autoMedia Auto News Blog : Saturn

Fisker Buys GM Factory to Build Plug-In Hybrids

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:42:00 GMT

As the auto industry emerges from crisis , new hope is given to a General Motors factory town with today’s announcement that Fisker Automotive will purchase the Wilmington Assembly plant in Delaware. Vice President Joe Biden and Delaware Governor Jack Markell were on hand for the news that Fisker signed a letter of purchase intent for $18 million. An additional $175 million will be spent to refurbish and retool the factory over the next three years. The funds come from a conditional loan of $528.7 million the Department of Energy awarded the company in September. The facility that previously built the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky will be overhauled to assemble an “affordable” plug-in hybrid sedan dubbed Project NINA. Production is expected to begin in late 2012, and Project NINA is optimistically forecast to support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs by 2014, as production ramps up to full capacity of 75,000-100,000 vehicles per year. More than half of the sedans are expected to be exported. The car itself is estimated to cost about $39,900 after federal tax credits. Learn about the Fisker Karma , a luxurious plug-in hybrid that delivers an estimated...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-09-09: This week in auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:15:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 10, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each....(read more)

GM To Close Saturn In Four Months

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:01:00 GMT

General Motors declared that it would swiftly wind down the Saturn brand and dealer network by the end of January 2010, in reponse to Penske Automotive Group walking away from a purchase arrangement. (Read: “Penske Ends Bid to Buy Saturn, GM to Discontinue Brand.”) Without a buyer, GM felt is had no choice but to quickly dismantle the “Different Kind of Company,” swiftly rendering it another footnote in automotive history alongside Pontiac.

Saturn will build no more vehicles. It currently has a standing inventory of 12,000 units.

Other GM franchises are authorized to service Saturn vehicles and honor warranties.

It may be a great time to get a deal on a Saturn, though their value will be negatively impacted by the wind down and long-term parts availability may create risks, particularly for unique models like the Sky or Astra that are not shared with other GM brands. Some current Saturn dealers may continue to offer service, should they remain in business.

If you visit your local dealership, wish them well and buy a souvenir.

Read our Astra, Aura, Sky, and Vue reviews.

autoMedia CARnival 10-2-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:38:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 2, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles to check the floor mats and Cash for Clunkers makes it back into the headlines, but we've also got plenty of unusual news sure to entertain the automotive fan.

Cash for Clunkers might be over in the United States, but it lives on in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. AutoBlogGreen says European buyers who trade in their cars to purchase something else offering reduced CO2 or powered by compressed natural gas or electricity receive rebates ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 Euros. That's about 2200 to 5000 US dollars!

The first complete month of sales after the Cash for Clunkers has been tallied up and the predicted result - that auto sales would drop once the government stopped giving free money in exchange for clunkers - didn't exactly happen. In fact, according to John Neff at AutoBlog, nine brands posted positive sales in September versus the same period in 2008 with another three posting only single-digit losses.

Penske backed out of its agreement to buy Saturn, and as a result General Motors has announced it will kill the brand. As GM struggles to sell off languishing vehicle divisions, the latest rumor from LeftLaneNews says Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation is pursuing the tooling and design rights to produce the outgoing Saab 9-5 in one of its Chinese factories. Meanwhile, there's still no word on the status of the sale of Hummer to China's Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company.

Auto show season is upon us! Last month was Frankfurt, later this month will be Tokyo, and in early December, Los Angeles will launch the domestic events. It seems clear that alternative fuel vehicles will be hot concepts this year, and HybridCars has a preview of two plug-in hybrids promised to be on display by Suzuki and Mitsubishi, though I can't wait to see all the far-out and freakish displays that make Tokyo so iconic.

Next week is the inaugural "Heads Up Driving Week," in which the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is urging us all to drive distraction-free for the week. What bad habits will you give up? Coincidentally, this week, According to The Detroit Bureau, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging or using cell phones while driving government-owned vehicles or while driving privately owned vehicles when they are on official government business. Todd Lassa has more on the topic of distracted driving in his blog here at Motor Trend.

In a disappointing twist of fate, I couldn't find anything that made me ROFL at Jalopnik this week, so in order to present some silly entertainment, I'm giving you a link to a video of some "Candid Camera" style automotive pranks. Have a great weekend!

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

Penske Ends Bid to Buy Saturn, GM to Discontinue Brand

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:48:00 GMT

General Motors broke the news today that Penske Automotive Group would not purchase Saturn. The large dealer organization announced a proposed deal this past June to purchase the “different kind of car company.” Due to the withdrawal, GM will wind down Saturn production and the dealer network. (For background, see "GM Enters Agreement to Sell Saturn.")

Penske cites an inability to secure vehicles as the reason for withdrawing from the deal. It had negotiated the terms and conditions of an agreement with a yet-unnamed automaker, however, that agreement was rejected by that company's board of directors. The Detroit Free Press has reported that Renault-Nissan was the potential partner.

The announcement is a painful blow to the industry. Penske the man and organization is held in high regard, and this deal was considered the best chance for the future of the brand. The plan had been for General Motors to continue to supply vehicles through 2011, after which time Penske would source products from another automaker. This arrangement promised to shake-up the century-old business model and provide unique opportunities. For instances, a Penske-run Saturn could have potentially drawn vehicles from multiple automakers, thereby giving Saturn great market flexibility, while limiting the potential liabilities associated with manufacturing that nearly toppled GM and Chrysler.

GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson said, “Today’s disappointing news comes at a time when we’d hoped for a successful launch of the Saturn brand into a new chapter. We will be working closely with our dealers to ensure Saturn customers are cared for as we transition them to other GM dealers in the months ahead. I’d also like to thank every GM employee and Saturn retailer who worked so hard to try to make this new beginning happen for Saturn.”

Saturn joins Pontiac as a major brand with significant history and notable current products headed to join Oldsmobile in forced retirement. That leaves Hummer and Saab as remnants of the Old GM waiting to see if their sales will go through, or if they too will be consigned to the annals of history.

Also read:
GM Signs Stock Deal to Sell Saab to Koenigsegg
GM Expects to Sell Hummer to Chinese Company

GM Enters Agreement to Sell Saturn

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:34:00 GMT

General Motors closed the history-making week by announcing an agreement to sell the Saturn division to Penske Automotive Group. The proposed transaction would save more than 350 dealerships and 13,000 jobs at Saturn, according to GM. (Of course, last year there were more than 400 Saturn dealers; many have been lost to the economy.) Monday, General Motors entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and on Wednesday, it announced a tentative sale of Hummer to a Chinese construction truck company.

GM would continue to build the Saturn Aura, Outlook, and Vue for Penkse through 2010. The Saturn Sky will be discontinued, as the factory is closed, and the Opel-sourced Astra is out of the equation. The deal is expected to be finalized in the third quarter of this year.

Penske would be in a unique position to run a healthy Saturn, focusing on the retail business, rather than manufacturing. As a consequence, the margins will be thinner, but the overhead and associated risks – the ones that got Chrysler and GM in their current situation – would be avoided.

It has been reported that Penske is pursuing selling cars from Renault Samsung Motors. With his arrangement, he could source cars from companies that make sense, opening up opportunities to react to the market with greater freedom than his chief competitors. Importing compact Asian models will put the new Saturn in an enviable position to addressing the revised CAFE rules that being taking effect in 2012 and become quite aggressive by 2016.

The massive Penske Automotive Group operates 310 retail automotive franchises, representing 40 different brands and 25 collision repair centers. In addition, it is also the exclusive distributor of the Smart ForTwo through its wholly-owned subsidiary Smart USA Distributor.

A Penske-owned Saturn could truly be a different kind of car company.

GM To Cut Off Over 1,100 Dealers

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:52:00 GMT

Just days after Chrysler announced that it would trim its dealer body by 789 dealers by June, General Motors has notified 1,124 dealers that it would not extend their franchise agreements past October 2010. Chrysler was able to make swift cuts due to the flexibility afforded by the Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On the other hand, GM is proactively making business adjustments ahead of a potential bankruptcy filing later this month.

General Motors targeted the weakest dealers for these passive cuts, those that were underperforming from market share and profit standpoints, as well as customer satisfaction benchmarks. The advanced notice will enable those dealers to wind down the businesses and sell off their inventories, currently estimated to at 65,000 units. And notably, GM will not need to buy the vehicles back.

In addition to these dealers, GM’s reach is expected to diminish by 470 stores when the Hummer, Saab, and Saturn brands are sold or otherwise disposed of. Plus, 27 standalone dealerships will be abandoned when the Pontiac brand is phased out next year, leaving about 2,600 dealers intact that hand multi-brand stores.

In total, many of the dealerships losing their GM franchises sell products from other companies and may continue without interruption. GM has not released a list of affected dealers, as Chrysler did under its bankruptcy rules, so the details of who and where are not yet clear.

Mark LaNeve, GM Vice President of Sales Service and Marketing, said in a released statement, “… it is imperative that a healthy, viable GM have a healthy, viable dealer body that can not only survive but prosper during cyclical downturns. It is obvious that almost all parts of GM, including the dealer body, must get smaller and more efficient.”

In a conference call with the media, conducted by LaNeve via OnStar from a Cadillac Escalade, he expressed compassion for the impacted dealerships, their staffs and communities, though remained committed to this move being in the long-term interest of General Motors.

“Long term, GM should have fewer, healthier dealers, maintaining GM’s current high customer satisfaction ratings, with more sales per outlet.”

Car buyers take note: Despite that GM is idling plants to reduce inventory this summer, the franchise reduction news may mean dealers will be hungry as ever to negotiate a great deal. Especially with Memorial Day sales just around the corner.

CEO Says GM Bankruptcy is Probable

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:09:00 GMT

As the days count till the end of the month when General Motors must present its final viability plan to the Autos Task Force, GM CEO Fritz Henderson described bankruptcy as “probable” in a restructuring update today with reporters. Henderson said there is still a chance that GM can accomplish its mission outside of bankruptcy, but he seemed to be paving the way for what may be unavoidable. (Read: "Chrysler Files for Bankruptcy, Merges with Fiat.")

While the “B” word carries with it a rightful sense of dread, it brings with it protections and rights that could enable GM to more rapidly reinvent itself than would otherwise be possible. In interviewing a series of experts, the Detroit News declared that Chapter 11 filing seems all but inevitable. Still, the company is moving to swiftly reduce its costs.

Later this week, GM will announce details of its plan to cut 2,700 dealerships by 2010, according to Automotive News.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) released a related statement:

“By closing 2,641 dealerships in 18 months instead of five years, GM could lose an estimated $35 billion in sales revenue. Another 137,330 dealership employees will lose their jobs, and state and local governments will lose an estimated $1.7 billion in sales tax revenue that would have been used for economic development in communities around the country.”

Dealers were dealt a serious blow with the recent announcement that the Pontiac division would be retired, impacting 2,627 dealerships. Of those, just 27 are stand-alone stores.

Henderson also said that GM has received three offers to buy Hummer, and it is proceeding with two bidders.

Opel has several serious lookers, including Fiat, giving GM options with its German division.

On Saturn, GM is open to a variety of arrangements, including providing cars to a new owner and selling part of its manufacturing.

GM hopes to resolve Saab’s situation in the next couple of months.

Clearly, all these decisions have major, long-range repercussions. And we’ll continue to follow this serial drama to keep car shoppers and enthusiasts alike informed.

Ford, GM Offers Job-Loss Protection to Car Buyers

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:17:00 GMT

Borrowing a page from the Hyundai Assurance playbook, both Ford Motor Company and General Motors announced incentive programs designed to ease car-buyer concerns. Smart moves, the Ford Advantage Plan and GM Total Confidence programs should help dealers move the metal by easing shopper worries about what happens should the national economic crisis become personal.

The Ford Advantage Plan provides 12 months of payment protection, up to $700 per month, on any new Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle, plus zero percent financing on select vehicles through Ford Motor Credit. In addition, Ford is working with its dealers to introduce a local charity support program. The Plan is in effect now through June 1. The revised 2010 Ford Fusion is looking even more attractive...

The GM Total Confidence program provides payment protection for first 24 months of ownership. Should the buyer lose their income, GM will cover up to nine payments for up to $500 per month. Further, if the new GM model is financed, the company will help protect its retail value at trade-in—providing another GM vehicle is purchased. As a bonus, one year of OnStar services are included in the offer. At least initially, the program runs April 1 to April 29th.

Research Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, and Saab, or Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury in the 2009 new car buyer's guide.

Carpocalypse Now: Cars Sales Plummet, Again

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:16:00 GMT

The tragic trend continues, car sales continue to slide from bad to worse as the nation reels amidst the troubled economy. As automakers, suppliers, and dealers struggle to survive and restructure to face the changing challenges, the plummeting sales figures do mean that tremendous deals can be found for those in the market for a new or even a used car.

Few companies were spared deep double-digit declines in Februrary when comparing the month year to year. In the 40-50 percent range, Acura, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Pontiac, and even Toyota saw such steep declines. The 50-60 percent range includes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Mitsubishi, Saturn, and Volvo. The scariest thing, there are brands in the 60-70 percent range, such as Chrysler, Hummer, Saab, and Suzuki.

At the corporate level, the numbers still look dreadful. BMW is down 32.7 percent, proving that even the well-heeled are sheepish about new car buying. Chrysler is down 44 percent—notably less than Ford Motor Company at 48.4 percent and General Motors at 52.9 percent. Even Honda saw a 38 percent decrease, made higher by the 41.5 percent drop in Acura sales. Nissan is off by 37 percent, and Toyota Motor Company is down 39.8 percent.

The big winner? Subaru, with a 1.4 percent uptick, no doubt fueled by winter months adding appeal to its AWD line up. Victory can be also claimed for Kia with a humble, though celebration worthy, 0.4 percent increase.

As the automakers grapple with these latest figures, expect enticing deals to continue and more creative marketing to appear. Hyundai has done this with the expansion of its successful Assurance program. Chrysler has just announced a free Hemi V8 upgrade for Ram buyers. And the new Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids are eligible for a $3,400 tax credit till the end of March.

If you’re in the market, do your research and you’ll find great deals on just about every vehicle.

Research in the new car buyer’s guide. Or, scan our more than 3 million used car listings to find the best car for you.

150-mpg Plug-in Hybrid SUV Powers Ahead

admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:35:00 GMT

As California and 13 other states gain traction in Washington, D.C., to nudge emissions and consequently fuel efficiency standards upward, AFS Trinity Power Corporation has given an update on their ambitious 150-mpg SUV. (Read: “Obama Pushes Review of State Emissions.”)

A year ago, AFS Trinity introduced the XH-150 prototype introduced a year ago at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit based on a first-generation Saturn Vue. Since then, development has continued, and the company now claims a 40-mile electric-only range—same as the Chevrolet Volt—for its evolved XH-150S. While operating on electricity with about 200 horsepower, the SUV can deliver 11.5-second 0-60 acceleration and 90 mph highway speed. A second operating mode teams the electric and gasoline powertrain is triggered when the batteries are 80-percent depleted. However, the driver can also opt to put the vehicle in gas-hybrid mode with 370-horsepower whenever desired or required, enabling 0-60 acceleration of 6.9 seconds, on par with a Porsche Cayenne, but delivering fuel economy in an SUV of 35 to 65 mpg, depending on conditions.

To achieve the electric power, the XH-150S uses off-the-shelf lithium-ion batteries, buffered by fast, electronic energy storage devices called ultracapacitors that handle high currents during acceleration that would otherwise heavily stress and reduce the useful life of the batteries. Managed by AFS Trinity's power and control electronics, the batteries operate in the low to moderate power "sweet spot" for which they are optimized, but they can tap the ultracapacitors when high or very high currents are

AFS Trinity is in the process of applying for $2.5 billion of the $25 billion Department of Energy "green retooling" funding, which new DOE regulations specify is to be spent for " ... re-equipping, expanding, and establishing manufacturing facilities in the U.S. to produce advanced technology vehicles and components that demonstrate meaningful improvements in fuel economy."

CEO Ed Furia says, AFS Trinity would use the money “to retool one or more such factories and put laid off UAW workers back to work to produce AFS Trinity's 150-mpg Extreme Hybrids, resulting in the retention of thousands of auto industry jobs.”

Innovative companies such as AFS Trinity are pushing the industry, and even leading it, through the green revolution of the 21st century. But, it remains to be seen how this technology would be carried to production, either in an exclusive vehicle or licensed to automakers. This is definitely a company to follow.

Small Car Crash Tests

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:46:00 GMT

Most new small cars now earn good ratings in frontal crash tests but not when it comes to side and rear crashes, according to the latest crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Institute just released the results of front, side, and rear tests of seven 2009 model small cars: Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Saturn Astra, Suzuki SX4, and Toyota Matrix. All performed well in frontal impact protection, however the results were mixed in side and rear crash simulations.

Just 11 of the 21 current small car models the Institute has rated earn good ratings
for side protection. Where the frontal impact test represents an offset collision with a same-sized vehicle, the side-impact test simulates the perpendicular impact from a midsized SUV – putting small cars as a category at a disadvantage. Only the SX4 and Matrix and its twin Pontiac Vibe also earn good ratings for protection in side crashes. The worst performer was the PT Cruiser, the vehicle also distinguished as having the oldest design. In general, newer vehicles tend to perform better, but as you’ll see below, results may vary.

Safety equipment can make a difference, with antilock brakes, electronic stability control, and side- and side-curtain airbags all proven to save lives. These vehicles were all tested with side airbags – just imagine the consequences of buying a car without this protection. It ain’t pretty.

Suzuki SX4
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2007-2009 models.

Pontiac Vibe / Toyota Matrix
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Not tested
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008-2009 models.

Ford Focus
Front: Good
Side: Acceptable
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008-2009 models.

Chevrolet HHR
Front: Good
Side: Acceptable
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2006-2009 models.

Hyundai Elantra
Front: Good
Side: Marginal
Rear: Acceptable
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008-2009 models.

Saturn Astra
Front: Good
Side: Marginal
Rear: Acceptable
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008-2009 models.

Chrysler PT Cruiser
Front: Good
Side: Poor
Rear: Poor
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008-2009 models.

Learn more about car safety from our DriveSmart articles.

Crash tests – Good mid-sized sedans

admin — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:39:00 GMT

All seven family and luxury sedans in the latest crash test group evaluated by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earned a Good rating for occupant protection in frontal crashes. Only one fell short of the top rating in the side crash test, the Kia Optima. However, results for the rear crash test were quite mixed. In all, this group’s performance shows that indeed cars are getting better with each generation, through structural improvements and increased standard safety equipment. All seven of these vehicles included side and side-curtain airbags.

“The side impact results represent a huge change from just four years ago,” says Institute Senior Vice President David Zuby. “In 2004 we tested 10 mid-sized moderately priced cars, and all 10 were rated Poor in their standard configurations without side airbags.” In the 2004 tests, only the previous generations of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Chevrolet Malibu earned Good ratings when tested with side airbags, which then were optional equipment.

“A major change is that side airbags are standard in every one of the seven mid-sized cars we tested this time around. Auto manufacturers have been moving quickly to make side airbags standard, even on lower priced models,” Zuby says.

The seat/head restraints in the Optima are the only ones the Institute tested this time around that earn the top rating of Good for occupant protection in rear crashes. Five of the seat/head restraint combinations earn Marginal or Poor ratings. However, whiplash is the most common concern in rear crashes, where fatality risk is much lower than in frontal and side collisions.

Crashworthiness, as ranked by IIHS:

Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Acceptable
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2008 Avenger, 2007-2008 Sebring.

Infiniti G35
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2007-2008 models.

Nissan Altima
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2007-2008 models.

Chevrolet Malibu
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front and rear: 2008 models. Side: 2008 models manufactured after February 2008.

Saturn Aura
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front, side, and rear: 2007-2008 models.

Mitsubishi Galant
Front: Good
Side: Good
Rear: Poor
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front and rear: 2004-2008 models. Side: 2007-2008 models.

Kia Optima
Front: Good
Side: Acceptable
Rear: Good
Front and rear head-curtain airbags and front torso airbags.
Front and rear: 2006-2008 models manufactured after September 2005.
Side: 2006-2008 models manufactured after June 2006.

Learn more about car safety from our DriveSmart articles.