Former car manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors
Saturn LLC
Saturn dealership in Michigan
Company type
Subsidiary, LLC
Industry
Automotive
Founded
January 7, 1985; 39 years ago (January 7, 1985)
Defunct
October 31, 2010; 13 years ago (2010-10-31)
Fate
Defunct
Headquarters
Spring Hill, Tennessee, U.S. (1985–2007) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. (2007–2010)
Area served
United States, Canada
Key people
Roger B. Smith (1985–1990)
F. James McDonald
Joseph J. Sanchez (1985)
William E. Hoglund (1985–1986)
Richard G. "Skip" LeFauve
Don Hudler
Cynthia Trudell (1998–2004)
Jill Lajdziak (2004–2009)
Frederick Henderson (2009)
Christopher A. Miller (2009-2010)
Edward Whitacre Jr. (2010)
Products
Automobiles
Parent
Motors Liquidation Company General Motors
The Saturn Corporation, also known as Saturn LLC, was an American automobile manufacturer, a registered trademark established on January 7, 1985, as a subsidiary of General Motors.[1] The company was an attempt by GM to compete directly with Japanese imports and transplants, initially in the US compact car market. The company was known for its 'no-haggle' sales technique.[2]
Saturn marketed itself as a "different kind of car company" and operated quasi-independently from its parent company,[3][4]—comprehensively introducing a new car, dealer network, pricing structure, workforce and independently managed manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The first cars themselves launched five years after the company's inception, and they advanced GM's spaceframe construction—manifesting Saturn's market proposition with their dent-resistant polymer exterior panels.
Over time, as Saturn drained resources from GM's extensive brand network and as GM struggled with the 2008 economic collapse, the parent company curtailed Saturn's development budgets — leaving Saturn to badge engineer products from other divisions, notably a series of federalized models from Opel. With this, Saturn gradually lost its unique selling proposition, and the market lost interest.[5] Annual sales achieved their highest level in 1994, with 286,003 vehicles marketed.[5]
Following a failed attempt by Penske Automotive to acquire Saturn from GM in September 2009, Saturn ended production in October 2009, ended outstanding franchises in October 2010, and ceased operations 25 years after it began.
^Staff Writer (June 13, 2007). "How Saturn Cars Work". howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
^Valdes-Dapena, Peter (September 4, 2006). "Saturn: Secrets of the 'no-haggle' price". CNN Money. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
^"GM confirms site for Saturn plant". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 30, 1985. p. 1B. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
^"International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 21". St. James Press. fundinguniverse.com. 1998. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
^ abDaniel O'Callaghan (January 29, 2022). "Falling Back to Earth (Part Five); Saturn spirals out of Orbit". Driven to Write. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
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