The eco-friendly crossover is set to make headlines again, this time at the SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas. General Motors will present a modified version of the Saturn VUE Hybrid developed together with Sound Choice and Performance.
Full story and picture at ** LINK **
Looks like the 2-mode hybrid VUE will be a reality.
Here is a great article from someone who has driven it. A V6 with hybrid technology. AWESOME!!!
Check it out at ** VUE 2-Mode Hybrid **
Watch for a new series from CBS!
It will follow four female friends who head off on adventures inspired by classic novels, reaching far-flung destinations in their Saturn vehicles.
Check out the whole story ** Saturn and CBS **
I found another good ASTRA review. If Saturn would just promote this car a little, I think there would be lots of people interested in it. Unfortunately, we are still in the “If you build it, he will come” advertising black-out.
Check out the article from “TireKicker” here: * ASTRA Review *
Great Balls of Fire!
What really amazes me about this story is that they actually used the word “fire”. I kinda expected “thermal event” or “rapid conflagration” or even “heat related incident”.
The notices to VUE owners should go out sometime in October.
See the whole story at this ** LINK **
I love when there is good news about our vehicles…..especially ones that I own! The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the Saturn OUTLOOK (and it’s siblings) a top safety pick.
Check out more from ConsumerReports.org at this ** LINK **
As you may have heard, the VTi transmissions Saturn used in the VUE and ION have always had problems. Well, looks like there is some relief for those who have had (or will have) problems.
Saturn’s official position:
Media Coverage on Preliminary Class Action Settlement
Jill Lajdziak
09/12/2008
You may have seen press coverage regarding the preliminary approval of a class action settlement involving certain Saturn vehicles. The vehicles involved are model year 2002-2005 VUEs and 2003-2004 IONs all equipped with VTi transmissions. The preliminary settlement calls for GM to notify all affected owners of the terms within the next 90 days. The court-approved notice will be sent by U.S. mail and will contain the settlement details and instruct owners on any steps they need to take to participate.
In brief, the settlement calls for GM to reimburse eligible owners for VTi-related repairs within the following guidelines:
New vehicle owners at less than 100,000 miles = 100%
New vehicle owners at 100,001 – 125,000 miles = 75%
Used vehicle owners at less than 100,000 miles = 75%
Used vehicle owners at 100,001 – 125,000 miles = 30%
We need to stress that the settlement is not final. The court will hold a fairness hearing in February of 2009 to determine if it will issue final approval for the settlement. All eligible owners will be advised if the settlement is approved and how they can participate following the February hearing.
Wonder of wonders, the ASTRA is too expensive?? Of course it is! Here is an article from AutoBlog.com with comments from Bob Lutz…. Very Telling!
Story at ** ASTRA Too Expensive! **
We have some great products: SKY, AURA, ASTRA, OUTLOOK, and VUE. Problem is that no one knows we have them. We are still thought of as a car company that has small cars. Saturn and GM’s role should be to build our brand as one of, not just a small car, but a great buying experience with cars and SUV’s for many tastes.
The customers we have had for the ASTRA (a great car!) have either been people who have been driving an ION (and want a small car and to also stay with Saturn) or people who have either lived or visited Europe and know that the ASTRA is a great car. The advertising for the ASTRA has been non-existent. The only ad we have even seen is cartoon-y and actually shows the vehicle being “launched” by a pinball plunger!
Saturn retailers are the best in the industry when it comes to taking care of our customers. We spend more time and money on training our new team members that anyone else. When we have confusing and convoluted incentives and interest rates (cash plus rate, cash and no rate, rate and no cash, alternative APR’s) our customers and team members aren’t sure which is the “right” deal. Keep things simple.
People do not buy Saturns because we are part of GM. In fact, they buy Saturns in spite of the fact that we are GM. The Employee Pricing for Everyone is a great promotion. Problem is that no one cares about GM’s 100 year anniversary (except for GM). GM is not a brand. There is no vehicle that is a “GM” badged vehicle. People don’t buy from General Motors. They buy from Saturn, Pontiac, Buick, et al. If you ask someone who has an AURA, they will not say they drive a GM car. They will say they drive a Saturn. GM won’t even come up in the conversation. Why then do we spend millions of dollars advertising an event that people can’t wrap their arms around??
Give us whatever promotions, advertising, or incentives you want to. At the end of the day, it comes down to 2 things: a product people want and a buying and ownership experience people can enjoy. GM can take care of the product. Saturn retailers can take care of the rest.
From the movie “Field of Dreams” the line was ‘If you build it, he will come’. We have been hanging our hats on that for years! Fast forward to the next line in the movie, ‘Go the distance’. We can’t only run the first 50 meters of a 100 meter race and expect to win. We have to run the entire race with the same strength, power, enthusiasm, and focus that we started with.
GO THE DISTANCE!
FINISH THE RACE!
Saturn has announced Employee Pricing for Everyone again!
It will begin on Wednesday August 20 and runs through September 2, 2008. It is on all 2008 Saturns including the OUTLOOK, AURA, VUE, ASTRA, and SKY. It is also available on the Hybrids (if you can find one!)
Will it get extended?? We’ll see. This should be a great traffic builder!
Stop in to Saturn of Decatur and check it out!!!
I have just topped 2000 miles on my 2008 Saturn ASTRA.
I have been really trying with this last tankfull to get the best mileage I can get: coasting when I can, shutting off the engine at lights I know will take several minutes and not running the AC if I can help it.
The result: I have gotten 32.4 miles per gallon with a pretty even mix of highway and city driving!
In today’s Wall Street Journal, there is an interesting article about GM’s future and specifically the future of Saturn.
“GM recently froze development work on a new Saturn Aura sedan, the brand’s flagship model, while management reviews whether it makes sense to continue investing in the division, people familiar with the matter said. Scrapping work on the next Aura would be an acknowledgment that a recent brand makeover has been a bust.”
Check out the rest of the story ** LINK **
The 2008 VUE, AURA, & OUTLOOK have been added to the latest list from Consumer Guide. The OUTLOOK has been named a “Best Buy” and the VUE and AURA are on their “Recommended” list.
Check out the stories here: ++ VUE ++ and ** OUTLOOK ** and == AURA ==
Here is a great article showing just how committed Saturn of Northwest Indiana is to its local area.
Full story at **LINK**
Here are some sites that I have come across that specialize in Saturn. Saturn accessories, warranties, parts, and general information.
Saturn Accessories: http://www.saturnaccessories.com/
Saturn Extended Warranties: http://www.saturnextendedwarranty.com/
Saturn Auctions: http://www.saturnplace.com/
Saturn Vehicles - New and Used: www.saturnofatlanta.com
As expected, the “72 Hour Sale” becomes the 144 hour sale. 0% for up to 72 months on 2008 VUE, AURA, and SKY has been extended through July 7th. I know there are very few 4 cylinders left out there in the AURA and VUE but with no interest for the life of the loan, the V6 in both models is a great deal!
Now is the time to buy!!!
Here is a story from GM Inside News (gminsidenews.com) about the upcoming 2010 Saturn AURA. This seems to be a very odd thing to happen.
Full Story at **LINK**
From CNNMoney.com:
“Voted “Car of the Year” at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show shortly after it was introduced, the Aura is truly deserving of all the accolades it’s gotten.”
Story Continued: **HERE**.
Saturn has announced 0% for 72 months on the 2008 AURA, VUE, and SKY. (not including hybrids).
This is the 72 hour sale and it lasts until June 30th.
Now is the time!!!!
A great article from USA Today about the ASTRA.
Check it out here: Read Article.
So, what is Saturn’s future? I don’t have any real idea, but it is a bit disconcerting when we have no advertising at all for our only “small” car.
Also, all of our cars and trucks have siblings within GM. That just means that if GM shuts down Saturn tomorrow, there would be no loss of production: The AURA becomes the Malibu. The OUTLOOK becomes the Traverse, Acadia, or Enclave. The ASTRA just stays in Europe. The SKY just becomes another Solstice. And the VUE becomes a GMC.
If you were a business owner and one of your products was consistantly losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year, wouldn’t you try something?? Even if it was wrong, try something.
I am just venting, I guess but it seems like we had a pretty good thing going (even though we weren’t profitable).
Check out this story about a guy who tried to run down a cop in his Saturn. Can a 2004 Saturn really be considered a deadly weapon?? Most of it is plastic!!
Story at link: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9606213?nclick_check=1
Saturn has decided to drop the GreenLine moniker for its hybrids.
Check out the story here: http://wot.motortrend.com/6256971/auto-news/saturn-dropping-green-line-hybrid-model-name/index.html
Here are some links to both Fortune and Forbes articles that have run recently regarding Saturn. Most are not at all positive.
Will Saturn survive? Will GM shut it down or will it just starve it? And not starving it of product but of promotion. Time will tell!
Notice in some of the older articles, the mood of the story is the same as today……. somber!
http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/30/news/companies/gm.fortune/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/08/news/companies/taylor_gm.fortune/index.htm
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/05/16/gm-saturn-chrysler-oped-cx_jf_0516flint.html
http://www.forbes.com/business/2003/01/01/cz_jf_0101flint.html
http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2002/06/17/0617test.html
http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/10/31/autos-detroit-saturn-biz-cx_jh_1101saturn.html
http://www.forbes.com/outfront/forbes/2001/0108/058.html
http://www.forbes.com/business/forbes/2005/0919/151.html
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2004/08/17/cz_jf_0817flint.html
With the price of gas continuing to leap upwards, I have been looking for ways to get better gas mileage. Check out this site. It really takes this to the extreme.
WARNING: Some of the suggestions may be illegal!!!
Here is what the Saturn ASTRA could be. What a hot car!
The wraps are off the hottest Astra ever! In a world exclusive, Auto Express can reveal the high-performance version of Vauxhall’s new family car – the eagerly anticipated Astra VXR….
Story continues at link: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/222861/vauxhall_astra_vxr.html
Among all GM divisions, Saturn is definitely soaring the most. For 2008, the entire lineup of the automaker’s youngest brand is all-new and more exciting than ever. The days of polymer panels and extremely plain-looking vehicles seem long gone. Today, Saturn has become synonymous with boldness and modernism……..
Story continued at link: http://www.auto123.com/en/news/car-news/2008-saturn-vue-xr-awd-review?artid=98097
Interesting article by Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press.
Follw this link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080605/COL06/806050436/1014/BUSINESS01
Wondering why Saturn does not have 2008 VUE and AURA hybrids available for sale??
Check out this story:
Battery Flaw Slows Production of General Motors Hybrids
General Motors Corp. said a battery flaw is holding back sales of Saturn and Chevrolet gasoline- electric models, Bloomberg News reported today.
Production of the 2008 hybrid Saturn Vue sport-utility vehicle, Saturn Aura sedan and Chevrolet Malibu car is behind schedule because Detroit-based GM is replacing about 9,000 nickel-metal-hydride battery packs in all Vue and Aura gasoline- electric models built last year, spokesman Tom Wilkinson said today. Fluid within the batteries was leaking, he said.
“We wanted to make sure we had our arms around the battery problem before ramping up production of 2008s,” Wilkinson said. The battery packs were made by Orion-based Cobasys, a joint venture of Energy Conversion Devices Inc. and a Chevron Corp. unit.
The problem is a setback for GM’s plans of boosting its share of the U.S. hybrid auto market, dominated by Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Buoyed by rising gasoline prices, sales of hybrids including Toyota’s top-selling Prius and Honda’s Civic Hybrid rose 45 percent through April to a record 125,087 vehicles, according to data compiled by Bloomberg
Link to Article: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/BIZ/806020427/1148
Starting Today, June 3, 2008 and running through June 30, 2008, Saturn has brought back 0% APR financing (up to 60 months) for the 2008 AURA and VUE (non-hybrids).
Sometimes the news isn’t always good for Saturn. Not that there is anything wrong with the cars, but sometimes people use their Saturns in ways they weren’t meant to be used.
Check out this story: http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/gilbert_local_news_053008_test_drive_carjacking.444e484c.html
Some ASTRA reviews:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354437,00.html
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=92669
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/BIZ0104/805300358/-1/BIZ
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080527.wh-dealweek-0527/BNStory/
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/05/19/087437.html
Ok so my last couple of posts have been more negative than I normally like but sometimes stuff needs to be said.
I wanted to update my progress with my new ASTRA demo.
It is a 5 door XR with Premium Trim, Sunroof, and Stabilitrak.
I have about 300 miles on it and just filled up for the first time. The mileage is hovering around 26.5 with a combination of highway, city and sitting (this is Atlanta!) The Board Computer (or BC for short) has some neat features. Of course it tells me what my instant average is while I am driving but it will also show how make gallons per hour I am using when I am sitting still. The A/C uses about .2 gallons per hour while the Automatic transmission (when in gear) uses about .1 gallons per hour.
The car handles great! It corners like it is on rails. It is a bit underpowered for my tastes but I guess I have to give up something for the gas mileage. It does have good power when you are cruising though. The jump from 40 to 60 is pretty good.
My advice: At least give it a drive. It is cool looking, has great space with the hatchback, gets decent mileage and has already been tested on the roads of Europe (fewer recalls for the US!)
A classic commercial when it really was a “Different Kind of Company” and “People First”.
I really did like this commercial. A great product attribute that has unfortunately gone by the wayside.
This was Saturn’s way of announcing that the 2007 AURA was the Car of the Year. Did it do anything besides imbed that annoying “Manum a na” tune in everyones heads? And when you asked “Why am I singing this annoying song?” You couldn’t remember the commercial!
CRAZY!!!!
Something interesting….
Since I came back to Saturn in November 2005, I have noticed that through all the incentives, whether it is leases, low (or no) APR, customer cash, dealer cash, cash to managers and sales people, or whatever the “flavor of the month” is, Saturn is just using the same pot of money.
Sure it has moved between all the models but if we are doing the same thing all the time and expecting different results, that is the definition of insanity.
I learned in Marketing 101 that there are 5 P’s of marketing: Price, Place, Product, Promotion, and People. We seem to have all those things in place EXCEPT for Promotion. Any first year marketing student can see that!
What Saturn needs is NOT another advertising agency. I bet that most people don’t even know that Saturn is on their 3rd advertising agency. Do the ads or tag lines look any different than they did 15 years ago? No!
The constant is the Saturn Regional Marketing Council. They set the pace for the agency. They give the agency their ideas and the agency comes back with some ideas. In the end, the RMC still just does whatever it wants to do. There are no new ideas because there is the same group led by the same leader dictating what Saturn is “supposed” to look like.
Enough is enough!
This is one of those commercials that when you watch you just say “duh”! So many people see the latest and greatest from Saturn and say just that…… “That’s a Saturn??”
The big question is why Saturn can’t do these kinds of commercials all the time. If you can answer that, you are much smarter that a 5th grader.
Wow! An Electric SKY!!!
If you want one, you better hurry! They are only building 300 of them!
Check out the link:
Howdy Folks!
It is your old buddy Chuck!
This is my first attempt at blogging, so please be gentle!
I know you can surf the web to find all the Saturn info you want. My goal is to give you the facts (that will be the stuff you find in the “NEWS” category) and to also give you my take on the world of Saturn (that will be in the “OPINIONS” category).
Along the way, I will post videos, pictures and whatever else strikes my fancy at any particular moment.
Thanks for stopping by and please post you comments (good and bad)
Chuck
