Saturn FAQs

[Saturn team]

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We appreciate the many comments we have received from ImSaturn members, and we want to do our best to answer your questions and to keep you update on developments with the Saturn brand.

Q. UPDATE (4/28/09): In his press conference April 27, CEO Fritz Henderson said Saturn production will be phased out by the end of 2009. What does that mean?

A. In our need to move "faster and deeper" with restructuring, GM is accelerating a resolution for the Saturn brand. That means GM will be reviewing expressions of interest from potential investors until June 1, 2009, and will work to have an agreement in place with the winning investor by the end of this year.

Q. What does that mean for Saturn owners?

A. You can still get your Saturn vehicle serviced by any Saturn retailer. Your warranty will be honored, and, as noted in question 3 below, and you can find the retailer nearest you by visiting Saturn.com. If there is no Saturn retailer nearby, or if it is an emergency situation, you can bring your Saturn to any GM dealer for warranty repairs. If you have trouble securing warranty service at a non-Saturn GM dealership, please contact Saturn Customer Assistance, or call 1-800-553-6000.

Q. If GM sells Saturn, who will make Saturn cars?

A. That will be up to the buyer of the Saturn brand, not GM, to decide. We have told potential investors, however, that we are looking for a partner to provide vehicles that are right for the Saturn brand: fuel-efficient, safe, and affordable.

Q. Would a new buyer have cars ready for 2010?

A. Depending on the deal negotiated, GM would consider offering contract manufacturing for the new owner of the Saturn brand.

Q. UPDATE (4/17/09) What’s the latest update on Saturn? Is the offer by Black Oaks Partners/Telesto legitimate?

A. Since mid-February, a sub-committee of Saturn retailers has been studying the feasibility of alternative options for the future of the Saturn brand. Steve Girsky has been working with them on this process.They have identified multiple parties who are interested in the possible sale or spin-off of Saturn. The group led by Black Oaks Partners is one of those groups. We cannot provide information on other interested parties, and it is simply too early to speculate about any eventual outcome.

UPDATE (3/31/09): See Jill’s email to owners

UPDATE (3/9/08): Newspaper Report: Retailers May Save Saturn Brand
There have been many media reports recently about the future of the Saturn brand. One of the most comprehensive articles appeared on March 8 in the Nashville Tennessean.

UPDATE (3/7/09)Well-known consultant retained by Saturn retailers: The Saturn Franchise Operation Team (FOT) sub-committee that is evaluating the potential spin-off of the Saturn Distribution Corporation has retained the services of advisor Steve Girsky, of S.J. Girsky and Co. Girsky will act as an independent business consultant to the sub-committee as they study options for the potential operation of the Saturn brand as a standalone enterprise.

“The spin-off of an independent Saturn would break new ground in the auto industry and would give the brand a new chance to build on its tradition of innovation,” said Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak. “Girsky’s extensive expertise will be a tremendous asset to the FOT sub-committee as this process continues.”

UPDATE (3/2/09)
Below are a few answers to some of frequently asked questions.

1. Why is GM phasing out Saturn? While Saturn has been a strong brand with loyal customers, it has continued to be unprofitable for the manufacturer under the current business model. Saturn retailers, however, have historically been profitable. That is why Saturn is investigating the potential sale of the brand.
2. If Saturn goes away, what happens to my warranty? Will I be able to get replacement parts? Absolutely nothing happens to the warranty. General Motors stands firmly behind its warranty obligations for every vehicle it produces. GM is also committed to maintaining the availability of service parts.
3. The Saturn retailer where I bought my vehicle has closed. Where should I take my vehicle for warranty repairs? You can take your vehicle to any Saturn retailer for warranty service. To find the nearest Saturn retailer, visit Saturn.com. You can also call the Saturn Customer Assistance center at 1-800-553-6000 if you have other questions.
4. If Saturn is sold, who would design and manufacture its products? That would be negotiated between the new owners of the brand and potential vehicle suppliers.
5. If Saturn never turned a profit as part of GM, what factors will allow it to make money as an independent entity? While Saturn has not been profitable at the manufacturing level, Saturn retailers have traditionally earned a profit. Saturn has a number of unique attributes that could make the spin-off a realistic alternative, such as the size, distribution and unmatched quality of our retail network.
6. What can I do to show my support for Saturn? The best thing to do is to remind your friends and family that Saturn is still open for business. Remind them that we have a great line-up of new fuel efficient vehicles and assure them that Saturn and GM will stand behind all warranty obligations.

Please leave a comment below if you would like to submit a question that we have not addressed.

[Mario]

What is your opinon about the future of Saturn?
1) Peugeot
2) Renault
3) Telesto
4) Magna International + Opel
5) Fiat + Opel
6) other
My preference is Magna International (Canada) + Opel
What will be the future of the Saturn Astra?
1) Sold through Buick (Buick HPP or Buick Astra)
2) Sold by the new Saturn entity
3) Abandoned
???

[Mike]

Thanks for all you comments. Just a reminder for those who are have had their local Saturn retailer close...please contact Saturn Customer Assistance and they can help find a nearby Saturn retailer, or authorize warranty work at another GM dealership. Also, if you are in an emergency situation, any GM dealer can do warranty work on a Saturn.

[Michelle Chariton]

I would like to know if saturn does form its own company if it will still offer onstar services, since onstar is GM only at this point. I think that is one of the best features of my saturn Ion.

[Edward Olson]

Theodore - not only Jay Wolfe Saturn of Springfield, but ALL THREE of the Jay Wolfe Saturn dealerships in the Metro KC area.....dumped Saturn. Wichita closest Saturn dealership to us now, 200 miles for warranty work. What a drag! BTW, Chev and other GM dealerships WILL NOT honor Saturn extended warranties. Claim their mechanics not familiar enough with product. Again, what a drag.

[Theodore Roesch]

Well, From where I sit.

Effective 4-7, notified by Jay Wolfe Automotive Group (Google that...), Saturn of Springfield, MO no longer exists (78 miles).

2 weeks later; "Today"; my nearest dealership is in Tulsa, OK; 108 miles away. Damn!; I haven't been `that way' for over 14 years; shooting dangerous weaponry! - The extra 30 miles throughly justifies a "Day out ot Town". - Quickest way is the OKY AOTOBONN (Autobahn), $3.50+ per trip.

In 1971; I bought the biggest PIECE OF SHIT CHEVY Nova, ever allowed off the production line. Regrtabally, in the mid-90's, the YEN was too Valued, thus, momentary Ford ownership Driving to Colorado & back w/o an Instrument Cluster (Speedometer); further motivated me to re-join Foreign Manufacters.

Un-announced, I contacted a sales person older than me (40+0); I explained my "Up-Side Down" situation. And everything was resolved, within my financial means, at that time - Ken Foulks moved onward to truck "Fleet Sales".

[Gene]

Here is what I don't understand, Saturn is on the block to get cut. The government and the public wants a domestic car industry that is forward thinking, provide vehicles with good fuel economy and can compete with the imports.
Ok first off, the most significant thing that ended up coming out of Saturn and where it succeeded, was in its culture. It was an alternative to imports in both manufacturing an retail channels despite GM's lack of product support. No other division of GM in the USA save stand alone Cadillac and Hummer dealers can compare to the quality of dealer experience. This is where the imports really win. Rather than going to a Chevy dealer and being told there is nothing wrong with your car, bring it back ten more times, more effort is put into solving the problem. This is how the Imports win in the prception in quality, they even fix issues you didn't know existed quietly so they don't arise and result in a quality problem. To lose Saturn is a step backwards in this respect and they can never recover without a wholesale change in dealer/service practices.
Ok second off fuel effciency and green cars. Which dealer network was chosen to handle the EV-1 program? Saturn! Why because this division was created for the type of buyer that would be interested in this type of product. This attracted just the kind of buyers that GM is looking for now!!! Which was the first modern GM division to get a CVT tranny? I believe it was a Saturn, now they are a big thing in many hybrids and other fuel effcient cars. But nobody wanted before when gas was $1.25 a gallon. Which division had the first hybrid SUV? The most hybrid models? Lets see, 2 Vues and the Aura, Chevy is close, but Saturn was first. Why? Because of customer base and demographics.
They have completely lost their way with this for the sake of history rather than real world numbers and customer perception. It really goes to show how even the current plans are based on old ideas and not real solid business decisions. Saturn is GM's only small to medium car brand than has the history, culture and lack of baggage the other divisions have to compete in the new car market going forward. Ask someone that would buy an import and ask for words that describe Saturn and Chevy. Saturn = hybrid, economy, better dealers, no haggle, friendly. Chevy equal cheap, poor quality, Corvette, Camaro, pushy dealers lousy service. I am not saying Chevy should go, I just think cutting Saturn loose is a really short sighted decision. Kind of goes along with paying Fiat 4 Billion to go away now they are taking over Chrysler. GM got the world platform sharing concept way too late and it hurt them. Never leveraged the products from other partners properly such as Subaru. Boy wouldn't nice to have the new coupe that Toyota will share with Subaru now. The Saab 9-6 based on the Tribeca would have been much better suited to Saab than the Trailblazer rehash. Just more of the same bad decisions. Ok my 2 cents are done.

[Douglas Biagini]

Saturn was a different kind of car company. The key to that sentence is the word was. Why is Saturn being spun off from GM? Because it's no different than any other GM product. When I purchased my current car, a 2001 SC2, I bought a car that could not be purchased in any other showroom. The car has 88.000 miles and gets 35 mpg.. all day everyday. I don't ever worry about where I park or the random fly away shopping cart.

That being said, if the car had to be replaced, it most likely would not be replaced by another Saturn or for that matter GM product. I would look at the high resale of Honda or Toyota... unless Saturn became the car company that it once was, a car company like no other.

How does Saturn become that company? Build a great product and beat the others at their own game. If the new Fusion Hybrid is getting in the mid 40's and sells for 30,000. The Aura needs to get into the 50's and compete with the Prius. How about a high mileage diesel hybrid? Can it be built that a super small diesel can be used instead of the gas engine the future Volt will use? If not, what can win this race? Saturn needs to keep it's eye in the future. Car companies cannot wait to go from design to manufacturing in 4 years. That is simply too long. Build cars that feature parts made in the USA. Support the UAW. And give me back my plastic panels and peace of mind.

[Kevin Troxell]

Saturn Mgmt. I am a Saturn Vue owner. My first Saturn was the 1992SLI, followed by the 2004 Vue AWD. I love this vehicle. I want and yes need an SUV. The newer Saturn VUE's are smaller. My next vehicle I hope will be the Outlook AWD. What is the future of the Saturn Outlook; With Saturn no longer being manufactured.

I take very good care of my 2004 Vue AWD, and will do so with the Outlook.

Kevin

[Rick Velilla]

Russ I have to disagree with you, UAW is the problem. Their demands have forced GM to make concession after concession forcing their costs to sky rocket. The reason that foreign cars are better quality cars is because they don't have to pay union costs. As much as 1/4 of the price of a GM vehicle goes straight to the unions. With obligations like that it is impossible for GM to be profitable. What's sad is that the very entity that is supposed to be in charge of protecting the jobs of it's members will be the reason that they end up losing them. More and more GM cars are being manufactured out of the country, much of the current Saturn line is not domestically produced. For example, the Vue, and Monte Carlo are both made in Mexico, and Astra is produced in Europe, the Equinox/Torent is made in Canada and with GM's closing of the Moraine Truck plant, the Trail Blazer/Envoy will be produced overseas as well. Why is this the case? Because GM realizes that if it makes a car in another country it can make more money off it it. More and more you are going to see more of this happening, I mean name one compact SUV that it makes in the US? Until GM finds a way to get UAW out of the way they will continue to go down in smoke. I've always been a GM guy, owning first a Chevy S10, then a GMC Jimmy and now a Saturn SL, but thanks to the UAW, I will probably not buy another GM vehicle because I cannot support the UAW anymore.

[Peggy]

I would like to know Why Saturn has broken their word .... When I brought my Saturn the Co said a life time Free Car Wash.....I would like to know why they broke their word ...That was 1 of the high points of buying the car .. When you can't take a Co word ...What more will this Co brake