Saturn Car Company to Be Sold

While it was initially reported that Saturn would close its doors on 2010, the car company is now to be sold to Penske auto group. As a three time former Saturn Owner, and two time former Saturn employee, I'm interested to see where Penske takes the car group.

For years, Saturn has been seen as the people's car. Opening it's doors with a no haggle policy and offering limited models, the car line appealed to people who were sick of dealing with the scams that most dealerships were offering customers. Saturn stood apart from the rest of their competitors and offered a friendly buying experience.

Many people never knew that General Motors has always owned Saturn, as GM never seemed to have a genuine interest in Saturn's unique way of doing business. Saturn's original plant started in Spring Hill, Tennessee. In 2003, I had the opportunity to tour the plant and I was pleased to see the environmental efforts they were making, and that they were maintaining their famous "plastic cars" by using Polymer panels.

However, as Saturn's sales declined not long after a shift from the longstanding "S-Series" to products like the Saturn Ion, L-Series and VUE, General Motors took more of an interest and now all Saturn models are on General Motors shared platforms and engines. While Saturn was once unique in their designs, platforms, and business concepts, Saturn is now not much different than any other General Motors brand.

With the sale to Penske Automotive Group, there is renewed hope that Saturn will again re-discover it's independent brand nature. While there are many details to be worked out, there is hope amongst many Saturn enthusiasts that this will be just what the company needs to re-brand itself in the future.

Saturn distinguished itself early on as the people's car and growing up in the Saturn community, I was always optimistic about the opportunities Saturn offered for it's employees and owners. Being both at one time, I was greatly disappointed at General Motor's great influence in the car manufacturing and business operations.

Once General Motors began to become more involved in day-to-day operations of Saturn, the company slid into an economic decline and as a Saturn employee I saw customer satisfaction decrease. It is because of the failed commitment to Saturn buyers that I quickly lost commitment to the Saturn brand I had once loved. It was no longer about taking care of the customer, and more about seeking a profit. While business is business, the Saturn that once captured the hearts of it's owners, seemed to forget we were even there to keep them alive.

The hope in the Saturn community is that the Penske sale will revamp the Saturn image to go back to it's roots of customer loyalty and individualized branding. Penske has a positive reputation in the automotive industry, and this just may be what Saturn needs to come back on top of owner commitment.