Saturn Corporation

Logo of Saturn

Saturn was a car brand belonging to the US automotive group General Motors . From 1990 onwards, it should compete with inexpensive models and imported cars on the US market. The production of Saturn automobiles ended after the bankruptcy of the parent company and unsuccessful sales efforts on September 30, 2009.

history

The first Saturn left the Spring Hill , Tennessee plant on July 30, 1990. Saturn automobiles were primarily sold in the United States, Canada , and Puerto Rico . General Motors operated a model policy with this brand that was shaped by European influences; the rising fuel prices should be taken into account.

While the first and, until 2001, the only model, the Saturn S-Series, was still a completely in-house development, the later models were increasingly based on types from other group brands, especially from Opel , a Saturn Aura is closely related to the Opel Vectra C and the Saturn The second generation of Vue corresponds to the Opel Antara .

For the Opel Astra H , which was taken over as Saturn Astra from autumn 2007 with virtually unchanged looks , General Motors initially expected an annual North American import of 20,000 to 100,000 Astras. In 2007, after the market launch in autumn, Saturn was able to sell around 40,000 Astra, but had to revise sales forecasts downwards in the course of 2008 and temporarily stop imports from Europe.

The Opel GT , which appeared in Germany in spring 2007, is the only model that went the other way around - in the USA it was called the Saturn Sky .

After General Motors went bankrupt in 2009, Saturn was offered for sale as part of the Group's restructuring efforts. Negotiations with the Penske Automotive Group of Roger Penske failed because it could not find international partners for his plans. Imported Opel models will probably appear at Buick in the future , as has already happened with the Opel Insignia as Buick Regal .

Models

• 

  Saturn S-Series
  (1990-2002)

• 

  Saturn L-Series
  (1999-2004)

• 

  Saturn VUE
  (2001-2009)

• 

  Saturn ION
  (2003-2007)

• 

  Saturn Relay
  (2005-2007)

• 

  Saturn Aura
  (2006-2009)

• 

  Saturn Outlook
  (2006–2009)

• 

  Saturn Sky
  (2006-2009)

• 

  Saturn Astra
  (2007-2009)

Timeline

Timeline of the Saturn models
Type	90s										2000s										2010s
	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0
Compact class		S-Series												ion					Astra [1]
Middle class											L-Series [2]						Aura [3]
Compact SUV													Vue						Vue [4]
Crossover SUV																		Outlook
Minivan																Relay
Roadster																		Sky
based on model from GM Europe / Opel : [1] Opel Astra H, [2] Opel Vectra B, [3] Opel Vectra C manufactured by Daewoo Motors / GM Europe : [4] Daewoo Windstorm / Opel Antara

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036147_saturn-production-halted-remaining-cars-sold-off-within-4-months
2. ↑ Tom Grünweg: Saturn: Fertilizer for the wallflower Spiegel Online, January 29, 2007
3. ↑ Harald Hamprecht: GM reduces Astra exports from Western Europe to the USA ( Memento of the original from February 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Auto, Motor, und Sport, July 22, 2008. 
4. ↑ Financial Times Deutschland, October 1, 2009: No buyer: GM subsidiary Saturn before the end ( memento of October 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : Saturn  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website