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Saturn Astra Inventory Close To One Year Supply; Vice Chairman Robert Lutz Responds

12K views 132 replies 76 participants last post by  buildacariwant 
#1 ·
#2 ·
On a more serious note:

GM purposely leaks photographs of the 2011 Chevy Cruze but at the same time can't figure out how to sell one of the best vehicles they CURRENTLY offer for sale.

How does this CONTINUE to be possible six months after the on-sale date?
 
#14 · (Edited)
It's not that GM can't figure out how to sell......it's that the car won't sell itself because of the badge on its back. Same story with Aura versus Malibu......Outlook vs Acadia/Enclave/Traverse. You cannot sell a Saturn the way the brand exists right now.

Do you think just by giving Suzuki or Mitsubishi awesome product, sales are going to jump through the roof? No. Consumer perception of these brands is very poor. Well guess what, as far as brand recognition (not even perception, just recognition) goes, Saturn is probably down there with Isuzu. People don't even know the company exists.

It'll take an IMMENSE amount of resources and $$ just to make consumers aware of the existence of the Saturn brand. Which is why some people like Elk and myself called this the stupidest, most wasteful and pointless idea GM ever came up with (i.e. taking Saturn upmarket)

It was never going to work. Some of us knew that a long time ago. But fanbois and GM management never could figure it out. Many of you still haven't even after it has been spelt out in plain English.

It is the BRAND, not the products, not the number of dealers, not the haggling etc.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I don't understand the lack of interest in a hatchback - it's the most flexible vehicle that you can buy. And Mazda is doing quite well selling Mazda 3 hatchbacks.

I recently shopped an Astra (my Mazda 3 lease is up) because it is a good looking car, and reportedly it handles very well. Showroom examples were well put together but the interior did remind me of a G5-Cobalt.

However, I didn't buy an Astra because...

1) Good looking XR versions are very pricey "for a Saturn"
2) Interior lacks an arm rest, and doesnt quite live up to its premium price
3) Saturn lacks the brand image to go with a premium small car
4) Acceleration AND mileage not excellent - one of the 2 should be.
5) Saturn service is poor. This is counter to perception and the main reason I didnt not get another Saturn.

Our last service visit for my wife's Vue Redline resulted in us being told that they had "lost" our vehicle. It was at one of 2 shops and they didnt know which one. We waited 40 minutes, then had to leave and return the next day to get it. The latest in a long list of terrible service experiences at Saturn.

Saturn has lost its way.
 
#4 ·
IF no one knows about the Astra... why would they buy it???

Even better question... How much would it cost to take a coupla thousand of these and put a Turbo 2.0L in it, or modify a coupla more thousand to have the XFE's sweets?


Those are the questions that that make me crazy
 
#5 ·
I have seen absolutely zero advertising for the Astra. Consequently I have seen but one Astra (just yesterday) since it's release, and I cover a relatively large area on a weekly basis (Riverside and Orange Counties). Has the marketing for the Astra been largely internet based? I spend I decent amount of time on the web and have seen very little there as well. I was under the impression that GM was pretty excited about this car and considered it very important (and it certainly is). It's gotten good reviews and is a solid offering in a vital market segment. WHY DOESN'T GM ADVERTISE THE CAR?
 
#42 ·
I would say the problem is lack of attention, not the car its self. It is a great car that just needed advertising and a more "Americanized" (is that even a word???lol) dash layout so the buttons and controls make more sense to us here in the states. Looks wise and quality are above par IMO.
They need to spread the word thunderbird!
 
#7 ·
I'm sure lack of advertising is one issue. I know I personally wouldn't buy one for the following reason, and I was looking forward to it being available before it actually arrived. My expectations were that GM was finally going to offer us a truly fuel efficient compact that could compete with the 1.8L models from Honda and Toyota. Instead we get a 1.8L engine in a compact that uses just as much fuel as the 2.2L in the Cobalt and that is before GM came out with the XFE model Cobalt. Many people have fuel economy as a priority right now and this car does NOT deliver. In many ways it is a nicer car than the Cobalt but many shop small cars because they are either cheap or fuel efficient or both. The Astra is neither. It is expensive and has below average fuel efficiency (especially for the engine size and power). It really disappointed me. I'd much rather buy a Cobalt XFE now since my main reason for buying a compact will be lower costs of ownership.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I have seen more of them around lately but that said, if they had an Astra sedan I think they would sell much better. My friend who has a SL2 traded it in for a Focus because she didn't want a hatchback.

Saw in the paper they have them slapped with 0% for 72 months + $500 gas card here in Ontario. Great deal. Won't get that on a VW.
 
#43 ·
I agree. I am so tempted by the 3-door XR, but the lack of a screaming lease is a big problem. I just saw my first Astra on the freeway the other day and it looked amazing... easily as striking as any other car in its class.

I think it's the lack of notoriety and its premium pricing. It's already a tough business case based on the euro-dollar, so that must be a big factor in the lack of marketing $.
 
#17 · (Edited)
This is a stop gap niche car...why did they import so many of them?

1. Spend some money marketing Saturn's products- Aura and Astra have little to no identity with non- enthusiast. GM dealerships don't stock manuals and the Astra (and Aura) have no red line model, so enthusiast are not flocking to them.

2. Stop importing them. Sell what is on the lot and when that is depleted. The new model arrives next year and it appears that Saturn already has more than it needs.


3. If this is product dumping, which it appears to be, why are prices so high? I am aware of the exchange rates, but why send so many of a new, unknown model here all at once? The Saturn Astra is a modern version of what the Saab 9-3 used to be- it had a die-hard fan base, but it was pure niche products. Quirky, expensive, unrefined, but fun....not a bad place for Saturn to be in the compact car market...but adjust production to meet demand or cut prices.
 
#19 ·
I see the things everywhere in Ottawa, now. And they're advertised. I don't see them in Civic numbers, but I see them every day at least once when I do go out.
 
#21 ·
I rarely see one on the street. The Saturn dealer in Newport News tends to have used inventory up front, and new Saturns in the back. Since I drive past the one in Virginia Beach often enough to visit with friends, I'll say that they can't hide their Astras anymore. There's too many of them.

I'd agree with most of the criticisms of the Astra. I looked at one, as I might have mentioned elsewhere, wound up asking a variety of questions about how much functionality of the trip computer is lost with a aftermarket stereo (to wit, all of it).

On the matter of taking Saturn upscale, they have forgotten in this case that upscale pricing also demands upscale amenities, and if you were to compare a Astra 3 door, equipped with its best stereo, and leather seats with a similarly equipped Cobalt (1SP, with leather, 6 CD stereo, sunroof), Chevrolet cuts the price with 1500 in rebates, and offers a better equipped, better performing car. Of course, there is the difference between the Saturn ownership experience and the Chevrolet ownership experience...
 
#26 ·
I was there at the Astra unveiling in Chicago two years ago.

I asked one of the product planners exactly why they thought the Astra would succeed, especially since some makers - like Toyota, make a sedan version of their compact JUST for America - the hatch being that reviled.

She explained that there were " a lot of BLOGS coming through" expressing enthusiasm.

Great.

Blogs.

I wonder if GMI was one of the enthusing agents that helped bring Europe's top seller here to the US. After all, if it's big in Europe - it'll be big here...right?

So we'll take our best seller, the Silverado pickup, and start exporting them to Germany.
 
#29 ·
I test drove an Astra and I liked it a lot. However i bought a HHR SS instead. Why? The SS is fast AND frugal (if i stay out of the boost) and has more space. The SS was not much more money for a whole lot more car. The Astra is well built and handled very well but the combination of space, pace and price (0% financing) was too much to resist so I bought the HHR. I did not however buy it because it was a GM product but because I prefered it to the Mazdaspeed 3. Hey Bob GM can sell small cars, just build some more like the SS.
 
#37 ·
You and I had the same reaction. The HHR SS is a much better car for only a couple grand more. It's more versatile, handles like it's on rails, and gets almost the same gas mileage with 260hp(!).

And yes, for some strange reason Americans are averse to wedge shaped hatches, but like blocky wagons like the Scion Xb and HHR.

I didn't get my HHR because of that (I would have chosen an Astra Redline with the same powertrain), since I like cars like the defunct SVT Focus as well.

But I recall that car selling well in hatchback form, at least I saw a lot of them around.
 
#31 ·
Granted I watch very little TV, but I have never seen a commercial for it. But also, no bill boards, on-line ads, magazine ads. I suspect that most people do not know it exists as I have yet to see one on the road.
 
#32 ·
What I don't get is the lack of any lease program or significant rebates. With this many cars on the lots, what are they going to do to move them? I am only turned off by the car because of a lack of features (armrest, no aux port, no beige or grey leather option) but I would let those slide if I could get a really great deal on one. Why would anyone pay such a premium for an Astra when Vues and Auras on the same showroom floor can be had for less?
 
#33 · (Edited)
Hmmmm, well, possible confusion ? somewhere ? - and/or a crazy story ????


http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/07/movers-and-lose.html
Top 10 Losers (excluding outgoing models and model years)

* 2008 Nissan Titan: 166 days
* 2008 Hummer H3: 155 days
* 2008 Chrysler Sebring: 150 days
* 2008 Jaguar XJ 8L: 149 days
* 2008 Dodge Durango: 146 days
* 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD: 136 days
* 2008 Pontiac Solstice: 134 days
* 2008 Ford Econoline: 132 days
* 2008 Kia Sedona: 129 days
* 2008 Honda Ridgeline: 128 days


Top 10 Losers (including outgoing models and model years)

* 2008 Jaguar S-Type: 234 days
* 2008 Lexus RX 350: 214 days
* 2008 Chrysler Pacifica: 212 days
* 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: 200 days
* 2008 Toyota Matrix: 198 days
* 2008 Mitsubishi Galant: 197 days
* 2008 Subaru Forester: 185 days
* 2008 Mitsubishi Endeavor: 178 days
* 2008 Isuzu i-290: 178 days
* 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse: 177 days

The average number of days to sell for June was 65.
*
*
*
And
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/07/movers-and-lo-1.html#more

Top Compact/Economy Losers

* 2008 Suzuki Reno: 85 days
* 2008 Kia Rio: 82 days
* 2008 Nissan Versa sedan: 77 days
* 2008 Subaru Impreza sedan: 72 days
* 2008 Suzuki SX4 sedan: 69 days
* 2008 Volvo C30: 67 days
* 2008 Chevy Aveo: 64 days
* 2008 Saturn Astra four-door: 60 days
* 2008 Dodge Caliber: 57 days
* 2008 Chevy Cobalt coupe: 56 days

So...... obviously the accuracy of the report of 13,100 in USA inventory - reported as sourced from Automotive News needs confirming.

Wondering out loud, assuming some sort of validity....... is this possibly a worldwide inventory figure ?

Either that or something like it - or a bunch of 3drs ..... somewhere.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Around here there are ads and word of mouth going around about Saturn. The Astra sales in the past two weeks are up almost 500%. Aura sales are up almost 200%. Vue sales are up about 60%. It seems that it is more word of mouth that is driving sales way up lately for Saturn, at least in my area.

For a lease being under $200 CDN is a great deal and the fact that it has more options than anything else when its a base model is very attractive to most buyers as well. Some are even getting out of their old cars into the Astra and are actually paying less for a new car than an older vehicle such as a Grand Am. One has reported to be paying $700 less a year on insurance, loads less on gas and is getting incredible customer service.
 
#40 ·
I have found that the Astra is doing better in Canada than the US. You are right about word of mouth. Advertising in Canada seems to be a bit better than in the US for the Astra. Also I know the Astra won TSN Motoring 2008 car of the year. That probably gave it a bit of a boost here.
 
#35 ·
I have seen plenty of ads for it and there is a dealership in town for Saturn here. I still havn't seen one on the road yet, and I drive past the dealership going to work and there are tons of them on lot and no buyers.

One of the best what? It's an economy car rated for mileage 24 city/30 highway with a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder and an automatic transmission.

Why the hell would anyone buy one instead of a Civic (25/36), Corolla (27/35), or even a 2009 Cobalt (24/33)?

"Introducing the all new Saturn Astra, with world class handling, little power, bad fuel economy, and a $19,000 no-haggle price. See your local Saturn dealer!"
I agree with this. My Dad just got a mazda3 hatchback and the window sticker has 22/30 yet it's a 2.3L with 156hp. The Saturn just doesn't stack up to its competition.
 
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