Saturn was a market failure because GM management, after Roger Smith left the chairmanship, starved if of capitol. The original cars sold well. Much of like Pentax, Saturn sold as many units as they could produce, but they could never produce enough units with just one plant, and no capital for expansion. After about 10 years without a major redesign, 6 with out a real styling change, (despite of being designed to be easily re-styled), Saturns were hopelessly outdated. GM's management killed the entire concept, starting from almost the beginning, then closed the factory, and disbanded the design and management teams. It's hard to blame a startup for failure when they aren't given a real chance. new investment is denied and even minor change is stifled. Yes they are the replacement for Oldsmobile, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement for GM's decision making or for that matter a real indictment of Saturn. There was after all more perceived value in the Saturn name than in the Oldsmobile name after GM got through with them.
Adam Maas wrote: > Saturn was a market failure and the changes were driven by its > effective elimination from viability by 2003. It is now effectively > the replacement for Oldsmobile in market segment and is selling far > better than it ever did when semi-independant. > > -Adam > > On 1/8/08, P. J. Alling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> That's what Saturn was supposed to be, a self sufficient laboratory for >> engineering and process design. Which is why the original Saturn was a >> completely new platform, unrelated to anything else in the GM line, and >> the factory was built from the ground up with special labor rules. That >> plan lasted about as long as Disney's original concept for Epcot, which >> was supposed to be a planned community of tomorrow, then they discovered >> that they'd have to deal with real people... >> >> Adam Maas wrote: >> >>> The Sky's interesting, as it's a straight rebadge of the Opel >>> Speedster (Same styling and drivetrain) unlike the fairly extensively >>> modified Solstice (which is based on the Speedster, but not >>> identical). >>> >>> The other Saturns are Opels except for the Vue, and therefore german >>> designed. Nobody's got the money or infrastructure to do completely >>> independant engineering (even Holden, the most independant of the GM >>> marks, uses Chevy drivetrains). >>> >>> -Adam >>> >>> On 1/7/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>> >>>>> The Saturn division originally built very good little cars, a great >>>>> first cut on subcompacts. GM simply starved them of money until they >>>>> could be made over in the image of the parent company. Now Saturns are >>>>> just plastic clad GM extrusions. They build keepers but the fish keeps >>>>> rotting from the head... >>>>> >>>>> >>>> My dad got one of the very first Saturn coupes in California, and for the >>>> rest >>>> of the '90s my little brothers and I were big Saturn fans (we were young >>>> and >>>> impressionable, what can I say). >>>> >>>> Every year we went to the San Francisco International Auto Show, and I saw >>>> the >>>> evolution of the Saturn brand from the beginning. When GM started drawing >>>> them >>>> in closer, they just went downhill. Quality, looks, everything. >>>> >>>> The only interesting & unique thing Saturn has put out this decade was the >>>> 2001 >>>> special edition yellow coupe, which I thought was just beautiful, >>>> especially >>>> with the black & yellow leather interior. My mom got one, but with plain >>>> black >>>> cloth interior (boooooring). The other product of theirs that I like is >>>> the >>>> Sky roadster, but it's just another GM clone, like the rest of Saturn's >>>> cars >>>> now. >>>> >>>> I was very sad when my dad sold his little red Saturn, but it was getting >>>> old >>>> and he needed something he could haul gardening supplies with. Now he's >>>> driving a Honda CR-V, and I suspect future car purchases that my parents >>>> make >>>> will be Japanese as well. My parents just don't trust the American car >>>> companies anymore. >>>> >>>> Me, I'd give anything for a new Dodge Challenger. >>>> >>>> John Celio >>>> >>>> >>>> The Saturn Score: >>>> Dad: original '91 SC-1 Coupe, now drives a Honda CR-V >>>> Mom: 2001 yellow special edition SC-2 >>>> Bro 1: 2000 (?) SL-2 >>>> Bro 2: 2004/5 Ion >>>> Me: yet to own a Saturn, much less drive one. My family's cars are all >>>> manual >>>> transmission, which I don't drive well enough to risk ruining a clutch or >>>> two. >>>> Plus, I'm not a GM fan, and currently loathe my little Chevy. >>>> Case in point: http://www.neovenator.com/2008/01/is-time-to-bitch.html >>>> >>>> -- >>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>> [email protected] >>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>> follow the directions. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> -- >> I am personally a member of the Cream of the Illuminati. >> A union with the Bavarian Illuminati is contemplated. >> When it is complete the Bavarian Cream Illuminati will rule the world >> -- Anonymous >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> >> > > > -- I am personally a member of the Cream of the Illuminati. A union with the Bavarian Illuminati is contemplated. When it is complete the Bavarian Cream Illuminati will rule the world -- Anonymous -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
