Automotive Maker
Saturn

Saturn

  • Opinion: What should happen to Saturn, Vauxhall and Opel during GM's reorganization?

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    Amidst all the recent bailout talk, one question being asked is what role GM's Opel division will serve in a new-and-hopefully-improved General Motors. More succinctly, will Vauxhall and Saturn soldier on unchanged or will they simply fade into automotive landscape? Automotive News seems to think the question of Opel and how it relates to Vauxhall and Saturn is so important that it's worth devoting threeseparateeditorials to the issue, with varying levels of clarity.

    Continue reading Opinion: What should happen to Saturn, Vauxhall and Opel during GM's reorganization?

    Opinion: What should happen to Saturn, Vauxhall and Opel during GM's reorganization? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • GM's LaNeve: "We are completely behind Saturn"

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    It sounds as if it's about time to get Bob Lutz some face-time with Mark LaNeve, 'cause the two men are trumpeting vastly different statements regarding the future of The General's interstellar brand. Recall that Lutz was recently quoted as saying, "It's really much better to have fewer brands, do it well and then market the hell out of them." This statement was directed squarely at the Saturn Aura, which is selling in much lower quantities than its platform-mate, the Chevy Malibu. Much of the blame can be attributed to the fact that these two vehicles are fighting for the exact same customers, yet only the Malibu gets the big ad bucks for promotion, which is probably as it should be considering that the Malibu is GM's best and most recent midsize sedan.

    So, what to do with Saturn in these troubled times of belt-tightening? Ditch the brand entirely? Not so fast, counters LaNeve, who recently told dealers that, "We are completely behind Saturn." Hopefully, being "behind" the brand means cutting the number of models it sells and reducing that internal...

  • GM releases turbo upgrade kit for Solstice GXP, Sky Redline and HHR SS

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    Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Chevy HHR SS

    The Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Redline, and Chevrolet HHR SS are plenty of fun with 260 horsepower underfoot, and we can only imagine that the joy quotient increases as power improves. General Motors' performance division knows as much, and it's now offering an LNF Turbo Upgrade kit to kick its 2.0L turbo direct injection engine into gear. The kit consists of a new engine calibration and MAP sensors that will push your turbo four to 290 horsepower and up to 340 lb-ft of torque with the six-speed manual transmission (315 - 325 lb-ft with a slush box). The new factory turbo kit also keeps the precious warranty intact, which is a huge bonus over other aftermarket setups.

    The LNF Turbo Upgrade also gives the GXP, Redline and SS the same "no-lift shift" functionality as the Cobalt SS Turbo, which enables you to shift without taking your foot off the...

  • SX4, Matrix score Good on IIHS tests, PT Cruiser... not so much

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    Click above for a gallery of high-res IIHS crash carnage

    Recent testing indicates that new cars are safe, regardless of their relative size. No surprise, then, that most of the latest 2009 model-year small cars tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performed fairly well. Included in this round of testing were the Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Saturn Astra, Suzuki SX4, and Toyota Matrix. All seven of these machines (remember too that the Pontiac Vibe uses the same underpinnings as the Matrix) scored "good," the highest rating available, for occupant protection in frontal crashes, and only the newest designs -- the SX4, Matrix and Vibe -- scored that high in side crash testing.

    The poorest performer of the group, Chrysler's PT Cruiser, also happens to be the oldest design. This being the case, it's lowly "poor" rating in side and rear crashes, due...

  • The World According to Lutz: fewer brands, more marketing

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    In a moment that makes us want to put on our most pensive face and say "Yes... that's profound...", Bob Lutz has said "It's really much better to have fewer brands, do it well and then market the hell out of them." Specifically, he's talking about the fact that a car like the Saturn Aura -- Saturn's take on the Chevy Malibu -- hasn't done nearly as well as the Malibu. So far this year the Aura trails the Malibu almost 3-to-1. Why? Because the Malibu got pushed out of the gate with a marketing budget somewhere over the $200 million mark, and the Aura didn't. That is why, according to Lutz, "Three years later, people are still saying 'What's an Aura?'"

    We know that GM has the talent to get the job done, but it's this kind of self evident thinking (to us, at least, and not a few of our commentators) that makes us wonder what's been going on in the hallowed halls of the RenCen all this time. GM has said that it might...

  • Saturn fanboys trying to save brand with petition

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    Actually, to be more precise, www.saturnfans.com wants more than just the preservation of the Saturn brand. The Web site hopes to garner enough signatures to convince Wagoner & Company to keep Saturn in the General Motors stable.

    It seems a bit odd to be asking GM to keep a brand it hasn't exactly showered with love. Bob Lutz has even said the company considered killing it off before the latest crisis.

    But as we've reported, dumping the brand could cost GM at least $3 million for each Saturn dealership. And with no original products, it's hard to imagine many corporations lined up to bid on essentially nothing more than a Saturn logo and a dealership network.

    Saturn owes much of its success to a grassroots network of devoted fans who, at one time, congregated in Smyrna, Tenn. for yearly homecomings. Maybe a fan-based surge of support for the brand is what GM needs to revive Saturn as more than just a division of

  • GM may rebuild Saturn rather than kill it

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    When it comes to Saturn, General Motors is a little stuck. The plucky brand that promised something different and then turned into much the same hasn't seen critical acclaim or profitability for more than ten years. GM has halted funding for new Saturn products, and its plan to Congress indicated that a sharp focus on Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC. That would appear to leave Saturn something pretty close to dead.

    But GM can't simply close the Saturn shop. There are 425 Saturn dealerships, and one dealer-broker figured that GM would have to shell out $3-$4 million to each dealer if Saturn gets put down. That puts GM past the billion dollar mark even before any other cost is taken into account. And Saturn can't simply be sold either, except as a brand name and blueprints - it has no engineering nor manufacturing abilities outside of GM.

    A meeting is planned for later this week to "conceive a new business model" to make Saturn profitable, because the uncertainty isn't helping anyone. Dealers don't like the sound of GM putting all of its eggs...

  • NYT argues GM engineered its own downfall

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    Ten years before Chrysler introduced the world to minivans, General Motors had already developed its own version. Toyota sold the Prius at a loss for years before it became popular while GM leased a fleet of electric EV1s for three years before deciding it would never turn a profit. Honda and Toyota both sold small, efficient vehicles for decades even though their sales were relatively small and profits less than stellar. Meanwhile, GM spent billions to establish Saturn to compete with small import cars, only to let the brand go five years with no new products.

    At least that's the way this New York Times story looks at GM's recent history. Through several interviews, the newspaper paints a picture of a company driven more by short term profits than ingenuity. GM board member George Fisher is quoted in the story saying, "We were late on hybrids. Why were we late? We made a business decision as opposed to a marketing decision. That's probably a mistake, in retrospect."

    For GM's sake, hopefully the company's leaders have learned from history...

  • Would GM shed Saab, Saturn and Pontiac to secure gov't aid?

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    When ants need to cross some dangerous span in order to get to the thing they want, certain ants in the colony will sacrifice themselves to build a bridge that other ants can cross. That's how you get the honey. In GM's case, the honey is a $12 billion government lifeline. The dangerous span is, well, extinction. And the sacrificial ants in this case could be Pontiac, Saturn, and Saab.

    Before the government would start writing checks (to the automakers, at least), Congress told GM (and Ford and Chrysler) to come back with a plan that gave some indication of long-term viability and a return to financial health. Supposedly, as part of such a plan, GM has looked at "shedding" the three brands in question, which would eliminate the massive costs associated with production, marketing and sales. But that would happen after massive payouts, some serious upheaval and tens of thousands of job losses. It would leave GM with Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac... which, since it's in ruthless survival mode, makes us wonder...

  • First Drive: 2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid

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    Click above to view high-res gallery of the Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid

    We attended the New York-area "GM Collection" event this week, which is basically an opportunity for journalists to drive a variety of 2009 models up at Bear Mountain, an hour or so outside Manhattan. What we didn't know going in was that GM would bring along three production-spec examples of the '09 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and that this would be the first opportunity to take the new gas-electric 'ute for a spin. Bear in mind that this impression is based on about 25 minutes of shared time with the car (we buddied up with Jalopnik's Wes Siler). The official full-dog-and-pony-show media launch event is set to take place in December, and we'll be on hand for that as well. For now though, follow the jump to see some initial impressions of the new Saturn hybrid.

    Gallery: First Drive: Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid
 
Scion

Scion

  • Post-SEMA Surprise: The Scion xB Taco Truck!

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    Click above for high-res gallery of the Scion xB Taco Truck

    The 2008 SEMA Show ended last week, but for some inexplicable reason, Toyota forget to mention this little diddy that was supposedly tucked away in a corner of the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is exactly what it's name implies: a Scion xB that's been transformed into a taco truck of all things. Normally SEMA project cars are tuned for superfluous high performance and look like rejects from the Paul Walker Sport Compact Hall of Fame, but the xB Taco Truck can at least do something, i.e. serve that staple of the Mexican diet to legions of hungry lunch goers. From what we can tell, the vehicle uses the xB's platform, keeps the front end and dash and ditches the rest to make room for a stainless steel mobile kitchen. The truck was reportedly built from scratch by Louie Contreras with hand-painted graphics applied by Kenton Parker. Good job guys, it's... um... interesting,...

  • Leave it at home: Subaru Dex

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    The JDM market is apparently enamored with vehicles that look like they're stuck in the shipping crate. We saw the first generation Toyota bB here as the Scion xB before it went on an eating binge and lost all its charm. That original bB went on to another generation, and has its own scions in form of some Daihatsu models. Subaru inked a deal back in April to share models between Toyota and Daihatsu, and this hideous little box with the star-motif badges is the result. There are three trim levels, and the Dex will relieve you of $15,000-$20,000. And here we thought even Subaru had relinquished its weird years ago. Turns out it was there all along, and the Dex is the ballcap-shaped box of contrived quirk that proves it.

    [Source: Inside Line]

    Leave it at home: Subaru Dex originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Rumormill: Next-gen Scion tC will be Subaru-co-developed RWD coupe

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    Carscoop is reporting that Toyota has finally confirmed what many have long suspected: The next Scion tC will be a variant of the upcoming Subaru-Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe project. At a press conference back in April, Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe had confirmed that his company was jointly developing a pair of rear-wheel-drive sports cars with Subaru. Each brand would get its own version of the car, which would each be powered by one of Subaru's boxer engines.

    It looks like that powerplant will be around 2.0L in size and put out around 200 horsepower. Based on an all-new RWD platform, the affordable coupe should show up Stateside by the end of 2010, or possibly early 2011. That new tC will probably be joined by a version of the iQ minicar in Scion dealerships as well, also according to Carscoop's Toyota insiders. A reborn, rebadged Celica and a Smart-fighter could be a compelling pair for Toyota's youth brand. As always, we'll keep you posted.

    [Source: Carscoop]

    Rumormill: Next-gen Scion...

  • SEMA 2008: Scion concepts aplenty

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    Click above for high-res gallery of the Scion SEMA cars

    This is Scion's fifth year as a SEMA attendee, and it's arguably their best. Being the younger, hipper, tunier Toyota it makes sense they show up here with six concepts to spark customers' imaginations. To that end, they've brought several fun and outrageous customs from designers such as Mark Arcenal, Eddie Hahm (above), Drag Cartel, John Pangilinan, Rogue Status, MV Designz, Raging Bull, Blaine Fontana, Kenton Parker, Jeff Soto, and Christian Rado.

    There are three xBs, an xD and a few tCs in the official booth alone. Scion distributed three tCs to customizers for the 2008 Scion Tuner Challenge, with the winner to be announced during SEMA. Our absolute favorite is the one done up by Eddie Hahm of "Fast Eddie's Garage" fame. He took it retro and created an homage to a time when hot rodding meant more than mounting dubs and a bodykit. Fatlace founder Mark Arcenal dreamt up a DTM racer, while...

  • Scion finally coming to Canada in 2010

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    Canadians waiting for the day when they can purchase a Scion without heading south of the boarder can soon rejoice. Toyota's "hip" brand will go on sale in Canada in 2010, seven years after the marquee went on sale in the U.S. Canada will receive all three Scions at launch, the tC the xB, and the xD. And Scion ordering will be no different than it is in the States, with plenty of a-la-carte options available to personalize your Gen Y-mobile.

    Although sales have taken a hit of late, Scion has been very successful for Toyota overall, as 70% of all Scion buyers are new to the Toyota family. We're just wondering why it took so long to bring our Canadian brethren to the dinner table in the first place. Thanks for the tip, Jarrett!

    [Source: Toyota]

    Continue reading Scion finally coming to Canada in 2010

    Scion finally coming to Canada in 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for...

  • Toyota seriously considering separate Prius brand

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    This isn't the first time we've heard that Toyota might spin off the Prius as a separate brand much like Scion. But we now have the most concrete news about the automaker's plans we've seen yet.

    Micheline Maynard of The New York Times talked with James E. Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. recently who said he was actively lobbying Toyota for the Prius brand spinoff and that the company was working on future models to expand the lineup. Lentz said he was pushing for a Yaris-sized Prius and a "Prius on steroids." He wouldn't comment on rumors of a Prius crossover, however. Lentz also said the new line would be sold alongside Toyota vehicles instead of separately like the company's Lexus brand.

    When might this new Prius brand be approved by Toyota? Lentz would only say that he has a meeting in Japan next month.

    Maynard writes that in all her years covering Toyota, "...I can say that executives rarely talk this much about an idea unless...

  • Toyota iQ could come Stateside wearing Scion badge

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    Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota iQ

    Rumors have been swirling over the past few months that Toyota was considering bringing its iQ mini-car to the States, and according to MotorTrend that's exactly what's going to happen at the LA Auto Show this November, where Toyota will unveil a U.S.-spec iQ wearing Scion badges.

    The iQ - originally destined for sale in Japan and Europe - features a 3+1 seating arrangement and motivated by either a gasoline-powered 1.0-liter three-pot or a 1.4-liter diesel. However, MT speculates that the Yaris' 1.5-liter four, mated to a manual gearbox or CVT will be fitted for duty in the U.S.

    Ideally, the Scion iQ would have to be priced at or below its direct competitor, the Smart ForTwo, so expect a sticker of under $15,000 if and when it goes on sale. The rationale behind offering the iQ as a Scion would finally give some credence to the brand's targeted urban demographic, which has been faltering in recent years....

  • SEMA Preview: Scion bringing a six pack

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    Click above for galler of all six Scion SEMA cars

    Scion's been a perennial SEMA attendee for the last five years, with customization being a central tenet of the brand. This year, the cool-seeking Toyota nameplate is bringing a sextet of vehicles, three each of tCs and xBs, all customized. The xBs were sent out to customizers to get thematic treatments. The three art cars embody different ideas; one's a camper in the vein of Westfalia Volkswagens, another's been chopped and dropped to create a lakebed hot rod, while our favorite is an ersatz Roach Coach. Blaine Fontana was responsible for the camper conversion, while Jeff Soto whipped up the salt flats car, and Kenton Parker decided to celebrate the xB's non-curvy shape with the foodservice conversion.

    Bonneville speed trial cars serve as inspiration for one of the customized tCs, as well. Scion distributed three tCs to customizers for the 2008 Scion Tuner Challenge, with the winner to be announced during SEMA. Eddie Hahm of "Fast Eddies Garage" fame took it retro and created...

  • Monterey 2008: The Toyota Race of Legends

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    Click image above for high-res gallery from Laguna Seca

    This year's edition of The Toyota Race of Legends looked to be another exciting race, giving fans a chance to see former racing greats mix it up in identically prepared Scion tCs. Basically they are the same cars that are used in Long Beach for the Pro/Celebrity Race. The lineup of drivers included last year's winner, Derek Bell, along with other former F1 and sports car racers like Eddie Cheever, Danny Sullivan, Johnny Herbert, Alan Jones, John Watson, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Patrick Tambay, and Alain de Cadenet, as well as current Toyota F1 hot shoe, Timo Glock.

    As a bit of a twist in the proceedings, local tuner and sometime racer Bruce Canepa had won a spot on the grid during a charity auction. Bruce quickly promised to beat the pants off the pros, citing his experience at Laguna Seca (his shop is just down the road), his prior racing experience (he has teamed with Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears at the Daytona 24 Hours and was on the...

  • Scion sales are down, brand image in flux

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    Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Scion xB.

    My older brother Brian drives a Scion xD. He's 39 years old, and probably considered anything but cool by 18-24 year-old standards. He bought his little xD because he was tired of filling up his AWD 2001 Chevy Astro conversion van, and he's gone from getting 12 mpg to about 30. While that's a big-time win for Scion sales, the brand's marketing arm has to cringe. Scion was built to be Toyota's youth-oriented brand, with cars that would finally bring younger buyers into the Toyota showroom. The early days of Scion were a boon, with 80% of Scion buyers having never shopped Toyota before. Young people were clamoring for the xB and tC, and 100-200k online shoppers flocked to the Scion site each month.

    Only a year after the redesign of the xB and xD, the Scion site is seeing less than half the traffic. Overall, year over year sales fell for 17 strait months until March, when gas prices skyrocketed. Even then, sales were back down by...
 
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