Saturn throws in the towel N/A

steingar said:
My fault, I didn't remember that they were rebranded Opels. Pity though, started out as a really good example of American manufacturing.
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Remember the original Saturns made with the plastic panels. They always had a couple in the showroom so the sale people could demonstrate how tough they were, how you could stomp on them and that they were easily replaceable.
 
Our 95 Saturn SL2 is on its 3rd kid driver. Put a salvage yard engine in it last year at 160,000 miles when driver number 2 melted down 2 pistons. To be fair to him, looks like a couple of injectors went south on him. It's still running strong with the 17y.o. now.

Tough cars.
 
Saturn may have survived if GM would have retired other badges before it was too late. . .
 
jhausch said:
Saturn may have survived if GM would have retired other badges before it was too late. . .
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I believe that GM should have ditched Hummer long ago (I mean, really...), and as between Olds and Pontiac, should have kept Olds (best product design besides Caddy) instead of Pontiac... which is dead now, anyway.

But the fact is, had they been more aggressive in product design- and letting the designers build to the excellence they wanted - they could have kept all divisions and been pleased.
 
SCCutler said:
I believe that GM should have ditched Hummer long ago (I mean, really...), and as between Olds and Pontiac, should have kept Olds (best product design besides Caddy) instead of Pontiac... which is dead now, anyway.

But the fact is, had they been more aggressive in product design- and letting the designers build to the excellence they wanted - they could have kept all divisions and been pleased.
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The reason they chose Pontiac over Olds is that much of the product line is a rebadged Holden made in Aus.
 
Henning said:
The reason they chose Pontiac over Olds is that much of the product line is a rebadged Holden made in Aus.
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The decision to kill the Olds line was made before the decision to import the Monaro as a GTO, and the Commodore SS / G8 was not yet a glimmer.
 
SCCutler said:
The decision to kill the Olds line was made before the decision to import the Monaro as a GTO, and the Commodore SS / G8 was not yet a glimmer.
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Actually, now that I think of it, the last Olds Calais was a Holden as well.

The real error was getting rid of the V-8 Oldsmobile engines. For going racing, a Chevy beats it, but for a car or truck on the road, the 350-403 and 455 Oldsmobile engines were unbeatable. Back in the days when 120,000 miles was the "end of life" for everything else, an Olds would go 240,000. The Trans Ams with the 403 Olds instead of the 400 Pontiac would always win in a race, and I dropped a 455 Olds into our old 72 Chevy lot/race car tow truck after the 454 spun a bearing and it pulled a lot better and got better economy. GM knew it too which is why they used it and the Toronado drive train on their motorhomes which were the most efficient of the time. Even though it was a grossly horrid idea, when GM wanted to make a quick diesel, they pulled the distributor and plugs out of a 350 Olds and replaced them with an injector pump and nozzels.
 
Those big-block Olds engines were well and truly hosses.

Used to be, GM's divisions had inter-division rivalry, motivated to engineer creative and better solutions, and that gave best of all worlds - resources of the world's largest and best-equipped auto manufacturer, but a competitive spark between 'em. It worked well.

Then, platform engineering, "GM Powerplant Group," and the vehicles became largely indistinguishable from each other. It is telling that, despite being a tiny operation in the global scheme of things, GMH (Holden) has been able to design and build some very innovative and well-conceived product.

GM still builds good product, but as long as they deprive the car people the freedom to innovate and (more importantly) follow up with production, they'll sag.

Love my Cadillacs, still.
 
This morning, The Daily Herald, the paper for Columbia,Tennessee, had a lead article out of Detroit that a top GM exec is suggesting GM is looking to reopen the Spring Hill facility. Big reason seems to be increased demand and the plant is versatile enough to produce several models. The exex was Mark Reuss, GM's North American President. The local union official Mike Herron is encouraged but remains cautious. Lets hope for the best!
 
George Waddington said:
This morning, The Daily Herald, the paper for Columbia,Tennessee, had a lead article out of Detroit that a top GM exec is suggesting GM is looking to reopen the Spring Hill facility. Big reason seems to be increased demand and the plant is versatile enough to produce several models. The exex was Mark Reuss, GM's North American President. The local union official Mike Herron is encouraged but remains cautious. Lets hope for the best!
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I hope so. I remember touring the plant during the first Saturn Homecoming. The workers all seemed justifiably proud of what they'd accomplished.
 
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