Lack of a Profitable Small Car Hurt Saturn in Canada

[Charlie]

A new feeditems entry has been added:

Lack of a Profitable Small Car Hurt Saturn in Canada

Michael Bettencourt from Globe and Mail: The Saturn brand's lack of a profitable small car and its pairing with another ailing brand in Saab in Canada helped prompt the decision to close all Canadian Saturn and Saab outlets in the next few months, according to the company that will keep the brand alive in the U.S.

[RoadIon]

"Lack of a Profitable Small Car Hurt Saturn in Canada"

First a small car that people want is needed, not evan SATURN can profit on the sales of less then 12,000 small cars a year ie 2008 Astra. No more advertizing was done for the ION when it came out, and SATURN managed to sell 100,000 units a year. The ASTRA is a nice car that was unwanted by SATURN buyers. It will be no better in the US if Penske does not bring in a car people want. Roger you had best get a small car in the US Saturn stores real soon or you'll be gone before you get started.

[BobbyP]

If Saturn would have replaced the ION with a re-badged Cobalt they would have had a profitable car.

This would have been an opportunity to tone down the ION's unique styling and gained a more conventional interior and dash design.

[RoadIon]

Originally Posted by BobbyP

If Saturn would have replaced the ION with a re-badged Cobalt they would have had a profitable car.

This would have been an opportunity to tone down the ION's unique styling and gained a more conventional interior and dash design.

Well what ever GM did to SATURN is all in the past. Nothing we say or do can change that. Roger needs to fix it and fix it fast, and I do not see the under powered as is SM3 as the answer.

[rossao1]

Originally Posted by BobbyP

If Saturn would have replaced the ION with a re-badged Cobalt they would have had a profitable car.

This would have been an opportunity to tone down the ION's unique styling and gained a more conventional interior and dash design.

I like to tell cobalt owners that they heve a rebodied Saturn. And I agreee that the outside was fixed. But i wonder why the dash design was not shared? It would have been enough difference to me to buy an ION over the Cobalt. Actually I bought the saturn anyway. Oh well, what is done, is done. I have no regrets.

[SaturnSdn]

Why not continue the ION ..... if ION sales dropped 50% that would still be 50,000 units a year.

[OhioVueBoy]

Originally Posted by SaturnSdn

Why not continue the ION ..... if ION sales dropped 50% that would still be 50,000 units a year.

Because it's not as competitive of a car any more... and on some aspects, it never was (interior materials quality, interior fit and finish, design that turned customers away)... etc.

[SaturnSdn]

and the ASTRA was the answer to the ION.

I'm not saying to bring the ION back, but what ever you think is great with me.

[OhioVueBoy]

Originally Posted by SaturnSdn

and the ASTRA was the answer to the ION.

I'm not saying to bring the ION back, but what ever you think is great with me.

The Astra was doomed before it hit US shores. It's a great little car, but not powerful enough for American tastes as a whole (which I take issue with), it's not Americanized enough (oh, you mean figuring out how to operate stuff might require a trip to the manual? Let's go buy that Ford...), and Saturn's nonexistant marketing killed it.

The whole damn thing is a sad situation, but they got what they deserved for listening to bean counters and not what their customers wanted. They had one of the most loyal customer bases in the auto industry, and pissed all over them repeatedly.

[RoadIon]

"The Astra was doomed before it hit US shores"

Thats been said over and over by long time SATURN buyers. My dealership still treats me like a million bucks and I return, but did not return to buy an ASTRA.