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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg GM’s President & CEO Fritz Henderson released the bad news earlier today. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=235244)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Saturn_Aura_-_26_mpg_combined.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - Sept. 30, 2009

The 2009 Saturn Aura rated at 26 mpgUS offered up a very respectable 50.523 mpg over 270 miles during our preview drive last year.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/garage/images/2560.png

Today the Penske Automotive Group (PAG) decided to terminate discussions with GM to acquire Saturn. This is very disappointing and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of GM employees and Saturn retailers who tried to make the new Saturn a reality. PAG explained that their decision was not based on interactions with GM or Saturn retailers; rather it was because of the inability to source new products beyond what it had asked GM to build on contract.

As a result of PAG’s decision, GM will be winding down the Saturn brand and dealership network, in accordance with the wind-down agreements that Saturn dealers recently signed with GM. Pursuant to the terms of those agreements, the wind down process will be determined and communicated shortly.

Saturn customers and owners will continue to be able to purchase and have their vehicles serviced at Saturn retailers during this process. Once the wind down is complete, Saturn owners will still be able to have their vehicles serviced at other GM dealerships. We will be communicating with our customers very soon to explain the next steps in this process.

Today’s 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.

This will be sad news to the many members of my family who drive Saturns. That said, the brand has been pretty well hollowed-out for quite a few years, so it is really just final confirmation of what has been known for a long time.

Oy vey. I wonder what this will do to resale values (<--- yes, that is a rhetorical question) of Saturn vehicles, especially those wonderful early-gen Ion Quad-Coupes with the VTi transaxle and the ignition switch that prevents the car from starting when the outside temperature is below 35 degrees.

According to the dealer inventory listing, there are still a boatload of unsold 2008 Astra hatchbacks. They're already two model years old, and are now even less likely to sell. And the Astra is a very unique European car, right down to the non-standard oil filter that doesn't fit any other Ecotec engine. So when Saturn dealers close up shop, which of the GM divisions will carry a sufficient stock of Astra parts?

Considering the promise (and FE potential) of the early S series, it's sad to see Saturn end up as another chapter in automotive history, nestled between Tucker and Studebaker. But anyone could have seen it coming, when they killed Oldsmobile and then decided to move Saturn upmarket to sit in the same Death Seat. The Aura pictured above would make a nice Oldsmobile, but it has nothing unique to offer (other than different styling) to justify its existence. When "a different kind of car" stops being different, and you can get the same thing next door at a Chevy dealer, it starts to become a really tough sell.

Very sad indeed. I owned a 1994 SL 5-sp. It burned oil like crazy, but was quite reliable otherwise until it got totalled. My wife owned a 1995 SW2 5-sp up until last year. My brother in-law uses it now.

I've always liked the S-series Saturns -- too sad to see the brand go.

Now if we could get the rest of GM to shut down... Wishful thinking I know.

Wow, that Astra is a pretty cool car. I didn't even know it existed. Looks very much like a Matrix/Vibe, which in my book is a compliment.

At 24/27/32 mpg for the 5MT and 92+20cf space, its fuel economy is not stellar for the size but very competitive with other 5dr hatches of the same size produced since the early part of the decade (Madza3/Protege5, Focus ZX5, Elantra GT).

Not quite up to the level of the aforementioned Matrix/Vibe, whose 1st gen got 2mpg better and had 4cf more space. The current Matrix is the same size as the Astra though and only beats it by 1mpg, making the Astra a worthwhile competitor if it weren't for the unknown reliability factor -- no way to know if we have another trouble-prone flash-in-the-pan Euro import like Merkur.

It is indeed a sad day in the Trowbridge household as well.:( We currently own/drive 2 '99 SL2's (1 auto and 1 5MT). I have also owned a '97 SL1 (5MT) and drove my grandpa's '97 SL (5MT) for a few months. They are one of hypermiling's hidden gems.

A group of 26 men Sunday became the first franchised dealers for the General Motors Corporation's Saturn subsidiary. The 26 dealers, based in large automobile-selling markets in 11 states, are the first of about 90 dealers who will begin selling Saturn cars in the fall of 1990, said Donald Hudler, Saturn's vice president for sales, service and marketing. Mr. Hudler estimated that each of the dealers invested $2 million to $4 million to establish a new franchise.

My wife's Saturn was "done" 120,000 miles after she bought it. Good riddance.

I wonder if this anything to do with their tv ad bragging about 9 entirely new models in a few short years? That sounds like a surefire way to go bankrupt. I personally never could stand the brand and it's snotty owners. Just because you paid 3+ grand more for a cavalier with a rubber body... you think you are better than me??

From what I heard on NPR, the company Penske went to to source new vehicles was Renault. The Board of Directors killed the deal...guess they decided they did not want to pursue the US market again. (Enter the ghosts of AMC/Renault!)

From what I heard on NPR, the company Penske went to to source new vehicles was Renault. The Board of Directors killed the deal...guess they decided they did not want to pursue the US market again. (Enter the ghosts of AMC/Renault!)

They're already in the US Market. Nissan's passenger cars are tweaked Renaults with Nissan powertrains. Compare the Renault Megane to the Nissan Versa and Sentra and you'll see the family resemblance. I think Renault would not want to compete with Nissan-branded versions of what would be the same cars.

Good riddance. They built enough crap cars over the years to pretty much guarantee that 90% of Americans will never ever buy a Saturn.