Saturn Automobiles Blog

A GMC Acadia Denali this week marked the one millionth example of General Motors’ Lambda crossover line. The Crystal Red Tincoat crossover was built at GM’s plant in Lansing, Michigan, on Wednesday. The Lambda crossover family comprises the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and the erstwhile Saturn Outlook. The first ...    Read more

A number of General Motors vehicles are under investigation for a possible defect stemming from the automatic gear shift indicator. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the probe Monday after received reports of the defect. According to the NHTSA, the indicators may falsely show that the car is ...    Read more

When General Motors discontinued its Saturn and Pontiac brands in 2009, it lost the faith of many consumers: The majority of owners of those vehicles have since replaced them with non-GM products. According to the Detroit News, two-thirds of Saturn drivers and three-quarters of Pontiac owners who replaced their ...    Read more

For the past couple years, we’ve been hearing a lot about New General Motors, the company that arose from the ashes of bankruptcy with a slimmed-down lineup, new management, and an ownership stake from Uncle Sam. It’s all New GM this, Chevy Volt that. But what about Old GM? Well, ...    Read more

The Opel GTC concept that made its debut in Paris last year is destined for production, and GM produced this short animation to preview the upcoming hot hatch. While what we see is only a computer rendering of the GTC, GM insists that it's very close to what ...    Read more

A biodiesel hybrid based on the Saturn Vue from Mississippi State is the winning vehicle for year two of General Motors' EcoCAR challenge. The EcoCAR challenge started when GM donated an SUV to 16 universities and instructed engineering students to minimize emissions and fuel consumption while retaining as ...    Read more

Although production of both Saturns and Hummers has officially ceased, General Motors is building a few extra vehicles to help liquidate its parts supply and fill outstanding orders. Saturn production officially stopped in October 2009, after a deal to sell the brand to Penske Automotive Group fell ...    Read more

Although the Saturn brand may be riding into the sunset, General Motors announced it would add 2005-2010 Saturn models to its Certified Used Vehicle program and cover them with a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty.“This move gives peace of mind to consumers who love the Saturn brand,” said Paul Pejza, manager of GM ...    Read more

The Saturn brand may be history, but there are still many vehicles left languishing on dealer lots. The solution: Offer incentives on the leftover vehicles to deplete inventories. GM is currently offering $4000 cash back or zero-percent financing for up to 72 months on all 2008 and 2009 Saturn models. ...    Read more

In a statement released late this afternoon, Penske Automotive announced it was abandoning the idea of purchasing Saturn from General Motors. <P class=MsoNormal target="_blank">According to the release, Penske’s decision was based upon an inability to procure vehicles for the division. GM would have been obligated to provide vehicles for ...    Read more

Saturn dealerships across the country have reportedly received new sales and service agreements from Roger Penske, meaning General Motors and Penske are close to finalizing a deal for the brand.The agreements are subject to completion of the Saturn sale and were sent to 340 U.S. Saturn dealerships that had until ...    Read more

Although the fate of Saturn is still up in the air, there's one point both Penske Automotive and General Motors can agree upon: The brand will withdraw from the Canadian market.Penske and GM have agreed to close all remaining Saturn dealerships in Canada by the end of 2009. GM spokesperson ...    Read more

Despite the fact that General Motors has killed the Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, the Environmental Protection Agency still released its fuel economy numbers: 27 miles per gallon in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined. GM had previously estimated that the system would get 30 mpg ...    Read more

With all the drama surrounding the sale of General Motors’ Opel and Vauxhall operations, the Penske Automotive Group’s deal to acquire Saturn has slipped somewhat under the radar. Roger Penske, chairman of the Penske Automotive Group, said Wednesday that he hopes a Saturn purchase can be completed by the end ...    Read more

Despite the sale of the Saturn brand, General Motors says a plug-in hybrid SUV is still on schedule for a 2011 launch.GM’s original plan was to market a plug-in version of the Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, a model that was scheduled for a 2010 introduction. With the General recently inking ...    Read more

When Bad Things Happen to Good Brands: Won't Someone Save Saturn?Just as the committed environmentalist delights in biological diversity, so, too, must the maximum gearhead cherish an abundance of automotive brands. All of God's marques, good and bad, are worthy of our respect, in all their multifarious states of splendor, ...    Read more

Saturn's new owner, dealership group-owner Roger Penske, revealed during an interview his plans to make electric vehicles the focus of the Saturn brand under his ownership, and dispelled rumors that Saturn dealers may be forced to sell Smart-brand cars.In an interview with AutoObserver's Michelle Krebs, Penske said the government's emphasis ...    Read more

The second-largest car retailer in the U.S. has beat out other bidders to buy GM's Saturn brand, according to sources.Bloomberg News reported today that Penske Automotive Group trumped Oklahoma City-based private equity firm Black Oak Partners' bid to purchase GM's Saturn brand and its retail network, citing a person familiar ...    Read more

In an effort to reassure its workers that their pay will not be affected by the anticipated bankruptcy filing, General Motors paid approximately 90,000 U.S. employees three days early this week.Normally GM employees are paid on Friday, however, this week checks were issued on Tuesday, said spokesman Tom Wilkinson. “It ...    Read more

Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske reportedly is seeking to sell vehicles built by Renault Samsung Motors in South Korea through the Saturn dealer network.Automotive News reports that Penske met in Paris with Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn to iron out details of a possible deal, citing sources familiar with the ...    Read more

While the list of potential buyers for GM's Saturn brand has been whittled down to just a few prospects, the issue of who will supply vehicles to the dealer network once GM relinquishes control is just starting to heat up. While potential Saturn buyer Penske reportedly is in talks with ...    Read more

According to some sources, it seems merger fever is in the air and American automakers are sitting prospects. Ford is offering Volvo, and the entire Chrysler company was just nabbed by Fiat, but it's GM with the most offerings, trying to offload Saab, Saturn and Hummer.The Wall Street Journal is ...    Read more

Not only will the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid's technology still be brought to production under one of GM's four core brands, but, according to a GM executive, the introduction schedule will remain the same.Tom Stephens, GM's vice chairman of global product development, revealed the news on GM's FastLane Blog.Stephens declined ...    Read more

According to Automotive News, automotive legend and billionaire Roger Penske may be interested in buying General Motors’ Saturn brand.Penske is currently CEO of the second largest automotive retail group in the nation. The Penske Automotive Group sold a total of 171,872 new vehicles in 2008. The company sells forty different ...    Read more

Automotive News reports that Roger Penske is interested in buying Saturn from General Motors. My pal Jamie LaReau, a reporter at Automotive News, just published a short piece in their online edition indicating that Roger Penske is interested in buying the Saturn brand, including of course its dealership agreements, from ...    Read more