GMI Exclusive: 2010 Saturn Aura on "Hold"

[mp11477]

I'm going to speculate Saturn is going to follow Oldsmobile to that big assembly line in the sky.

[civilzues]

smaller engine and the Saab 9-5 I would say, after reading the post. but I hope it's not the big assembly line in the sky b/c Saturn will be one with Opel by 2014, so I am confused...
won't Saturn essentially just redo the sheet metal to make the bumpers work....

[kodos78]

Good riddance. Sorry, I'd rather dump resources into making the world's finest midsize sedan in the Malibu. The Aura would take up too many resources + advertising dollars.

When GM has made Malibu #1 in sales and perception, then they can think about a second car for Saturn.

And this is from a fan of the Saturn Sky, who is being tempted by the 0% for 72 months deal!

[windvale]

Originally Posted by mp11477

I'm going to speculate Saturn is going to follow Oldsmobile to that big assembly line in the sky.

With Pontiac, Buick and GMC to follow - just my guess...

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Carguy

Power plant change? Turbo DI new gen 1.4L I4 as base Engine for America? Or perhaps the Euro SWB around 107.5IN was thought to be too short to replace todays long domestic Aura's 112IN.

Well, the interesting thing is that the 2004-2007 Malibu had the shorter Epsilon 1 wheelbase and more total leg room than the long wheelbase Epsilon 1 G6, Aura, or 2008 Malibu.

So a shorter wheelbase on Epsilon 2 may not be a problem.

I bet there's a small chance Saturn gets the axe but a bigger chance GM has an even more efficient powertrain in the pipeline than the 2.4/6 speed. Maybe the 1.4. Maybe a direct injection version of the 2.2? Assuming a pretty common 10% power bump for direct injection, that would put output right where the 2.4 has it and boost fuel economy another few mpg.

[Sinner]

Originally Posted by kodos78

Good riddance. Sorry, I'd rather dump resources into making the world's finest midsize sedan in the Malibu. The Aura would take up too many resources + advertising dollars.

When GM has made Malibu #1 in sales and perception, then they can think about a second car for Saturn.

And this is from a fan of the Saturn Sky, who is being tempted by the 0% for 72 months deal!

+1. Malibu should be the first Epy II car in the US/Canada. Launch your volume leader first to pay for the others. Not niche products like Saab and Saturn.

[mpsrent]

I'm only guessing, but maybe, just maybe, management has finally seen the light and will sell the new Aura through a division like Buick that has a better chance of producing real sales numbers? We can debate the reasons but the fact remains that over the past 2 years Saturn has launched some excellent products only to witness dismal sales results. Why give Saturn anther winner when other divisions could actually make GM a profit with this car?

GM needs profitable volume leader cars now, something Saturn with it's small dealer network cannot deliver.

[BrickTamland]

I hope GM can call this a "unique oppurtunity" rather than a "major challenge," like with what Rockstar said when they delayed Grand Theft Auto IV. I am holding the hope that they found an 11th hour major improvement they could make for the car. Maybe they pulled a Ford Focus and found they could extract another 2 mpg out of it with some minor tooling.

[F14CRAZY]

Gm figured out how bad they screwed up Saturn and decided to can it

[Tethys]

It's amazing how many of you are speculating without data, other than what scant information the moderators provided in the thread header. Ah well, yet another chance for all the Saturn haters to resurface now that the woodwork's squeaked...

mpsrent - your theory might be more valid if 80 percent of Saturn's lineup (save the Astra) weren't duplicated in other GM divisions. Saturn's other major problem aside from ~430 North American retailers is a woeful lack of advertising.

Unless GM can accurately define roles for Buick, Pontiac and GMC and sell Hummer, this quagmire won't stop. Giving the Aura to Buick reeks of the 1990s (why does Buick need a 4-cyl. model?), better to import the gorgeous Chinese variants to the States, which would allow this storied make to take a step toward its halcyon days. Pontiac needs to become RWD asap, no minivans, no small SUVs but performance, performance, performance! GMC needs to be GM's commercial truck arm instead of the worst example of rebadging the company offers.

I hope BrickTamland's theory is at least partially correct as a redone Aura might have made it to my short list in 2011 when I'm ready for a new vehicle.

[peterj2706]

Originally Posted by mpsrent

I'm only guessing, but maybe, just maybe, management has finally seen the light and will sell the new Aura through a division like Buick that has a better chance of producing real sales numbers? We can debate the reasons but the fact remains that over the past 2 years Saturn has launched some excellent products only to witness dismal sales results. Why give Saturn anther winner when other divisions could actually make GM a profit with this car?

GM needs profitable volume leader cars now, something Saturn with it's small dealer network cannot deliver.

Agreed, you are right on target. Saturn is the eternal screw up - given all the opportunities, produce no results- just suck up resources needed elsewhere.

[nsap]

Why would GM give BUICK the Aura? They are ALREADY getting their own Epsilon II car BEFORE the Aura launches!!

[mpsrent]

Personally, I've never disliked Saturn, I'm just a realist. Yes, they need to advertise more but no amount of advertising will change the fact that their dealer network is too thin. If GM really wants to keep Saturn, then kill another division and expand Saturn into these markets to gain additional penetration.

The point is, Saturn's problem isn't product, they have great product, Saturn's problem is a combination of issues from limited dealer coverage to minimal advertising and a public perception issue. For whatever reason, Saturn has an image issue that those that love them love them and everyone else has no interest in Saturn. Not sure why, but it is a real issue.

[1957wildcat]

Originally Posted by nsap

Why would GM give BUICK the Aura? They are ALREADY getting their own Epsilon II car BEFORE the Aura launches!!

Calm down! Let's not go bold, italicize or CAPITAListic over this!

[zete]

Perhaps Saturn will become Opel and become an import brand.

This probably has something to do with the tanking US auto market. They might be figuring it's better to pull Insignia's from Europe for the small number Saturn will sell and leverage North American factories for higher volume cars, especially a new EpII Buick and an EpII Malibu.

Of course, more efficient engines would be welcome.

But they might have paused it to simple have EVERY EpII come with BAS+ standard, which would be smart in my opinion.