DETROIT -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner says the company will move Saturn slightly upscale to compete with import brands such as Volkswagen and Honda.
During an interview with Automotive News, he said Saturn will have a broader range of pricing to go with a significantly expanded portfolio.
"We do want to do more exciting products for Saturn … (and) we're going to broaden out the range considerably," Wagoner said. "The entry-level Saturn is not going to be cutting the same price point (as Honda and Volkswagen), but let's look at Saturn priced a little higher than Chevrolet on a product-to-product basis."
"More upscale versus today's Saturn," he said. "And that starts with better-looking cars."
But Saturn does not envision a big leap upmarket in terms of pricing. The brand will not move into the niche once occupied by Oldsmobile, which was an upscale brand.
Saturn will unveil its new look in January at the Detroit auto show, where it will introduce a rear-wheel-drive roadster and a front-wheel-drive, mid-sized sedan concept.
Production of both vehicles will begin over the next 24 months. A mid-sized sport wagon will follow in the third quarter of 2006.
Some analysts believe it could be a stretch trying to introduce that much product into a dealer network that has been accustomed to handling a limited number of models in the past.
Saturn dealers are receptive to the move. Some say it has been a long time coming.
"Saturn was designed to be an import fighter," says Kevin Bilski, the new-car sales manager at Saturn of Warren in Warren, Mich. "Now we're going to see a buyer who is maybe considering a Volkswagen Passat. I don't see that as a challenge. We've got the customer service down. All we need is the upscale product."
DETROIT -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner says the company will move Saturn slightly upscale to compete with import brands such as Volkswagen and Honda.
Except in that article, they not only talked about moving upscale, but above both Pontiac and Chevy and filling the slot left by the semi-upscale Oldsmobile.
Now they're saying that they want to go after Honda and VW? Well, wasn't that the intial objective GM had in mind with Saturn when the nameplate started back in the early 90's? Weren't they created as the "import" fighter? Guess they haven't been doing much import fighting in the last 1.5 decade
Either way, they'll just steal sales from other GM cars or other GM cars will steal sales from them like they're doing now. Just another redundant brand within GM's extensive collection of redundant brands. They should just kill Saturn, and invest the money into making better Chevy's and Pontiacs. Saturn's pretty hopeless.
Except in that article, they not only talked about moving upscale, but above both Pontiac and Chevy and filling the slot left by the semi-upscale Oldsmobile.
Now they're saying that they want to go after Honda and VW? Well, wasn't that the intial objective GM had in mind with Saturn when the nameplate started back in the early 90's? Weren't they created as the "import" fighter? Guess they haven't been doing much import fighting in the last 1.5 decade
Either way, they'll just steal sales from other GM cars or other GM cars will steal sales from them like they're doing now. Just another redundant brand within GM's extensive collection of redundant brands. They should just kill Saturn, and invest the money into making better Chevy's and Pontiacs. Saturn's pretty hopeless.
damn this company cannibalized the other company sales... oh well it is GM...god.. just have too many redundant brands... why cant they just reduce it to just 2 brand... LUX and CHEAP. is it dat hard?? do they have to make it.. DARN CHEAP , NOT SO CHEAP , SO-SO QUITE EXPENSIVE , ABIT EXPENSIVE and LOOKS EXPENSIVE.
Okay.. if saturn goin upscale... and Subaru goin LUX wow.. they abit too ambitious? I remember watchin Saturn AD in TV about the LS sedan.. they compare it to HONDA Accord 98-02 model. So is dat mean all this time they are not honda competitor?? Sales of saturn is not really good lately and they wanna put saturn as Honda competitor?? wow...they gonna need alot of WORK and LAY OFF...
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Good-bye 1990 Honda Accord Sedan LX
Good-bye 1991 Honda Accord Sedan EX
Good-bye 1992 Honda Accord Coupe LX
Good-bye 1993 Honda Prelude VTEC
Good-bye 1994 Acura Legend GS
1997 Volvo 850 GLT Wagon right now. Looking for the right Honda/Acura to come back to the family.
I think that GM should merge Saturn with Vauxhall for the north american market. Vauxhall has some pretty decent little cars, and would bring new life to saturn which is thought of as complete tripe by anyone that actually has any interst in anything more then a point A to point b car (for the most part, i don't mind the vue, it's at least livable and you can get a honda engine in the redline :clap ). The corsa, Astra (new one looks really nice), vectra are all nicer cars then similar cars that saturn has to offer. There's also the Monaro (already the GTO) and VX220 which lotus wouldn't allow to come over. The fact that people actually buy an ion or a L300, which in my mind is the ugliest car in existance, just boggles my mind.
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