Penskey buying Saturn

With all the hope, I still think we all have to remember what is and isn't selling right now.

I really don't see too much in the way of kick-ass sport models out of Saturn in the next 3 or so years. If it's small, light, cheap, and has a back seat, it'll be the front wheels that get powered.

ReverendDexter wrote: With all the hope, I still think we all have to remember what is and isn't selling right now. I really don't see too much in the way of kick-ass sport models out of Saturn in the next 3 or so years. If it's small, light, cheap, and has a back seat, it'll be the front wheels that get powered.

He could just turn this into a channel for selling cheap Chinese cars under a familiar nameplate.

belteshazzar wrote: see how letting GM crash is not a bad thing in the long run?! somebody tell obama.

I wish people would drop the everything-is-Obamas-fault. Do you not remember McCain's own bailout plans? Do you remember any candidate ever saying "we aren't bailing out anyone?" No, no one had the political balls to do that - I wish they had. Sorry for the side-tracking rant...

kb58 wrote:

belteshazzar wrote: see how letting GM crash is not a bad thing in the long run?! somebody tell obama.

I wish people would drop the everything-is-Obamas-fault. Do you not remember McCain's own bailout plans? Do you remember any candidate ever saying "we aren't bailing out anyone?" No, no one had the political balls to do that - I wish they had. Sorry for the side-tracking rant...

Well, the Libertarians said that....

kb58 wrote:

belteshazzar wrote: see how letting GM crash is not a bad thing in the long run?! somebody tell obama.

IDo you remember any candidate ever saying "we aren't bailing out anyone?" No, no one had the political balls to do that - I wish they had. Sorry for the side-tracking rant...

Two words...Ron Paul

kb58 wrote: I wish people would drop the everything-is-Obamas-fault.

And did you also say "I wish everyone would quit blaming Bush for everything" when he was in office. If so you are forgiven, if not you need to get out more often and read about what's happening and where the directives are coming from.

Don't blame Obama - he is doing what he said he would do. Blame those who voted for him.

My purpose wasn't to hang any poop on the prez, and I'm sorry it sounded insensitive. It's just that the way people talk it's as though there will never be another job, never be another company to work for. The whole world is going to implode and never recover. When, in my opinion, it takes some dinosaurs keeling over for evolution to work.

Centering this....

Based on Penske Corp comments, it sounds like he's going the Fisker way of selling cars- have the suppliers do everything, including final assembly at this point, and slap on a badge. By far, this isn't unprecedented- GM, Ford, Chrysler, Rover, etc- many companies have let other companies build cars for them, and sell them under a different name.

The question is whether the US buying public will buy into it over the long haul. Yea, the cars can be cheap. But looking at revenues of the top two sales companies- Toyota and GM, it's pretty clear that over the long trend, people are more willing to pay for a good product vs. a cheap product, even when both concpets have become more precption than reality.

I don't see how this at all translates into any particular market, except for the cheap end.

Should be interesting, and sad for the long time Saturn workers, as they get phased out of both GM and Penske.

Eric

It won't make much difference to long term Saturn workers, everything's been farmed out already. The last generation Vue was the final 'true Saturn' assembled at the Tennessee plant. Everything else is a rebadged something else.

Jensenman wrote: It won't make much difference to long term Saturn workers, everything's been farmed out already. The last generation Vue was the final 'true Saturn' assembled at the Tennessee plant. Everything else is a rebadged something else.

I was kind of "hoping" that whoever buys saturn would do the contract for some time, while developing new product to be produced at their plant. IMHO, it's quite possible to put a line up together to run the Tennesse plant at close to capcity and produce a decent line of cars. Perhaps purchase another southern plant, and revamp it to do the same.

Two flexible plants, running at capacity, producing a b, c, and d class car and another producing a small and mid-sized CUV/SUV would be enough, as long as enough engineering was carryover, and the products were good enough. (basically 100-200k vehicles annually) Build slowly from there.

But, alas, what I see and what the people bringing money to the table see are very different. It will be what it will be....

E-

The Tennessee plant hasn't been a "Saturn plant" for several years now. There is no "Saturn plant" to buy - they are all generic "GM plants" these days.

From what I've read, it sounds like Penske/Saturn will continue to sell the domestically (including Mexico) produced Saturns for several years. Vue, Aura, and Outlook. No Sky, no Astra.