Saturn: GM's New Bright Spot

[beelzebub]

Originally Posted by sigma

The sooner that Astra makes it over here the better for Saturn. I think it will steal sales away from the Passat because it will undoubtably be more reliable than VW is. VW has also undoubtably left many customers of the old Passat behind in its upmarket push. Plus most reviews say that the new Passat isn't as engaging as the old one.

Astra and Passat??

Their categories are not even close.. Heck even a Vectra is not in the same league.

VW sales are in the dumps. Its not a serious player. Cumulative NA sales are less than corollas.

[MNdudeswitz]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

I think it's a great article.

The one point of contention i must make is the fact that I don't believe Aura will "steal sales from Camry." More specifically, I don't believe Camry sales will decline or plateau.

I've made the argument before that people who buy Camrys simply want a solid, reliable car that gets them from point A to point B. In short, they want a low maintenance appliance. No other car in teh world offers that.

Aura will make a significant impact on the mid-size sedan market. it won't steal sales from Camry. It's not good enough to steal sales from Passat. But Aura will make heads turn. And it will make every single mid-sized car buyer pause and think about it for jsut a minute. And THAT is where Saturn's legendary customer service and buying experience comes into play.

Aura will be successful, and I expect it to outsell the G6 sedan in 2 years. (Yes, I think it will be that good.) But I don't expect it to have an impact on the segment leader.... not yet anyways.

Defently agree!!!!!!!!!!

[asim]

Nice article nsap. I really like the Outlook and would have considered it over our TB.

[jwrebholz]

I once almost bought a Saturn just on the dealership experience. I ultimately did not because IMO the cars weren't worth buying, especially not for the price they offered.

If I were in the market for a new car now? Saturn would be near the top of the list. They FINALLY have the product they've needed for more than a decade. I know they'll make the most of it.

[GM-10]

cheers!

[sigma]

Originally Posted by beelzebub

Astra and Passat??

Their categories are not even close.. Heck even a Vectra is not in the same league.

VW sales are in the dumps. Its not a serious player. Cumulative NA sales are less than corollas.

I just noticed that. I meant to say the Aura would compete well with the Passat. Forgot to hit the enter key.

[Ultimate1]

I was very skeptical of the Aura sports sedan in the days prior to it’s arrival. I was sure that the car would be another poor attempt at a midsize sedan by GM, but I was in fact wrong. The car has the safety features, design, interior, and powertrain to spark sales in the midsize segment. Many people are complaining that the car “isn’t true to the concept,” and to them I ask this; did you really expect it to?

Yes! Maybe not the 19" wheels but the body work at least.

It wasnt too much to ask to keep that aggressive and sporty front end, GM keeps dumbing down good designs that the base cars (the ones that sell the most) end up looking like afterthoughts.

[nadepalma]

Agreed and good article nsap. GM can pull this off, but they can't screw up the launches of these vehicles and they cannot leave them to die on the vine. If they want to get customers to notice their products in the long haul, then Saturn must take the initiative to keep the vehicles updated and continually rework them. This is the only way to keep the competition at bay and draw new customers.

[civilzues]

Originally Posted by 1BadPig

Saturn came out swinging at the NY Auto Show. I hope Pontiac is next on the GM division makeover list.

OH GOD I HOPE SO TOO! the G6 is an awesome car, but the naming shouldn't stick aroung. Aura is amazing, so is the Sky, waiting for the redline

[Mikkoo]

Originally Posted by mrmemo

Those are some pretty nice cars. Almost makes me want to buy a new one...

And judging by your current rides, you haven't bought new in a heck of a long time. GM needs your support too.

[Mikkoo]

How about GM spreading the great dealership experiance to there other
divisions. It is badly needed and in this age of intense competition
they need to at least match the service experiance that you get at
Toyota or Honda.

[PontiacLvr]

i could not agree more NSAP !! on evry point, as a recent convert to saturn....I am sure this will revitalize the brand

[scotted73]

Great article and a positive outlook for Saturn and GM as well.
I think the key is for the divisions and dealers to stop squabbling and name-calling and focus on bringing back GM's market share.

[plane]

Originally Posted by Proetus

Saturn is probably the only GM brand that could pull off a diesel car in the US. Bring over the Astra 1.7CDTi rated at 6.2/4.0 (38/59mpg).

Wow. Assuming it's base-model affordable I would buy that for a daily driver in a heartbeat.

[usa1]

I can’t stress enough that the Outlook, Enclave, and Acadia all represent how GM is going to be executing every product from this point forward. No more half-ass attempts just to “get them by” like we have gotten in the past.

I hope you are right on that. GM fans, like myself, have suffered a long time.

Mark