Unsurprisingly, GM (I don't know if it was the new GM or the old GM) announced the other day that Saturn was being closed down immediately and permanently. It was originally reported several months ago that Roger Penske was buying all of Saturn, except for the Spring Hill Tennessee manufacturing facility, to fold into his vast automotive empire. Apparently, he recently came to his senses and killed the deal.<
GM had a huge opportunity in the creation of this brand to make themselves, and the U.S. a world leader in the small car market. Unfortunately, due to the corporate arrogance and lack of attention to detail which ultimately brought the entire company to its knees, they failed miserably. The eagerly awaited initial Saturn models were poorly engineered, horribly constructed and plagued with several fatal flaws. Things eventually got better, but the die was cast in the buying public's eyes. The very last Saturns were actually good cars, but most were imports from GM divisions overseas, which is totally counter to Saturn's original vision of a world-class, American made small car.
Despite this, there are a lot of Saturns out there. Heck, I'm almost ashamed to admit that my sister and her husband are proud(?) owners of his and hers Saturns. A big question remains about parts and service for all Saturns on the road. Will you or anyone you know miss Saturn?
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There was usually a Saturn on the rode that I thought I'd look at when I was buying, but good intentions aside I never did. I used to like the VUE, but then it got too big. I'm not sure where the nearest dealer to me even is/was. GM certainly took a good idea and managed to screw it up.
I know I will DEFINITELY not miss seeing these beauties(sarcasm) on the road. It's about time they realized that they've been going in a terrible direction with their vehicles!!