Saturn, Saab, Opel Marriage Makes Sense
Saturn could have been a different car company in more ways than one. Late in the 1980's I was writing/directing a corporate video for GM's then-new W-Cars that took us into the hallowed Milford proving grounds. Our crew moved to an acoustically-dead room where noise levels are checked and there we spotted a handsome prototype intended for a new brand called Saturn. That never quite happened. The decision makers at GM chose a less-interesting alternative and while their dealer marketing techniques were successful, Saturn failed to establish itself as a maker of great American small cars. As the years passed, Saturn's muddled product planning gave us a warmed-over version of an outdated Opel sedan, SUVs and minivans that the marque didn't need, a coupe with a third door that opened on the wrong side of the street, and finally the (yech!) Ion. The latest Saturn revival ties it closely to Opel and Saab, the latter a GM subsidiary with an equally muddled future. We think Bob Lutz, the GM product czar with a European background, has it figured out: focus on Opel technology, use the German platforms and engines as a base for the Swedish Saab and American Saturn. Better be right, Bob, for if this doesn't work Saturn is dead. Photo shows an Opel Astra, soon to also be a Saturn.
Comments
Leave a Reply