to keep your jobs and not lose them to the cheaper imports, here’s what we’re willing to pay you in order to remain profitable. That’s it - no more.
Don’t like it, then quit.
My wife’s 2003 Saturn is DOA, VTI trans went out and was quoted $4,500 to rebuild and only warranty work for 12,000 miles or 1-year.
Book value less than repairs. Will never run again.
Has been down for 5 months, this nails it shut.
I drive a Chevy Silverado Pickup and it will be my last.
Anyone know the timeline for shutting down the dealer network?
As a previous Saturn owner, I am not at all saddened by this announcment.
My experience was similar to yours on a brand new 1997 SC2.
I put less money into a used Honda that was 2 years older at the time.
Saturn = POS
A lot of folks like me will buy a GM product when the Devil ice skates to work. My epiphany was caused by a 1981 Pontiac Phoenix and reinforced over the years by renting some GM junk on business trips and the unfortunate experience of various friends and relatives who bought GM products.
Obama Motors keeps that sorry ass line and dumps Pontiac. Gee guess what, Saturn sucked! I can count the number of Saturns I see in a day on one hand. I see Pontiacs all over the place, and I don’t mean the 10 year old one I use as a daily driver to ward off parking lot dings! 120K miles and all I do is change the oil and add gas.
I was through with GM before this mess. My last two were lemons. (2000 Blazer, 1999 Intrigue)
My last 4 cars have been honda’s
I have NEVER had a repair on them except my first one, which needed new muffler system after 310,000 miles. No spark plugs, tuneup - nothing. Changed my oil before every 10,000 with synthetic.
It still ran like new and I would probably have gotten 500,000 miles out of it if I didnt have to sell it for a bigger car when the kddies came along I should have kept it instead of turning it in.
bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.