|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Saturn ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show , Spy Photos , GM , Opel 2010 Opel Astra Spy Shots - Click above for image gallery Saturn's Astra has been something of a commercial non-starter stateside , but it remains a perennial favorite in Opel and Vauxhall guises...
|
-
|
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , Crossovers/CUVs , Chevrolet , GM , Opel Chevrolet Orlando concept - Click above for high-res image gallery General Motors is in survival mode right now; cutting staff, closing plants, and reworking contracts. The last thing the General likely wants to cut back on is product, but even new vehicles aren't immune to the chopping block. Automotive News is reporting that GM has postponed production of the Chevrolet Orlando at its Detroit Hamtramck facility. Local United Auto Workers chief George McGregor informed AN that plant management informed him that the Orlando and a planned Opel variant will not be built at the facility later in the year. GM has neither declined or confirmed the Orlando's postponement (it could simply be built elsewhere), but North American President Troy Clarke mentioned at the Detroit Auto Show in January that the seven seat MPV would be headed for production in 2011. McGregor did say that plans were full speed ahead for the...
|
-
|
Filed under: Recalls/TSBs , Safety , Buick , Chevrolet , GMC , Pontiac , Saturn Citing a defect that can cause a parked vehicle to roll away, General Motors is recalling 277,000 cars and trucks. The models involved, all built for the 2009 model year, may have a loose clip on their transmission shift cable. The failure of the clip to be locked into place may prevent the transmission from moving into Park - even if the driver moves the shift lever into the proper position. GM has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that dealers will inspect the transmission shift cable and replace broken units. Affected models include the Buick Enclave , Chevrolet Cobalt , Chevrolet HHR , Chevrolet Malibu , Chevrolet Traverse , GMC Acadia, Pontiac G5, Pontiac G6 , Saturn Aura and Saturn Outlook. NHTSA Safety Campaign after the jump. [Source: Automotive News , sub. req'd] Continue reading GM recall affects 277,000 models with shifter problem GM recall affects 277,000 models with shifter...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing , GM , Saturn Thank you for calling the General Motors emergency hotline, please hold while we sort out what the heck to do with you... Saturn dealers are being asked by GM to hold on and not do anything drastic for 60 days while the automaker figures out its next move. There are several options possible, some more feasible than others. The one that's gotten the most attention recently is spinning off Saturn into an independent business, which has everyone intrigued. GM could even remain a supplier to Saturn if it cuts the right deal, as an independent Saturn would be purchasing products from other sources. Some dealers think the brand could turn into a sort of automotive Costco, sourcing product from all over the place and putting the house brand on the grille. Perhaps the most likely scenario is GM steering its Saturn unit into bankruptcy, and hurrying the process along before the current product ages out in 2012. It's...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Saturn Yesterday we told you about Saturn's proposed plan to become independent of General Motors . Today we have more details via a letter that Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak just sent to the brand's faithful owners that warns of changes to come. Using the company's "Different Kind of Car Company" tagline, she points out that Saturn has always sought to do things differently. Whether it's no-haggle shopping, dent-resistant cars or luxury-car levels of customer service in a mainstream dealership, Saturn has been a pioneer on several fronts. Now the company is looking to blaze a trail on another path entirely. As part of GM's Viability Plan, Saturn will only be supported with new GM vehicles through 2011. Unless the company gets spun off, GM will phase out the brand. That's where the new plan comes in. Saturn could go independent, with dealers taking over the Saturn Distribution Corporation. The SDC is the existing "indirect...
|
-
|
Filed under: Government/Legal , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Saturn , Earnings/Financials Saturn dealers must be feeling pretty unloved by their parent company right about now. Yesterday, General Motors announced as part of its updated restructuring plan that the interstellar brand would not be getting any new products, meaning that it's left to die on the vine when the current range reaches the end of its lifespan . GM has experience with this routine, having euthanized Oldsmobile earlier this decade, spending enormous amounts of money paying off franchised dealerships along the way. Understandably then, both GM and Saturn dealers have a vested interest in keeping the brand alive. According to GM CEO Rick Wagoner, "[Saturn has] a good distribution network. If someone comes up with an offer, we're very open to that." Dealership owners are reportedly also interested in exploring that option. Dan Januska, owner of Saturn of Scottsdale and member of the Saturn Dealer Council...
|
-
|
Filed under: Government/Legal , GM , HUMMER , Saab , Saturn , Earnings/Financials General Motors has just revealed its Viability Plan that was due today to the U.S. Treasury Department under the loan agreement signed back on December 31, 2008. Just like Chrysler, GM is requesting more money than it was initially loaned due to domestic and global industry sales that were historically low in December and January. Today the company received the remainder of $13.4 billion in loans it was granted earlier, but is requesting an additional $16.6 billion to bring the total amount of money lent or available as a revolving line of credit to $30 billion. The extra money is divided up into an immediate request for an extra $4.6 billion, another $4.5 billion to repay a revolving line of credit that's due in late 2011 and another $7.5 billion revolving line of credit if the industry experiences sales of 9.5 million units in 2009 and 11.5 million in 2010. On the plus side, GM expects to start repaying...
|
-
|
Filed under: GM , Saturn GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz may be on his way out to pasture , but that doesn't mean he's going to leave as anything other than the quote machine we know and love. The Maximum One told Automotive News that he wished Saturn would survive the current economic calamity, "But frankly, the reality is that that is probably not going to be the outcome." When the Vice Chairman drops that kind of news, it doesn't bode well for the struggling brand , which posted a 21% decline for 2008. Lutz went on to say that Saturn had the best, most fresh product lineup in the GM portfolio and that the company doesn't have the time or money to spend trying to figure out what went wrong. Saturn dealers predictably didn't take the news well, saying that GM's announcement that the brand was under review made it tougher to sell cars. New Jersey dealer Stuart Lasser said Lutz's announcement "seals our fate," and added that GM knew Saturn wasn't...
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|