With Saturn...goes most of GM's Green Technology

[2NDSOUT]

Interesting article...

http://www.dailytech.com/GM+Loses+Qu...icle15004c.htm


Apparently since this is the last year for Saturn under the GM umbrella (and honestly...as *Much* as I want to see Saturn succeed on it's own...but I don't know if that will happen or not)....

Saturn's green technology that was in place and in use on the VUE and AURA, was apparently most of the Green Technology that GM had, and may not be replicated over to the other brands.

The one thing that caught my eye, regarding the Chevy Volt is the exact thing I wrote about a few weeks ago (See my post on "Open Letter about Chevy Volt/Electric Cars" in the Other Cars section on this forum)...from the article posted below regarding the Volt:

Some analysts like John O’Dell, an analyst at Edmunds.com who tracks green cars, can't believe that GM would toss Saturn's technology. They believe that GM will come around and redeploy the hybrid powertrains in other vehicles.

Some, like Dan Becker, director of the nonprofit Safe Climate Campaign in Washington, though, warn that if GM relies too much on the Chevy Volt while neglecting its hybrids, that it will fall behind its competitors and suffer in sales. He says that GM must keep up with hybrid technology from Ford, Toyota, and Honda.

[eelfliw]

I guess GM needs to include some unique technology with Saturn to sweeten the deal. Or, at least, give the impression that some unique technology is being included as part of the Saturn package up for sale. Otherwise, what's unique about Saturn? The entire line is either Opel or shared with other GM divisions. You have to make the buyer believe they're buying something special.

[pmj]

Well, it isn't even mentioned in the linked article, but I still say the plug-in, two-mode Vue is the best green thing in GM's near-term lineup. Everyone says, oh, GM will just move all that to the Equinox. Well, first, this article seems to disagree with that, and second, I seriously doubt GM is efficient enough to move the technology that quickly. I'd bet we won't see another equivalent vehicle from GM for at least 3-4 years.

Unlike some of GM's other green pipe dreams like the Volt and fiction that people in the US actually want to buy expensive, tiny fuel efficient cars, the two-mode Vue actually fit a market Americans will buy into.

[2NDSOUT]

Did you not read the article at all?

Clear as day:

However, in an ironic twist, GM's own efforts to survive may result in massive cuts to its hybrid efforts -- cuts which may go unnoticed by the public as GM insists that it will be as green as ever. As part of its survival plan, GM plans to cut the Saturn brand by the end of 2009. Not only had Saturn seen a resurgence in interest and popularity in recent years, but it was also composed an integral part of GM's hybrid efforts.

The Chevy brand led total GM's hybrid sales with 5,838 units sold in 2008, but Saturn was a close second, thanks to mild hybrid versions of the Saturn Vue crossover and Aura sedan. In total it sold 3,205 Saturn hybrids in 2008, with another 2,411 spread across the other brands (the hybrid Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon).

Aside from image, one dilemma is the question of technology. Most of Saturn's hybrid technology is based on common cross-brand efforts, but there is still a significant amount of custom engineering, both in test data and design. The easy solution would be to save the technology from Saturn -- thousands of hours of engineering effort and vast stores of test information -- to redeploy and reuse under the surviving brands. However, that's not what GM is doing, according to sources. A prominent source within the company states, "There will be no technology transfer from Saturn. There is a lot of doubt internally as to what comes to production. Everything is in the air. Everything goes through the government."

The only Green Technology that Saturn has is in the VUE and the AURA.

[piney]

If they are smart, they'll stop the R&D themselves and just buy the technology from Ford. Their Fusion hybrid actually yields real results vs the Aura Hybrid. Same goes for the Escape vs the Vue Hybrid. Why reinvent the wheel?

[Kooler King]

There's some faulty logic in that headline ... GM doesn't lose anything in Green Tech if SAturn goes away ... they already own it and still will, it just won't have a Saturn nameplate associated with it.

If that Green Tech has real merit, it will find a new home within GM. If that Tech was smoke & mirrors, then it will die of its own accord.

[ultravioletnk]

notwithstanding the spambot... i do find it very ironic that gm killed saturn and the ev1 (tirerack actually lists the ev1 under the saturn brand, a true affirmation that it was in fact not just a "gm" as advertised) and yet here we are.... they basically just killed their innovation division and cannibalised all the developments. sure makes me proud to collect these cars.

[fdryer]

When EV-1 was created and sold, battery technology was still in its infancy. EV-1s used nickel metal hydride batteries with little more power than nickel cadmium. Both self discharge due to chemistry and had a very short range. Range was between 60-80 miles.

Saturn, according to history, was the step child of GM with all the other divisions competing for funding to stay alive. Profits drive business and Saturn wasn't returning profits.