Saturn Corporation , also known as Saturn LLC , is an American automobile manufacturer, a registered trademark established on January 7, 1985, as a subsidiary of General Motors. The Company markets itself as "various types of car companies" and operates independently from its parent company for a while with its own assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee; unique models; and a separate reseller network, and is GM's attempt to compete with Japanese carmakers.
Following Penske Automotive's withdrawal offer to acquire Saturn in September 2009, General Motors suspended the Saturn brand and terminated the outstanding franchise on October 31, 2010. All new production was suspended on October 7, 2009.
Video Saturn Corporation
History
1982-1989: Formation
Alex C. Mair began a discussion of a new revolutionary "small revolutionary" car project under the name Saturn in June 1982. In November 1983, Saturn's ideas were published by Motors Chairman Roger B. Smith and President of GM F. James McDonald. Twelve months later, Saturn's first demonstration vehicle was revealed. On January 7, 1985, Saturn Corporation was officially established. Quoting full disclosure, Saturn was founded as a private company, owned by employees, by former GM leaders. They remain private until GM buys it, and effectively "rewrite" the company's history.
In the mid-1980s, GM released the Saturn Concept Car. The car, which resembles the first SL Saturn, was originally not intended to start a brand; however, GM plans to release a Saturn car under one of its brands, which at the time was Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. In the late 1980s, GM changed their plans and established Saturn as their own brand, with its first car being Saturn SC and Saturn SL. The production of both Saturn vehicles began in 1990 as a year-old model vehicle in 1991. Saturn SW was later added for 1993. GM has plans for sedans, coupes, convertibles, carts, and even sport utility vehicles. However, the first Saturn sports utility vehicle, Vue did not appear until the 2002 model. and Saturn's first convertible, Sky did not appear until the 2006 model year
1990-2000: "New company type car"
On July 30, 1990, the first Saturn was built, it was the red Saturn SL2 1991. The first Saturn dealer has opened in Memphis, Tennessee. Saturn Corporation was launched as "various types of car companies", and Saturn even has its own unique car model, and their own separate dealer network from other GMs.
The results in Saturn, however, are more dubious than positive. According to The Wall Street Journal , the project is too ambitious, because "everything on Saturn is new: cars, factories, labor, dealer networks and manufacturing processes Even Toyota, successful and experienced, handling more than two new items on every single project. "While the Saturn car proved very popular with buyers, actual sales never reached an optimistic projected target, partly because of the early 1990s recession. It's also proven cannibal because 41% of Saturn buyers already own GM cars. His separation from the rest of his GM parents, plus the fact that he spent $ 5 billion on other auto projects, caused discontent within the other GM divisions. Also, Saturn opens at a much higher cost than a Japanese transplant (factories established by Japanese automakers in the United States).
Nevertheless, the brand was immediately known for the "no bargain" price. The first Saturn model, the S-Series, succeeded significantly. A year later, Saturn hit the Canadian market. In 1993, the 500,000-car Saturn "Carla" was built. In May 1995, 1 million Saturn cars entered the market. In 1996, Saturn distributors powered the GM EV1, the first car released under the GM marque. In 1997, Saturn became the first fully developed North American First Motors vehicle with the right-hand drive on the same assembly line as the left-hand drive (GM's North American right-left-drive vehicles were built in countries with left road rules using a knock- down and special dashboard and steering components) upon entering the Japanese market. In January 1999, Saturn launched its two millionth car. Also in 1999, Saturn started production of all new L-Series for the year 2000 model.
By the time the Saturn brand was launched in Japan, however, the Japanese economy was already in sharp decline after the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble in 1991.
2000-2008: Model expansion
Saturn's first compact crossover SUV was introduced in 2001 for the 2002 model as a VUE based on GM designs used globally. For 2002 for the 2003 model year, Saturn has introduced ION as a replacement for the S-Series. In 2004 for the 2005 model year, Saturn started selling the first minivan and Saturn RELAY based on similar models from other GM brands. In the same year, the L-Series was discontinued. The Sky Roadster was introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model. In 2006 for the 2007 model year, the AURA midsize sedan made its way to the dealership, along with Outlook, CUV larger than Vue, and was the last year Ion was produced. Ion was replaced by Astra built in Europe in 2008. During the 2008 North American International Automotive Exhibition (NAIAS), Saturn reveals its Flextreme concept vehicle, which is a revolved Opel Flextreme.
Saturn is believed to have been at odds with GM and has not been very receptive to the company's closure. In 2004, GM and the United Auto Workers dissolved their unique contract of work for the Spring Hill manufacturing plant, allowing Saturn's operations to be integrated with other GMs.
2008-2009: Trying to sell brands, market changes
At the US Congressional hearing on December 2, 2008, General Motors has announced its intention to focus on their four core brands (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC), by selling, consolidating, or closing Saturn and other brands (Pontiac, Hummer, and Saab). Chairman of General Motors and former CEO Rick Wagoner announced during a press conference on February 17, 2009, that Saturn will remain in operation until the end of its planned life cycle for all Saturn products (2010-2011).
In February 2009, GM declared its intention to part with this brand by closing or selling divisions, either to investors or to dealers, as part of the restructuring plan depending on the acceptance of the second round of government loans ("bailouts"). It was the third act for GM in the 21st century, following Oldsmobile, which stopped production in 2004, and Pontiac, which ended production of the 2010 model year at the end of 2009.
General Motors announced in June 2009 that it sold the brand to the Penske Automotive Group. The arrangement is similar to the deal under which Penske distributes Daimler AG Smart Cars in the United States. Penske did not plan to buy a factory and eventually had to sign another car company to make the car sold as Saturn. GM will build AURA, VUE, and Outlook for Penske for two years. To replace GM as a brand manufacturer, Penske is in discussions with several global car makers, including Renault Samsung Motors of Korea, and Renault-Nissan Alliance.
At the end of 2009, GM closed all 46 of its Saturn dealers in Canada, even for Saturn dealers also selling Saab vehicles. GM and Penske decided that they could no longer make business cases to distribute Saturn vehicles in Canada after brand sales. Saturn customer service, parts, and warranty operations move to other GM dealers in Canada.
2009: Sales fall through
On September 30, 2009, Penske terminated his agreement with General Motors. The deal between Penske and General Motors has ended because Penske found no other producers to buy the Saturn brand. At one point Penske was in talks with several car manufacturers including Renault Samsung Motors and Renault-Nissan Alliance, but talks with the Renault-Nissan Alliance have come to an end primarily due to objections from Nissan's part of the alliance. There is also another part of the deal between Penske and GM is for GM to continue making AURA, Outlook, and VUE until 2011, and then other manufacturers will take over, but since Penske did not find another carmaker willing to continue production of Saturn vehicles, Penske and GM have ended. As a result, General Motors announced that the Saturn brand will be discontinued in 2010, and that all Saturn dealerships will close on October 31, 2010 or until all of their inventory is sold.
In February 2010, as a means of customer retention, GM announced it offered existing Saturn owners up to US $ 2,000 in incentives to purchase Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick or GMC vehicles until March 31. Customers are required to have their Saturns for at least six months and are not required to redeem them in order to qualify for incentives.
Saturn Authorized Service Provider has been introduced since the close of the Saturn brand. Most Saturn Service Providers are located at Chevrolet and Cadillac dealers. Saturn's Authorized Service Provider is responsible for all aspects of the service, including warranty service, on Saturn vehicles.
Saturn's last vehicle models were AURA, Outlook, Sky, and VUE. GM continues to produce AURA, Outlook, Sky, and VUE to model year 2010. The 2010 model Saturn model is only sold to rental car companies. All new Saturn vehicle sales have ended in 2009.
In 2012, General Motors has reintroduced the VUE Saturn that was discontinued as the 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport. The Chevrolet Captiva Sport is largely unchanged from the discontinued Saturn VUE. However, Captiva Sport does not have a hybrid version available, when VUE does it.
Maps Saturn Corporation
Model
Previous model
Initially, the company's products use a special platform called Z-body and special machine, 1.980 L Saturn I4 engine, and a special factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee. All of the original Saturn displays dent resistant body panels that are also touted as allowing the company to change the look of the vehicle easily. However, in practice, companies do not often take advantage of this ability.
The Saturn S-Series family was produced from 1991-2002. The S-Series car has three generations: The first generation car was produced from 1991-1995. For the 1995 model Saturn uses the "first generation" and "second generation" exteriors. The exterior of the 1995 model looks the same as the first generation car, but has a larger gauge face on the redesigned instrument cluster and center console. The first generation engine is rated at 85 horsepower (63 kW) for a single overhead cam machine, while the dual overhead cam engine is rated at 124 horsepower (92 kW) for the entire run of the S-Series (1991-2002). In 1996, the second generation S-Series sedan was introduced. Changes made until 1999 include a redesigned body and a single overhead cam boost to 100 horsepower (75 kW). The third generation sedan received only a few design changes for production in 2000-2002. Most notably, the exterior body panels are updated once again, and new paint colors are offered. The sedan retains many of the same mechanical components as the updated interior design. In 1997, the second generation of the sports coupe model was introduced with a more scooped up front. The 1999 Coupe model received a suicide door behind the driver's side door. S-Series is produced in three variations: Coupe (SC), Sedan (SL), and Wagon (SW). The cart was introduced for the 1993 Model and was produced until 2001.
The first significant change comes with the Saturn L-2000 mid-size car. It shares the GM2900 platform with Opel Vectra, along with its engine. It was built at a GM factory in Wilmington, Delaware. The year 2000 model is designated LS-1 (4 cylinder) and LS-2 (6 cylinder.) However, like Lincoln-Mercury owned by LS, and to prevent suit, Saturn turns the designer into L200 & amp; L300 for model year 2001-2005. Saturn L200 was discontinued after the 2003 model year. In 2003, Saturn ION replaced the S-Series compact.
ION Saturn production was suspended for three weeks in 2003 because Saturn dealers have a large number of ION vehicles.
The Saturn L-Series was discontinued after the 2005 model due to poor sales.
Final model line
In 2007, two end Saturn models with plastic body panels were VUE and ION. The plastic body panels are discontinued on all Saturn models after the 2007 model year. None of the 2008 Saturn models use plastic body panels.
Saturn 2009 models are Sky roadster, AURA sedan, Astra hatchback, VUE small crossover SUV, and full size crossover SUV made from GM Lambda platform.
Some of the last Saturn is almost identical to certain European Opel/Vauxhall models. For example, Saturn VUE 2008 is Opel Between which is torn down, while the Opel GT is based on Saturn Sky. The Saturn Astra is a rebadged version of Opel Astra. Saturn Astra is also the first Saturn built outside North America. Astra Saturn was built in Antwerp, Belgium.
Saturn displays two sub-lines of their vehicles: the Green Line and the Red Line. The Green Line Saturn model in which lightweight hybrid vehicles are environmentally friendly, and the Red Line Saturn model is a high-performance and sporty vehicle.
List of models
Drafts
- Saturn Prototype (1984)
- Saturn Prototype (1988)
- Saturn Sport Sedan Concept (1990)
- Saturn SC Performance Edition (1999)
- Saturn CV-1 (2000)
- Saturn SCX (2001)
- Saturn LST (2001)
- Saturn VUE Urban Expression (2001)
- Saturn VUE Outdoor Expression (2001)
- Sky Saturn Concept (2002)
- Saturn Curve (2004)
- Saturn AURA Concept (2005)
- Saturn PreVue (2006)
- Saturn Flextreme (2008)
- Saturn VUE Hybrid 2-Mode (2009)
Slogan
Different Car Companies (1991-1993)
Different Company Type, Different Car Type (1994-2001)
It's Different In Saturn (2002-2003)
People First (2004-2005)
As usual. Not like before. (2006)
Rethink American (2007)
Rethinking (2008-2010)
Awards
- 1991
- Saturn receives two "Silver Anvil" awards for community and internal relationships.
- Saturn Received the "Design and Engineering" award from Popular Mechanics for "manufacturing processes that produce exceptionally high quality for all new vehicles."
- Saturn receives the "Best Driver Award for the best small car" from MotorWeek.
- 1992
- Saturn receives the "Best Driver Award for the best small car" from MotorWeek.
- Saturn is in the "Top Ten of Domestic Purchases" according to Motor Trend magazine.
- Saturn receives the "EVE" award for Saturn's efforts to employ women and minorities.
- 1993
- Saturn receives Best American Car Value below 13,000; Lowest Total Cost To Own - American Car; Best Overall Value - Compact Class under 16,500; from Intellichoice.
- Saturn receives Technology of the Year from Automobile Magazine.
- 1995
- Saturn receives Best American Car Value under 13,000; Best Compact Below 17,000; The best subcompacts are more than 12,500; from Intellichoice.
- 1996
- Saturn receives Best American Car Value under 20,000; Best Compact Value under 17,000 (imported or domestic); by Intellichoice.
- Saturn receives awards for Best Small Wagon (imported or domestic).
- Saturn receives an award for Best Subcompact value below 12,000 (imported or domestic).
- Saturn receives an award for Best Subcompact value of over 12,500 (imported or domestic).
- 1997
- Saturn receives Best Car Value below 20,000; Best Compact Value under 15,000; Best Subcompact Value below 14,000; Best Small Wagon Value; from Intellichoice.
- Saturn is the Leader in "Brands under 20,000".
- 1999
- Saturn receives an award for Best Compact Value below 20,000; Best Small Wagon Value.
- Saturn S-Series gets a 5-star Double rating in Driver & amp; Passenger in front collision test.
- 2000
- Saturn is selected as "Best Family Sedan" MotorWeek.
- Saturn receives "Best Overall Value of the Year" for SL1, and SL2 from Intellichoice.
- Saturn in Spring Hill receives "Most Precious Pollution Prevention."
- 2007
- Saturn 2007 AURA claims North American Car of the Year.
- 2008
- Saturn's Outlook accepts Parents Magazine/Edmunds.com "Best Family Car of 2008", "Best Crossover Utility" by MotorWeek Riders, "Best New Family Vehicle" from kbb.com.
Plants
- Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico (General Motors) - Vue (2008-2010)
- Spring Hill, Tennessee, (Spring Hill Manufacturing) - S-Series (1991-2002), Vue (2002-2007), ION (2003-2007)
- Doraville, Georgia, (Doraville Council) - Relay (2005-2007)
- Fairfax District (Kansas City, Kansas) (General Motors) - Aura
- Antwerpen. Belgium (General Motors Europe) - Astra
- Lansing Delta Township Assembly, Delta Charter Township, Michigan (General Motors) - Outlook
- Wilmington, Delaware (enclosed plant) - Sky, L series, Pontiac Solstice
References
External links
- Official website
- The official Saturn social network
- The official website of Saturn Canada
- Saturn Corporation in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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