TrueWhiteBoy Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 For your reading pleasure…. What did you do over the weekend? Roger Penske, one of the first guys to make racing a paying proposition, did the usual. He won at the Texas IndyCar race, made a good showing in the Sprint Cup race at Pocono, and, oh yeah, decided to buy Saturn from General Motors. There’s still a lot of contracts to be written, agreements to be signed and lawyers to be paid, but it looks like GM will be unloading Saturn quite quickly, and the future looks pretty darn good. With Penske’s proposed purchase of the the company, more than 13,000 jobs will be saved and the brand - with its network of more than 350 high-touch, friendly dealers - will live on. “Saturn has a passionate customer base and outstanding dealer network. For nearly 20 years Saturn has focused on treating the customer right. We share that philosophy, and we want to build on those strengths,” Penske said in a statement. Penske need no introduction, but the quick sketch is he’s one of the most successful team owners in all of auto racing history. He’s also the guy who saved Detroit Diesel as an engine manufacturer, the same guy who beat U-Haul in the truck rental business and the owner of the second-largest chain of car dealerships on the continent. He knows the car business, in other words, and he’s got a Midas touch. “He is one of the five most brilliant people I’ve ever met,” Dick Dauch, founder of auto industry supplier American Axle, told MSNBC. “He’s also a competitive cuss. I tell you, he does not like to finish second.” The terms of the deal, which is yet to be finalized, would give Penske the rights to the brand and certain other Saturn assets. GM will continue building the Aura, Vue and Outlook models on a contract basis for two years. After that, Penske is expected to give the deal to someone else. And also fold this into the whole equation: Penske also owns the company that is the North American importer for Smart cars. Now Roger finds himself not only with a top flight distribution system with his scores of car dealerships, but he is also the importer of the world’s premier city car, and now he is also the manufacturer of what many have lauded as some of the best and most fuel efficient small cars Americans make. Couple that with the incoming CAFE & emissions standards, and the depth of Penske’s technical knowledge, and this could turn out to be the smartest automotive move of the decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Code Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 i hope he offers us an american awd/mt sedan that mods easily! "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." - Bill Shakespeare - car modder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZZMAN Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Name one Saturn car other than the Saturn Sky that has gotten anybody's interest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 The Opel Insignia OPC I've been a fan of Saturn, I've owned two now, trashed two throughout the years and they keep running reliably oh, and they're cheap Then again I've owned two of their 1.9L SL2s (1992 and a 2000) before they started becoming GM whores Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolksey85 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Those old dual cams can be beaten like no other and come back for more. Just keep fresh oil in them and they love it. And I think the Saturn thread turned into a political debate so it killed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 It got moved over to the Political Arena. You might not see it if you haven't signed up for it through your individual user control panel on this site. If you want that sort of headache... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Name one Saturn car other than the Saturn Sky that has gotten anybody's interest? The Astra is a nice car. Too bad both the Sky and Astra are going to be discontinued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Depends on what happens to Opel too, right now it seems to be hanging in the void a bit. There were a few interested parties, but some have backed off for various reasons. But if Penske goes for Renault as a base for Saturn then you may end up having rebranded Kangoos to compete with the Scion xB on the US roads: http://www.renault.se/i/front/cars/Kangoo_2008/lp_kangoo.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 It got moved over to the Political Arena. You might not see it if you haven't signed up for it through your individual user control panel on this site. If you want that sort of headache... Hahaha, maybe someday. Does anyone know if Saturn still does sticker pricing/dent resistant doors? I know the sky doesn't, but I'm curious if any of the other models still do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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