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Detroit, 6:35 PM
Tue Dec 1
31 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/01/09
GM styled Saturn after Opel in an attempt to remake the brand but the only Opel product Saturn sells is the Astra.
The Vue is a Daewoo (which Opel also sells). The Sky is exported from the US to Opel as the GT. The Aura is a Chevrolet Malibu under the skin. And the Outlook is a GMC Acadia.
Saturn was one of the worst things GM ever did to themselves. It diverted billions in resources and manpower towards an entirely new brand that GM didn't need and deprived GM's bread-and-butter brands of investment and talent they deserved.
Saturn is just another stain on GM's tarnished fall from grace.
10/03/09
@TriShield: The Opel version of the Aura the Vectra C came out in 2002 before the Saturn Aura version in 2007 and the Chevrolet Malibu version in 2008. Opel is on the next generation of that car renamed the Insignia while Chevrolet isn't going to update for a few more years.
On a side note I contend the current Malibu has some of the worst taillights on any car, in the world, ever. They are less attractive than the Opel's and less functional. It's the Ashley Simpson of taillights. It's like they took a 2008 Vectra C and had a car accident, but instead of repairing it properly they put the pre facelift Vectra on the back, they find some random chevy stuff for the front, take some left over taillight bulbs from the fifties, shape some left over plastic for the taillight lens but forget how to make anything but flat plastic, bondo the sides of the lamp up to fill in the hole and think that was a good look only to remember at the last minute that reverse lamps and lighting from the side is necessary by law.
But ugly isn't the worst part about the Malibu's rear it's that those damn lights are so useless. I was unable to see the car indicate one very sunlit afternoon until I could see the side marker. The back was indicating but the Sun overpowered the taillight so much I couldn't see it until we rounded the corner. The turn signal deviation from dim light to slight dimmer light on that car should be criminal and nearly is. In fact it is illegal in Europe, Australia and most of Asia. It is a terrible part of an otherwise fine automobile and is enough reason for me to never own one.
10/01/09
Odd, because you think a company named Saturn would care more about ring times.
10/01/09
10/01/09
Nay.. they were Malibus, Equinox (equini?), Acadias, Soltices and one Opel.
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10/01/09
If the big T could create Scion brand for gen Y why wouldn't this have worked?
10/02/09
10/02/09
10/04/09
However, I wonder if those folks wouldn't've found a suitable vehicle from Chevy, Buick, Pontiac, or Cadillac if Olds had shut down in 85.
It looks like everything Olds had in 85 was a close copy of something every other GM division also had. Granted, the same could be said for Buick, and probably Pontiac and Cadillac, too.
I'm not saying that anyone at that point should have seen it coming, but when Olds was finally on its way out, it seemed like all their product from about 85, until the Alero, Aurora, etc, was just lost in the sea of other nearly identical cars from GM. It was hard to remember what they'd done from 85 to 94. I knew, off the top of my head at the time, that Buick and Pontiac had very similar versions of the same car, for instance. But I would've been hard pressed to say whether Olds had a version, what it was called, or what they'd been up to if not.
Actually, they should have been able to see it coming. Just maybe not the particulars-- that it would've been Olds instead of Buick or Pontiac.
09/30/09
Rag-tag? Did you really mean to type that condescending, disparaging adjective?
10/01/09
"Rag tag" means, among other things, 'motley' (varied), which certainly seems to describe Saturn's fans.
Ragged? Unkempt? It's not like we (Saturn fans, particularly pre-opel) are driving low mileage concourse grade machines. Most of us are driving 100k+ mile, well used economy cars made more than 7 years ago.
I don't really find it condescending. We're scrappy!
10/01/09
10/01/09
I know it was about Saturn fans, not their cars. I guess I should've been more clear: Most of us aren't driving 100k+ mile, well used economy cars, made more than 7 years ago while wearing suits that cost more than the cars.
Plastic bodied Saturn fandom is philosophically a lot like prefering a comfortable, well worn t-shirt and jeans to $40 T-shirts and $200 jeans.
09/30/09
Farewell, Saturn.
09/30/09
The ones built on Monday would run for 250+k with minimal problems, net wonderful fuel economy, and were generally sound passenger vehicles.
The ones built on Wednesday had engine blocks made of starfoam, burnt/leaked oil, and featured the grenade-o-matic transmission.
I've always felt like they were either hit or miss.
They have missed for the last time. Farewell, our dear old plastic friend. As much as we wish we could hit golf balls off of our BWM, leaving no dents, we can't.
09/30/09
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09/30/09
I know hump day motivates me
10/01/09
10/01/09
My second engine has been much better, thanks for asking.
09/30/09
09/30/09
"Penske Automotive Group negotiated the terms and conditions of an agreement with another manufacturer"
I can't keep all the corpses, amputees, and zombie badges straight, but with a little help from Wikipedia:
Saturn: Dead now.
Hummer: Its sale to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company blocked by Chinese government on "environmental grounds" ??!?? GM has no plans to continue the nameplate after the 2010 model year.
Pontiac: dropped, all of its remaining models will be phased out by the end of 2010.
Saab: The Koenigseggeggegegg deal is supposedly still on, though it depends on three billion Swedish Kronor appearing from the tooth fairy troll.
Opel/Vauxhall: Sold! To consortium lead by Magna Group-backed-by-Sberbank of Russia (55%). GM will continue to own 35% of Opel; while Opel employees will own 10%. Called "New GM Europe" by some.
Supposedly Magna had an agreement not to sell Opels in the USA or China, so Opels will only appear stateside if GM USA chooses to bring them in. (Sure, along with V8 Holdens, Chinese Buicks, etc.)
Damn that's depressing. Give us some Volt and Cadillac good news to keep from crying.
Magna Chairman Frank Stronach aims to take Magna from its current role as a parts supplier to an expanded role as a global automaker that ranks "amongst the leaders in selling and building electric cars." , but he was talking to a damn hippy green site.
09/30/09
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