Saturn sales were down 13.6% in July, despite higher sales of the brand's newly revitalized and fuel-efficient car lineup. The jump in sales by the Astra, Sky, and Aura, though, wasn't enough to offset the sales gap left by the discontinued Ion sedan and quad coupe. As a result, Saturn's car sales fell 12.7% last month compared to July 2007.

You don't have to think too far back to remember when the subject of this week's "Flashback Friday" was built. While the anniversary of the first Saturn to roll off the assembly line in Spring Hill, Tennessee is next week, I thought that this week it would be fitting to feature the last Saturn ever built at that plant.

Danica Pecirep from the New England Cable News talks to John Provost from Worcester, Massachusetts about the one-of-a-kind Boston Red Sox-inspired Saturn Ion he's hoping to sell to raise money to care for his mother "who has a lot of medical expenses, and a lot of bills."

Saturn retail sales rose 9% in June, thanks in part to a special zero-percent financing sale that the brand offered during the last week of the month. However, overall sales for the month of June were down 12.8% compared to last year due to the sales gap created by the discontinued Ion sedan and quad coupe.

The Detroit News reported this past weekend that the innovative Chevrolet Volt concept was put on display for one final time in Washington, DC last week. "The Chevy Volt is about to go into hiding," wrote the paper. "When General Motors debuted the concept version of the battery-powered Chevy at the 2007 auto show, its techno-sporty looks drew standing ovations. It was a design diva, accepting as many exterior accolades as its revolutionary powertrain."

SaturnFans.com congratulates Mike Kramer and the folks at ThunderSport Racing on their win at the SCCA Daytona Classic last week. "This was just a great weekend for us, the car was stout from start to finish and there's no other experience I can think of that compares to being on top of Daytona's high-banks in a racecar," beamed Kramer.

Saturn's Ion and General Motors were big winners in the 2007 Polk Automotive Loyalty survey. The report measures loyalty throughout the entire model year so that manufacturers can keep abreast of loyalty trends as they occur in the industry. The Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards recognize manufacturers for superior owner loyalty performance.

2007 was a good year for Saturn. The brand completed the first phase of its product revitalization with the launch of the 2008 Saturn Astra, leaving the Sky roadster as the oldest model in its lineup.

Sources tell SaturnFans.com that the last supercharged Ion Red Line quad coupe was built on Friday, September 1st, at 9:38 a.m. Production of non-Red Line Ions will continue into next year.

Automotive News reported early this morning that General Motors plans to import the Opel Astra from Europe to replace the current Saturn Ion sedan and quad coupe late next year. While speculation about this plan has long been rumored, unnamed sources within both GM and Opel reportedly have recently confirmed it to Automotive News.