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Saturn 2008
- Vue - Flextreme Concept - Astra 5-door - Astra -
- Saturn 2007Sky Red Line - Sky - Outlook - Aura -
Saturn 2006
- Vue Red Line - Vue - Relay - PreVue Concept - Ion Red Line -
Saturn 2005
- Vue AWD V6 - Relay - Aura Concept -
Saturn 2004
- Vue Red Line - Ion Red Line - Curve Concept -
Saturn 2003
- ION Sedan - ION Quad Coupe -
Saturn 2002
- Vue -
Saturn 2000
- L-Series - CV1 Concept -
ABOUT SATURN
On June 5, 2009, General Motors announced that they would be selling Saturn LLC and Saturn Distribution Corporation to Penske Automotive Group.
1982-1990:
Formation
Alex C. Mair began discussions of a revolutionary new, small-car project codenamed "Saturn" in June of 1982. In November of 1983, the Saturn idea is publicized by General Motors' Chairman Roger B. Smith and General Motors' President F. James McDonald. Twelve months later, the first Saturn demonstration vehicle is revealed. On January 7th, 1985 the Saturn Corporation was officially founded.
1990-2000:
"A New Kind of Car Company"
In July of 1990 GM Chairman Roger Smith and UAW President Owen Bieber drove the very first Saturn off the assembly line in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The brand was marketed as a "different kind of car company," and Saturn operated outside the GM conglomerate, with its own assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, unique models, and a separate retailer network. The brand was immediately known for its 'no haggle' prices. The first Saturn Model, the Saturn S-Series, was a huge hit. A year later, Saturn hit the Canadian market. 499,999 Saturns later, 'Carla' is welcomed in 1993. In May 1995, 'Jasper', Saturn's Millionth car is produced. In 1996, the short lived GM EV1 hit Saturn Showrooms. In 1997, Saturn entered the Japanese market. In January 1999, Saturn rolled out its two millionth car. In late 1999, Saturn began production of its all new L-Series.
2000-2008:
Model expansion
Saturn's first Compact Crossover Sport Utility Vehicle was introduced in 2000 as the Saturn Vue. The Saturn Vue was known as the Chevrolet Captiva in Mexico, Europe and Brazil; the GMC Terrain in the Middle East; Holden Captiva MaXX in the Oceania regions; Opel Antara in mainland Europe and Ireland; and Vauxhall Antara in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Saturn introduced the Saturn Ion as a replacement to the Saturn S-Series. In 2005, Saturn began selling the Saturn Outlook, a larger SUV than the Saturn Vue. That same year the Saturn L-Series was discontinued. The Saturn Sky was introduced in 2006. In 2007, the Saturn Aura made its way to dealerships, and the Saturn Ion was discontinued. The Saturn Astra was discontinued a year later. During the 2008 NAIAS, Saturn revealed its Flextreme concept vehicle, which is essentially a rebadged Opel Flextreme.
In 2004, GM and the UAW dissolved their unique labor contract for the Spring Hill, Tennessee manufacturing plant.
2008-2009:
Sale of brand, market changes
In US Congressional hearings on December 2, 2008, General Motors announced its intentions to focus on four core brands (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC), with the sale, consolidation, or closure of Saturn and the remaining brands (Pontiac, Hummer, and Saab). General Motors Chairman and former CEO Rick Wagoner announced during a news conference on February 17, 2009 that Saturn will remain in operation through the end of the planned lifecycle for all Saturn products (2010-11).
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). If the brand were to be phased out, It is the third such action for GM in the 21st century, following those of Oldsmobile, which ceased production in 2004, and Pontiac, which will cease production by the end of the 2010 model year.
General Motors announced in June 2009 that it was selling the brand to Penske Automotive Group. The arrangement is similar to the deal under which Penske distributes Daimler AG's Smart Car in the United States. GM hopes to conclude a deal by the end of the third quarter. Penske will not be buying the factories and will eventually have other car companies build cars sold as Saturns. GM will build the Aura, Vue, and Outlook for Penske for two years. To replace GM as the brand's manufacturer, Penske is in discussions with several global automakers, including Renault Samsung Motors of Korea.
By the end of 2009, GM will close all of its 46 Saturn dealerships in Canada. 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 will move to other GM dealerships in Canada. Saturn dealerships in Canada also selling Saab vehicles will sell exclusively Saab vehicles after GM sells Saturn to Penske, Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company and Saab to Koenigsegg.
As of 2009, the company shares GM's Delta, Epsilon, Kappa, Lambda and Theta platforms, and the company's Ecotec engines - including the new 2.4L LE5 I4, Turbo 2.0L LNF I4, and DCVCP 1.8L I4 - and the High Feature LY7 3.6L V6 and High Value LZ4 3.5L V6 engines. The Saturn Vue used a Honda engine in the past, and the plastic body panels have been discontinued on all current vehicles.
The 2009 Saturn models are the Sky roadster, the Aura sedan, the Astra hatchback, the Vue small crossover SUV and the Outlook full-size crossover SUV built off the GM Lambda platform (replacing the Relay minivan).
Some current Saturns are virtually identical to certain Opel/Vauxhall models. For example, the 2008 Saturn Vue is a rebadged Opel Antara, while the Opel GT is based on the Saturn Sky. The Opel Astra is imported from Antwerp, Belgium as the Saturn Astra (replacing the Ion as the entry-level car). On the other hand, the Saturn Aura, while sometimes compared to the Opel Vectra, is a unique model for the North American market similar to the Pontiac G6.
The company offers two sub-lines of vehicles: "Red Line" Saturns are performance-oriented, while "Green Line" cars are more environmentally friendly hybrids. The Vue and Ion Red Line models, launched in 2004, have been joined by Vue and AURA Green Lines for the 2007 model year and a Sky Red Line the same model year. Saturn's Green Line vehicles utilize mild hybrid technology.
Car Insurance
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