Fayence, France - "The ship has started to turn," commented a fellow auto writer from Britain, as we stood gazing upon a field packed with future General Motors Corp. cars and trucks.
Knowing what an acerbic opinion this particular journalist has had of Detroit automotive hardware in the past, his favorable view was not to be taken lightly.
Though some of the vehicles we were shown at this GM 'global product seminar' in the south of France, such as the Hummer H3, have since become public knowledge, many were revealed on a background information basis only.
While I cannot reveal details of new Saturn models we witnessed, it is widely known that this GM division has a complete line-up of new products coming over the next few years. And from what we were shown, it's reasonable to say that Saturn's model range will change from one of the least inspired to one of the most attractive in GM's global stable. That might sound overly dramatic, but the new models are simply that compelling.
Furthermore, based on the evidence presented in France, it's clear that other GM brands, notably Opel in Europe, have an infusion of convincing new vehicles just around the corner.
But as impressive as GM's French show and tell session was in terms of the mid- to long-term outlook, it is frustrating to observe the painfully slow speed of the company's re-building process. It seems that every time GM takes a solid step forward - witness excellent new products like the Pontiac G6 and the latest Corvette - the overall picture is darkened again by larger corporate concerns, whether it be ballooning health care costs, pension expenses or the crushing overhead of unneeded but hard to close manufacturing operations.
Full article