GM Apparently Allowing Saturn to Share Showrooms with Other Divisions

[Murrow]

In suburban Miami, a PBG dealership recently changed hands. It was moved to the site of a Saturn dealership a few miles south ("Saturn of South Miami-Dade"). The Saturn dealership now has PBG signs on its building and the lot now displays all the PBG and Saturn models, including both Kappas and all the Lambdas.

I'm wondering if this is the start of a trend. Is GM loosening its rules on Saturn dealerships sharing U.S. showrooms? Is this a one-time exception? I would understand if the dealership was building some sort of new facility nearby, but it doesn't appear to be. Meanwhile, the site of the old PBG dealership has been empty for 6 months, so it doesn't look like a new shop is being built there either.

I haven't tried buying a car there at the dealership, but I assume buyers can haggle on the prices of PBG models, while not being able to negotiate on Saturns, which must be awkward.

I've attached a photo. Hopefully it worked!

[CanadianGMGuy]

The closest Saturn dealer to me here in Ontario, is paired with SAAB and Hummer.

[FenwickHockey65]

Photo didn't work...

[TriShield]

Nothing new, the Saturn dealer in Sioux Falls South Dakota shares the same space with Pontiac, HUMMER and Cadillac. It's been that way for nearly 10 years now.

[Aprime]

Saturn and Saab often share the same showrooms, so seeing Saturn join the other brands isn't really surprising, but I wasn't really expecting it. Saab and Saturn together makes sense, since they're basically GM's euro brands, but mixing Saturn with the regular 3 is just going to wash that image [they're trying to build] off.

[MCGARRETT]

The dealership is supposed to build a new dealership next door to Saturn of South Miami Dade, the Willamson-Vera dealership group did purchase the franchise from what was the old Hallett Pontiac-GMC, but they did not purchase the land and dealership, there supposedly was another interested party that did want the dealerships land, along with everything else from the Burger King on the corner, the former Burdines furniture gallery, the car dealership and the Home Depot are going to get raised for a new commercial development, Williamson would have loved to have continued to use the Hallett dealership for a few more months but the had to be out by a certain date.

If you noticed, they also closed the Pontiac-Buick-GMC place in Homestead that was next to Blake Chevrolet-Cadillac, they are going to raise most of the land that is next to the Saturn dealership to make a huge PBG facility that will cover both Homestead and South Dade, at least thats what I heard.

[mgescuro]

Bad move. Bad move. Bad move.

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

The dealership is supposed to build a new dealership next door to Saturn of South Miami Dade, the Willamson-Vera dealership group did purchase the franchise from what was the old Hallett Pontiac-GMC, but they did not purchase the land and dealership, there supposedly was another interested party that did want the dealerships land, along with everything else from the Burger King on the corner, the former Burdines furniture gallery, the car dealership and the Home Depot are going to get raised for a new commercial development, Williamson would have loved to have continued to use the Hallett dealership for a few more months but the had to be out by a certain date.

If you noticed, they also closed the Pontiac-Buick-GMC place in Homestead that was next to Blake Chevrolet-Cadillac, they are going to raise most of the land that is next to the Saturn dealership to make a huge PBG facility that will cover both Homestead and South Dade, at least thats what I heard.

Thanks, McGarrett. That's very interesting. I didn't realize the Homestead facility had closed. My family bought a ton of Cadillacs and Mazdas back when the Homestead shop was part of the Williamson group as Williamson Pontiac-Cadillac-Mazda.

I figured the old Hallett/Autocity real estate had been sold to someone else or that Vera/Williamson weren't willing to pay the price, so the old owners figured they'd just sell it to someone else.

[MCGARRETT]

Bad move. Bad move. Bad move.

Explain...after you have read my previous post.

Thanks, McGarrett. That's very interesting. I didn't realize the Homestead facility had closed. My family bought a ton of Cadillacs and Mazdas back when the Homestead shop was part of the Williamson group as Williamson Pontiac-Cadillac-Mazda.

Yeah, they had never been able to make a go of with that Homestead location, it was originally Mike Boyle Pontiac in the 70's and it became Williamson Pontiac Mazda sometime in the 80's or so. Williamson sold it of to Motors Holding in 1997 or so, when it became Armstrong Pontiac-Buick-GMC (when I worked there)through a minority dealer program, which ticked off longtime Homestead Buick dealer Blake Buick, eventhough Blake did get Oldsmobile(from Supreme Oldsmoblie-GMC)and Cadillac in the "switch", but the Homestead facility bounced aroung through a couple of minority dealers which could not make the dealership work inspite of GM's help. It finished of it's last year or so a Spitzer PBG.

I figured the old Hallett/Autocity real estate had been sold to someone else or that Vera/Williamson weren't willing to pay the price, so the old owners figured they'd just sell it to someone else

It was supposed to have been sold for a ton, some of the real estate is worth a bunch, many of those dealerships were made when that land was cheap, Hallett was built in 1970. Williamson made a ton of dough when he sold the land underneath the old 1968 vintage Willamson Cadillac and moved to the "aircraft carrier" on US-1. Same with Sun Chevrolet next door to Williamson(Remember Sun?, thats where I cut my teeth as a wee lad of a car salesman).

I always though we had a glut of Pontiac dealerships in Dade.

At the peak we had:

Armstrong Pontiac Buick GMC in Homestead
Hallett Pontiac-GMC
Martell Pontiac-GMC
Brickell Pontiac-GMC
Duhaney Pontiac-Buick-GMC
Colonial Pontiac

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

Explain...after you have read my previous post.




Yeah, they had never been able to make a go of with that Homestead location, it was originally Mike Boyle Pontiac in the 70's and it became Williamson Pontiac Mazda sometime in the 80's or so. Williamson sold it of to Motors Holding in 1997 or so, when it became Armstrong Pontiac-Buick-GMC (when I worked there)through a minority dealer program, which ticked off longtime Homestead Buick dealer Blake Buick, eventhough Blake did get Oldsmobile(from Supreme Oldsmoblie-GMC)and Cadillac in the "switch", but the Homestead facility bounced aroung through a couple of minority dealers which could not make the dealership work inspite of GM's help. It finished of it's last year or so a Spitzer PBG.






It was supposed to have been sold for a ton, some of the real estate is worth a bunch, many of those dealerships were made when that land was cheap, Hallett was built in 1970. Williamson made a ton of dough when he sold the land underneath the old 1968 vintage Willamson Cadillac and moved to the "aircraft carrier" on US-1. Same with Sun Chevrolet next door to Williamson(Remember Sun?, thats where I cut my teeth as a wee lad of a car salesman).

I always though we had a glut of Pontiac dealerships in Dade.

At the peak we had:

Armstrong Pontiac Buick GMC in Homestead
Hallett Pontiac-GMC
Martell Pontiac-GMC
Brickell Pontiac-GMC
Duhaney Pontiac-Buick-GMC
Colonial Pontiac

Back when my family was buying cars from Williamson Homestead (early to late 90s), Greg Wurl was one of the principals and the man in charge down there on a day-to-day basis. The shop seemed to be doing pretty well, despite the exodus from Homestead after Hurricane Andrew. After Greg died, it was never the same. I thought once the Spitzer folks bought it, they'd figure out a way to make that location work, since they've been down there for so long, DBA Spitzer Dodge, but I guess not.

I always figured the Blake folks must've thought they got the raw deal in the switch, since they had to give up a longtime Buick franchise in return for a soon-to-be-defunct Olds franchise and a Cadillac franchise in a blue collar territory.

I definitely remember Sun Chevrolet. The sad thing is that that facility was nicer when it was bulldozed than what nearby Kendall Chevrolet is using today. That showroom is the epitome of an image killer for GM. It's got to be one of the worst big-market facilities in the country.

Have you seen the new Lexus dealership on SW 137 ave? That thing is unbelievable! I think almost the entire inventory is indoors and air conditioned. GMI should start a section with photos of the best and worst dealerships around.

[member12]

The only reason I was okay with Saturn getting their own verison of SUVs was that they were stand alone.

I think GM needs to think about how it was in the 1980s when you had a bunch of car divisions and the trucks were only GMC and Chevrolet. Gas prices might dictate that we return to that.

[member12]

Originally Posted by TriShield

Nothing new, the Saturn dealer in Sioux Falls South Dakota shares the same space with Pontiac, HUMMER and Cadillac. It's been that way for nearly 10 years now.

So they can run a "buy a Hummer H2, get a free Pontiac G5" sale. Awesome.

[Vladimir1978]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Bad move. Bad move. Bad move.

Right, because the current Saturn setup is proving to cause great sales gains.

...

With silly quotes out of the way- this will prove to be a good move in the long run as it will allow the eventual phasing out of the brand to become easier in the future.

[MCGARRETT]

I always figured the Blake folks must've thought they got the raw deal in the switch, since they had to give up a longtime Buick franchise in return for a soon-to-be-defunct Olds franchise and a Cadillac franchise in a blue collar territory

When Blake got Olds it was around 1997, the end of the Darwin Clark era, new Alero, Intrigue was getting good reviews, the Aurora was popular, new Shillouette and a refreshed Bravada, it was still 3 years before the end and the future seemed bright for Oldsmobile.

Plus Blake still did have and does have the Chevrolet franchise that they bought from Leiphardt Chevrolet in the 1990's. Though yeah it must have stung a bit, they were Buick dealers for 50 years or so.

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by MCGARRETT

I always though we had a glut of Pontiac dealerships in Dade.

At the peak we had:

Armstrong Pontiac Buick GMC in Homestead
Hallett Pontiac-GMC
Martell Pontiac-GMC
Brickell Pontiac-GMC
Duhaney Pontiac-Buick-GMC
Colonial Pontiac

Even now, there are a bunch, considering what the market share must be.

Lehman
Miami Lakes
Doral
Vera
Brickell