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Anna Rzewnicki from NC State College: Undergraduate management students in the NC State College of Management's Policy and Strategy class taught by Ed Weems, lecturer, have been studying the Saturn brand case during this summer's first five-week session. The 24 students, working in teams of six, have developed a set of strategies that they will be presenting to the company's leadership team, via a video copy of their presentations. Among those listening to their presentations, to be held June 18...

In exchange for its share of a $14 billion auto-industry rescue package, General Motors Corp. has promised Congress it would retool its business plan. But Saturn customers and 425 dealerships - including five in the Pittsburgh area - worry GM might sacrifice the Saturn brand in the process. Why? The division launched in 1985 as "a different kind of car company" has never made money. In a Detroit radio interview last week, GM's North American Sales Vice President Mark LaNeve, a Beaver Falls nativ...

Mark Phelan, Auto Critic for the Detroit Free Press: Saturn was born in hope and hype nearly 25 years ago, but it presents General Motors Corp. with tough choices today as the automaker must scale back its money-losing operations and focus on other brands. GM's statement that it will "explore alternatives for the brand," leaves Saturn's 211 dealers -- who operate 425 sales outlets -- facing an uncertain future. Most observers expect GM to either close or sell Saturn, but even those options prese...

Tony Lucia from Reading Eagle: The announcement that General Motors would sell its Saturn unit to Roger Penske and his Penske Automotive Group had an immediate impact on Saturn of Reading, Muhlenberg Township. "We saw a (sales) bounce right away," said Kate G. Goodman, owner of the franchise, on Tuesday. "The good word of mouth and excellent reputation that Roger Penske carries with him and his organization I think is very positive," she said. "There was a lot of uncertainty in December when Gen...

Stephanie Hoops from Ventura County Star: It was the concept that hooked Jeanette Byrne when she began working with Saturn 16 years ago. "I'm building an American-made car for the American middle class," she said, recalling the feeling. "They used to say we drank the Saturn Kool-Aid — and we did. It was for us." Byrne, who today handles accounts receivable and payable at Saturn of Ventura, was sent twice in the early years to the Saturn assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tenn. She was impressed wi...

Peter Valdes-Dapena from CNNMoney.com: Abandoned and facing death as General Motors cuts brands in its own fight for survival, Saturn, the "different kind of car company," could soon become a very, very different kind of car company just to survive. GM has said it will stop producing Saturn vehicles in about two years. Rather than accept that it's over, Saturn executives and the brand's leading dealers are looking at new ways - some that have never been tried before - to keep Saturn alive. "When...

Alex Gary from BusinessRockford.com: George Schaffner, general manager of Saturn of Rockford, can't wait to launch an ad campaign around the slogan "A different kind of car company — again." Saturn was launched in 1985 by General Motors Corp. as a separate company — separate business model, separate manufacturing and a separate dealer network — to take on the German and Japanese small cars that were beginning to gobble up market share in the U.S. But in 2000, GM started bringing Saturn int...

From WTVG-TV ABC 13: GM is proceeding to the next step with respect to the sale of Saturn. The U.S. Treasury has approved GM's sale or spinoff of the Saturn brand after results of a feasibility study were presented. GM expects to name an advisor to the sale or spinoff transaction from an outside investment bank this week. During the feasibility study there were four criteria to be met: get an OEM with a global presence, find a source of a dealer floorplan credit line, investment capital availabl...

G. Chambers Williams III from San Antonio Express-News by way of the AJC: Don't write the obituary for Saturn just yet. Plans are under way to spin the brand off into an independent distribution company, which then would contract with other automakers to build vehicles for it. The buyer could be Saturn's own 208 dealers, a coalition of investors or even another automaker —- perhaps one from China, dealers and analysts say. How much it would cost and how the deal would be financed still have to...

Blackwell Thomas from TheSouthern.com: Like on its celestial namesake, there soon won't be much life at the Saturn of Carbondale car dealership as the company prepares to shut down later this month. At its peak, the auto dealer would have about 150 vehicles for sale on its lot. On Wednesday there were three. Owner Sam Shemwell said the dealership at 1425 E. Main St has been open since 1999, and since last fall sales have dropped by 50 percent, and he's cut his staff from 25 to four. "I'll tell y...

Bradford Wernle and Jamie LaReau from Automotive News: As part of its restructuring proposal, GM has told Congress it will consider all options for Saturn. That leaves Saturn's future uncertain and dealers considering all options, including buying the brand. "I've never bought a car company, so who even knows what comes along with it?" says Todd Ingersoll, a member of Saturn's Franchise Operations Team and owner of Saturn of Danbury and Saturn of Watertown, both in Connecticut. "There is nowhere...

Jeff Ayres from the Clarion Ledger: Saturn of Jackson owner Phil Moore says Penske's purchase of Saturn should ensure the brand's future in Mississippi and elsewhere. "He's just such an intelligent businessman," Moore said. "Not only is he saving jobs and dealerships, but he's going to bring something new to the table." That could include partnerships in which Penske Automotive Group, known as PAG, would buy other automakers' vehicles to add to Saturn's offerings. Moore said he also feels the bu...

Bill Rogers from Highlands Today: It's difficult enough for car dealers to contend with a struggling economy that has hit them hard. But Saturn dealers also have to deal with the future of their products and their company. "The perception is we're leaving or going away," said Ferron Jackson, sales and leasing consultant with Saturn of Sebring. The information regarding the company has impacted walk-in traffic tremendously, according to Jackson. He said the dealership is seeing only three or four...

Marty Hastings from Kamloops This Week: The Saturn division of General Motors will likely be sold, but employees at the Kamloops dealership shouldn't be too worried about losing their jobs, according to Kamloops Saturn owner Terry Lowe. "Our intent and General Motors' intent is that we are going to be sold or spun off and our future is looking pretty good under new ownership," Lowe told KTW. As for how a change in overall Saturn ownership will affect warranties, Lowe said car owners will continu...

Jamie LaReau Automotive News: An investor group called Telesto Ventures says it wants to acquire Saturn's retail operations and provide dealers with vehicles from General Motors through 2011 and mostly overseas manufacturers thereafter. According to Telesto's press release, the products in the Saturn dealerships would have various brand names and could be sold elsewhere. Pappanastos says Telesto prefers small, fuel-efficient vehicles. "It's similar to a Best Buy model in that customers deal with...