Saturn: Product Will Reign

Congratulations on starting the blog -- and good on you for allowing comments. I hope you'll find the interaction with your public to be the best and most productive part of this.

Welcome to the real fast lane, Bob. We're pleased with our Saturn plant here in the Nashville area. Come on down sometime and let us know when you're coming.

We have a '95 SL2. Get in, turn key, it goes. And goes. And goes. I take it to the dealership for everything, including simple oil changes, even though I'm a motorhead (my daily ride is a '65 AH Sprite that I do all maintenance on). Why? Because the dealership is a pretty good experience. Not the best _consumer_ experience, but easily the best dealership experience. Easy in, easy out, no surprises and no BS.

I'm not writing this to start a Saturn love fest, but rather to remind you of what makes the Saturn (for me, at least). It's simple and reliable and the dealership is much better than Cadillac, Honda, Chrysler, Buick, and Mercedes (just my personal experience over the years). Yep, we can afford all those, and we still own some, but we never sold the Saturn and I hope not to.

I really like Saturn products. I know several happy customers. Great service, as you mention, and fair prices. However, I've heard (and read) that Saturn has never turned a profit. Is this true? If it is true that Saturn is unprofitable, what is going to be done to make it profitable? How will those actions impact quaility, service, usability, and so forth? Great products don't always generate great profits. Unfortunately.

John S. Rhodes

Congrats on joining the Blogosphere. First car company that takes blogging seriously gets a tremendous leg-up on knowing what customers really want in the 21st Century. So don't blow this opportunity by doing the blogging equivalent of Malibu-izing VWs.

Welcome Bob. Along with your company's SmallBlock blog, I couldn't be happier one of the biggest companies in the world now sees the value of blogging. Kudos.

Nice to have you visiting with your customers!

As is life, we need to walk the talk. If quality is the goal of winning back customers, then it needs to be made your #1 priority in all aspects of your business and customer service creeds.

Best of luck to you and your company.

Congratulations Mr. Lutz,

A brave step for a man in your position. But staying in touch is good. I don't drive a Saturn (I live in Europe and drive Mercedes)but it struck me when the Saturn marketing concept was launched during my stay in the US,that I recognized some of the sales practices of the car retail business in Europe. Fixed value for a non negotiable price.
I'm sure the value is in my Mercedes. At the right price remains open for discussion. So if you allow me : Product may reign but value carries the kingdom.

Hey, Bob. I came across your blog from Dave Winer's Scripting News. And I happen to own an L300 sedan, so here are my thoughts.

My L300.1 wasn't my first choice -- my first choice was a Prius. Unfortunately, the waiting lists on the Priuses were too far long for me, so I decided to buy a normal car. As a second choice I test drove the WRX wagon, but I passed on it because of price and insurance costs (I'm under 25 - it's a sports car -- do the math).

What would be ideal is, a hybrid with a hatchback body design similar to that of the Matrix or Mazda 3. I'm not taking about the super-long hatchback design of the L-series wagon -- what I want is a compact car with a hatchback trunk lid. It baffles me that car companies insist on making almost nothing but sadans -- when you open the trunk, snow falls in. You get less space. I think that's why people buy SUV's -- they're hatchbacks.

Oh, and the cupholders inside the rear center armrest are really quite cheesy.

-Ken

Few would disagree with your comment that "Saturn has lacked a strong, cohesive product philosophy". But I can't seem to find a description of Saturn's new brand strategy in your comments. Is Saturn still "A Different Kind of Car Company"? If so, what's the Saturn difference these days? If you really want to face the music, have a look at http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/editorials/1098444973/ and tell us exactly why the competition won't run rings around Saturn.

Dear Mr. Lutz,

I think its awesome that you're trying this blog thing out. Hopefully this might be a forum where GM fans can express their opinions freely about your products. There never can be too much feedback!

good luck,
Mike

p.s. here's one piece of feedback: glad that the impala has been redesigned- it looks much better. how about the monte carlo? too little, too late...

Bob, I owned a 92 Saturn. The first American car I ever purchased. Although the car looked ok and drove reasonably, it was a comedy of errors. After many trips to the dealership over the course of a year, the good lord allowed me to trade it in on a Honda product. I have only purchased Japanese since...

It's all about product, Bob...Get yourself a good Japanese partner and learn to make good cars.

Saturn is toilet where you're flushing cash. Shut that toilet lid and invest in your other lines.

Mr. Lutz

I honestly think GM should have dumped Saturn
and kept Olds, I can just imagine what a new Toronado or Cutlass Supreme would have been like.
These were cars I would have love to buy new, kept for many years and felt good about buying.

Mr. Lutz...
You are a breath of fresh air. I can't believe it took GM this long to see the connection that you have made.

I can't wait to see the new product. I only hope that you forgo the temptation to spread your budget thin trying to fix past failures (Like the ION and Relay). I think you guys will be better off just concentrating on the new ideas/products that were designed from scratch.

Would you please comment a little on the Impala at some point...most GM enthusiasts are a little dissapointed especially upon comparison to the Ford 500, Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger.

Regardless...thanks for helping what we fans affectionately call "The General" a little closer to its former glory.

Mr. Lutz,

If you say you have some "bad *ss" new Saturns coming out, we would certainly like to do a review! :)

Any electric ones? How about an electric with some kick to it?

Please keep posting! Not every day we can read from from a VP at GM.

Kind regards,
B.A.R. Editor
www.badassreviews.com

I'm not a fan of your work. I don't see any difference between the GM before you and after you except that the cars have less plastic cladding and the hype surrounding the designs is greater. From the LaCrosse which is an also ran in a crowded field to the proportionally challenged Cobalt which has an aircraft carrier deck length front overhang, I find your designs to be - hohum. Then we now have a sneak peek at the new Impala and Monte Carlo and all I can say is, well, that is what the cars should have looked like 5 years ago, but you are chasing design, not dictating it. Nice to see the Impala is a Camry, the Cobalt is a Honda Civic, and the Monte Carlo is still a mistake.

I did wish you luck. You have an unpleasant job trying to turn around a company which seems hellbent on self destruction.

Just remember one thing: Great cars sell, good cars are rebate queens. Look around in your showrooms and see which ones you are building.

Bob, you should really, really pay attention to the loyal GM fans out here on the internet. We may seem critical sometimes, but we really just care about GM and its future. Glad to see you on the Blog!

Saturn's future looks very promising!

Great to see this blog and I hope it addresses broader questions over the course of time: To me, the top broader question is: Why can't GM build cars that consistently compete with foreign manufacturers?

In Consumer Reports, Car & Driver, carsurvey.org, etc., the consistent message is that most GM products don't equal their mostly foreign rivals in performance, comfort, build quality and reliability.

Incidentally, I don't say this as an American-car basher. I recently worked in Saudi Arabia and drove a '78 Chevy Caprice when I was there. I adored that rugged, reliable car.

Roads there are generally poor, the heat and blowing dusty sand aren't doing cars any favors, it's common enough to get a tank of crummy gas, the A/C is on most of the time and my Caprice was unstoppable.

The "box" Caprices are legendary in those parts--highly sought after and premium prices are paid. I couldn't tell you how many people came up to me in parking lots, gas stations, etc., offing to buy my car.

I would be more than happy to buy GM if they make something that establishes a track record of holding a candle to my '78 Caprice.

Bob,

Great idea. Love the blog. I don't want to talk about Saturn, but I do want to talk about Saab.

I learned how to drive on a 1959 Saab 93b in Rhode Island. I have always owned a Saab since then, a 1960, 1966, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1999, and now a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero. I feel the Aero is one of the most impressive passenger cars ever built. However; I am pretty sure it will be my last Saab.

GM seems to be sucking the life out of Saab. I was at the L.A. Auto Show press day yesterday and the Saab portion of the display was not even manned. I ran into Dan Prescott who was the west coast PR rep and he is now working on an occasional basis for the company. The head office has been moved to Detroit and who knows what kind of staffing is in place.

i know you are not making money on the brand, but GM seems to be making all the wrong moves on what was a great brand.

Enough from me. I am sure my words will not reverse anything.

I wish Saab good luck. A great brand....a great car.

Dick

I've been a long time fan of all things Saturn - I'm the proud owner of a blue 1992 Saturn SL1 with over 370 000 km, and my parents own a 2000 SL1. Although I love the recent Saturn products, I recently test drove an Ion Quad Coupe 2, I have mixed feelings on how the new Saturn products will be perceived by the media. The Ion RedLine is awesome in many respects, but the press gave it lukewarm reviews (noting the interior materials, the continued use of polymer side panels, the odd use of curves and angles on the exterior and the lackluster performance compared to its main competitor - the Dodge SRT-4). Tepid reviews were also given to the Ion sedan and quad coupe, most notably the Car and Driver review (March 2004). Another quibble I've mulled over is how the consumer will perceive the Sky - something like the Solstice is expected from the Excitement division, but from Saturn? It'll be "nothin' but butta'" for the Saturn enthusiasts, but will it be welcomed by the consumers General Motors is after, ie. the Lexus/Acura/BMW crowd; or even the sport compact enthusiasts? I can only hope. Finally, from what insider information I have about the upcoming L-series replacement, I think Saturn will have a hit. I just hope that with the influx of new product, there will be enough people who'll be as enthusiastic about it as me. I wish you, General Motors, and Saturn all the best.

Mixed reactions so far.
Someone leaked Saturn Sky pics a bit early but my god it is GORGEOUS.
I also really like the HHR and of course that smoking hot Vette Z06, but the Impala and Montecarlo are disappointingly boring. Should have retained at least the headlights and taillights of both to keep the character. IMO the character is now missing from those vehicles. I still have no doubt they will sell but as an enthusiast I'm not impressed enough to actually want one.

Mr.Lutz, I am a big fan of your work, and I hope that your influence on Saturn is great. I hope that with time, Saturn can grow and cut off some of the import brands that get praised by many in the media. You have done great so far, but we have yet to see your true power at GM. I wish there wasnt so many middle-men that can clog up and slow down future products, only so that when they are finaly released, they are behind everyone, and you have to start all over again. Good Luck Mr.Lutz.
Alex Villani

Mr. Lutz, would it ever be possible to buy a car without an engine as an option, so that a crate engine (LS7) could be inserted by the dealer? Would this allow you to get around the emmisions issues?

I'm extremely impressed that you're doing this, but then much of what you've accomplished over the years has impressed me. I hope to catch some juicy morsels about exciting new offerings (Hint Blue Devil/Camaro) while reading your blog.

I have owned 2 Saturns, a 2000 LS1 and a 2003 Vue, and I love them both. The Vue is, by far, my favorite, but if Saturn comes out with a *real* sports car, I may have my 3rd :) The best thing about Saturn in my book is the reliability, the fact that they are built so very well, followed by their sense of style. They are not just another cookie cutter sedan or SUV. I look forward to seeing the new lineup!

The Sky will be great for Saturn, but in order to differentiate it from Solstice it should offer a v6. GM is making a big mistake in eliminating the plastic paneled Saturns, for the polymer is just as important as the no haggle pricing. I don't hear Corvette or Fiero owners complaining about panel gaps.

GM should try listening to the customer for once. If they did we could purchase a new Grand Nat'l,
Fiero GT, Chevelle, Nomad or Camaro. Don't forget about the affordable "gotta have". GM has a great heritage, time to leverage it rather than just bury more of the well known model names.

Your Aura concept is HOT! Build it exactly like that, and I am buying one!

Enough said...

P.S. The guys at CheersandGears.com love you for this!

Just saw pics of the Saturn Aura. WOW!

Sure hope it comes with a manual trans.

Wow, I have always admired your work at GM. I hope things work out for you no matter where you end up. GM has REALLY got a fantastic lineup of cars for the performance orientated buyer. I'm really glad that GM decided to start using the same motor across the board... using the LS2 in so many vehicles has got to save a lot of money! I wish I had the connections to secure a job like yours! Working on the performance side of the auto industry would be such a blast!! Congrats on the many achievements you've accomplished in your many years at GM!

p.s. Don't you think an LS2 in the sky\solstice chassis would be fun... lol show the S2000 whats up now!

Welcome to the blogosphere sir!

Thanks for linking to Autoblog.com... as you know we're blogging about you guys all day long and having you as part of the dialogue is, well, amazing!!!

best,

Jason
co-founder, Weblogs, Inc. (the parent company of Autoblog)

I want to commend the new styling direction your taking with the Saturn Aura, and Sky. They are
both beautifully executed in their exterior styling and interior styling. These are the "Gotta have" vehicles you have been tauting you would produce. I'm impressed with this new styling direction. Please don't water-down the Aura, leave it as is, and you'll have a sales success in the midsize family car segment.
It's exciting to see that design passion is back at GM!

I just saw the pictures of the Sky and Aura on Autoblog. They look amazing! I used to consider Saturn to be a joke of a brand, car-wise, but I'm in love with these two new cars. To me, these look very much like rebadged and tweaked Opels and Vauxhalls -- which is a very, very good thing. I look forward to visiting my Saturn dealer a couple years down the road. (I'll be right out of college so hopefully something cool will have a pricepoint right for me.)

I admire the sentiment (beefing up Saturn's product line) but I think you've got a real challenge in terms of your approach, for two reasons. First, GM is not a leader in any of the areas you listed as being core elements of the product philosophy. Specifically, "fluid, uniform design theme, top-notch engines, dynamic chassis philosophy and a focus on detailed interior and exterior execution."

Second, even if GM were good at those areas, emphasizing them is missing the point. Saturn is a marketing play, not a product play. The product is necessary, and expanding the line is necessary, but the sustainable competitive advantage of Saturn lives in the marketing. With a pretty mediocre product, Saturn built a following with a level of fanaticism normally accorded to brands that have way more going for them (in terms of history, product, performance, or some other factor) than Saturn did. Now, in order to "revive" the brand you are strangling the one part of the business that worked really well rather than feeding it additional resources. Beefing up the product line is a great idea, but keep investing heavily in the brand character and your relationship with your customers.

Ditto about the dealership experience. Being treated as a sentient adult by salespeople is a little jarring at first, but you get used to it.

About product: New Saturns are a good thing, I guess - if they're really new and they're really Saturns. For the last five years or so it seems like half the line is really warmed-over Opels under assumed names. I didn't like Opels when I was in Germany and I don't like them any better Stateside.

About design: It would be nice if car companies could take a page from the computer software world and try to design vehicles with as common-denominator a user interface as possible.

I recently rented a new LS for a day when my 96 SL1 needed some work. I didn't discover that the gas cap is on the right until I'd already pulled up with the pumps at my left as I'm accustomed to doing. The position and function of the controls for the A/C-heater and fan were pointlessly different as well.

After my little surprise at the gas station, I got another in the drive-thru line at my local burger joint. I suddenly found I had no idea how to lower the windows. The LS has electric windows, not cranks like my proletarian SL1. Some bright lad in design apparently decided that the obvious place to put the window controls was - unlabeled - on the center console. Or perhaps it was some bright lad in Cost Accounting who decided all the wire needed to put window controls near the windows would cost an extra two bits.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the ability to rent a nice ride right at the dealership. And I understand the salesmanship involved in letting we "legacy" owners see what's available now. I'd just like not to have to search and fumble for things unnecessarily if I upgrade. Perhaps if the LS wasn't actually an Opel these problems wouldn't exist. Please settle on a common - and sensible - interior control layout, then stick to it.

Last year my wife an I considered purchasing a new L300. We test drove several models, but found the interior cosmetic design and build quality frightfully below average: on two models, the wobbly center console would hit the seat controls when raised, and on one model there was a 1/4 inch gap bewteen the plastic moulding surrounding the stero...

These problems immediately translated into doubts about the long-term performance of the automobile....

In the end, we bought a non-Saturn wagon for considerably more money. Your Saturn sales representative was quite friendly and helpful though...

I'd look into a Saturn in the future, but my expectations are now starting pretty low.

Finally! I'm glad that Saturn is getting some great-looking vehicles.

That being said, my next car purchase is all about laughing rights. My friend ALWAYS buys Toyota products, and laughed at me for buying a Saturn.

And while I enjoyed my SC2, it still didn't last as long as my friend's Toyota. Quality just wasn't there, no matter how great the dealership experience was.

So how can GM prove to the American consumer that they have finally gotten serious about quality? Certainly you've gotten serious about design!

I think it's interesting that the Sky is referred to as a "Sensible, Reliable, and Safe" convertible with 18" allow wheels with a more aggressive and sporty appeal.

Those Saturns look pretty good. The Sky looks terrific. Make sure you don't dilute the exterior or interior. Otherwise you will end up with a car that looks like Chrysler's current Sebring Sedan. I read your speech...just keep the faith and you'll havea hit.

Please take some of this new impetus to Chevy...that line up, in particular the new impala and malibu need help.

Thanks again for doing what you're doing to help GM get out of its own way.

I manage streaming video for GM Communications. Anyone interested in viewing the live or replay video of the Saturn Sky and Aura press conference during media days at the North American International Auto Show can do so beginning at 5:40 p.m. EST January 9. Cut and paste this address, http://gmtv.feedroom.com/index.jsp?fr_story=d17df57abb77230868000f8af4e57da7a6e8a567 for direct access. The video can also be found in the Saturn Channel of GMtv, http://gmtv.feedroom.com.

I would just like to say that if Saturn never existed and GM used all of the money they wasted in Saturn 25 years ago, they would have been able to buy out Toyota before they were a threat. Good going GM. I'll stick with Ford anyday.

Bob,

Welcome to the Blogosphere. Great to see another GM blogger (I'm at the GM pension fund in NYC). I have an '04 Grand Prix GTP and I love it. Just this morning, I got my annual emmissions inspection and the mechanic driving it out of the garage complimented me on how comfortable it was on the inside and how cool the red lights on the dash were. Its a fun car to drive... thanks for putting GM back on the design map.

Welcome aboard, Bob. I'm concerned about GM's continued moves toward organizational centralization, as most recently manifested by the Saturn reabsorption. As you know, it was GM who introduced "federal decentralization" back in the Sloan days...and it seems like the large companies that are sustained innovators over long periods of time (like GE) have pretty much followed this model.

I understand the economies-of-scale issues, but doesn't the current structure force almost all significant decisions to be made at the top?

Please offer the Aura with a manual transmission. I would never consider a car without one, and you need it to be a BMW-fighter. I bought a 9-3 over a g6 for this reason.

Like a previous commenter, we've got a '95 SL2 that just keeps going. It was my first new car. Great car. Unfortunately, I doubt we'll buy from the current Saturn lineup; our next car will probably be a Volkswagen TDI. Maybe a future Saturn could carry one of the fantastic new common-rail diesels?

Well, I wouldn't say no to an American-market Opel Vectra.

Just give Saturn the love that you gave Cadillac.

S.

Dear Mr Lutz,
I was a general motors fan for nearly 45 years, The reason I was a fan was because GM used to be the mark of Excellence. Starting in the late 50's GM started to produce cars that people fell in love with. Cars you could be proud of, Even if you werent rich you could own a great looking car with a powerful engine. The regular guy could be somebody while in his 57 chevy or his 67 camaro rs/ss with a 396 engine. Kids as young as 5yrs old already knew the cars they wanted when they grew up. At the age of 9 my friends and I would raid the Dealerships for the new car brocures that we would trade like baseball cards. That was the way to sell a car. The options were unlimited and there was a model for everyone, If you liked the style of a Chevelle but needed a truck you would be able to get the El Camino. Each model had many versions and they all sold. The car builders have long forgotten about making people happy and only care about the cheapest method. Building front wheel driven *hi* boxes will never spark that kind of pleasure. GM has nothing left but the Vette, I cannot believe you terminated the Camaro and build the Monte Carlo with front wheel drive. Build some rear wheel driven big v8 powerd cars with seducing looks and they will sell. Even chrysler has figured it out and are looking at their roots for style and power. Until then I will be going to Ford, They built a very nice Mustang and are going to build many more rear wheel driven V8 powered cars. It saddens me to do it but I believe GM is currently the Chrysler of the 80's.

Bob,

I am 26, and I want a Cadillac. Words I never expected myself to type.

I have always been a Chevy guy, even though my current car is German, I still lust after C5 and C6 Corvettes. The car I dream about now is a black CTS. But I can't afford a new CTS, and I don't like buying used cars. So where does that leave me?

In a recent automotive magazine, there were rumors of the possibility of a smaller Cadillac designed to compete directly with the BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and Volvo S40. This blurb also included a digital representation of what such a Cadillac might look like.

http://tinyurl.com/6khx6 (The bottom car)

The proportions of this car are gorgeous. The shape is exactly right, and the size is perfect. The CTS is a great car, but it's too big for my tastes. I spent an hour driving examples at the KC "Auto Show in Motion" in 2003, where I first fell in love with it, but I want something a little smaller.

Please, Bob, build it, price it around $28k, and I will order the first one. Black, please.

Bob:

I hope this is REALLY you....

Seriously-I give you a lot of credit in fixing manufacturing problems and putting out more interesting cars such as the Cadillac line, the new Corvette, etc...

However, I still have confidence issues with ALL american-made cars, and will be a tough sell not to buy Japanese...

Keep it up....

Saturn was conceived some 20 years ago as a compact car company to compete with the Japanese. It seems like much of the original identity, and reason for existence of Saturn is going away. They're talking about having steel fenders, and there are larger luxury models and the SUV. The question might be "Why Saturn?" If the only benefit over 20 years was learning not to blatantly screw people at the sale and offer BMW/Mercedes like service environment, why not just make every GM dealer give free oil changes/scheduled maintenance (could boost resale and lease residuals too). All GMs should have great dealerships, not just Saturn.

Oldsmobile was once the 'experimental' division at GM. That's where the hydramatic came from, FWD Toronado and they produced Combustion Control as the first smog reduction device in '67. Even the diesels were an Olds thing (that didn't turn out, but could have transformed Olds if they had a stronger block)

Anyway, perhaps Saturn could get a similar identy, of breaking leading edge technology first at GM. Plastic fenders are great, but you molded in color carbon fiber is 1000 times better - you can't dent it, or even scratch it, with a hammer!
A tall order? Sure, but CF is the future, and Saturn should be about bold initiatives.

I propose to you that Saturn adopt some Olds names. The "space" theme is already there and they really trip off the tounge:

Saturn Rocket
Saturn Starfire

Now the Japanese make full size trucks, not just good small cars. Time for Saturn to inherit the wind - the leading edge of technology that was once Olds baliwick.

RH

Hooray for the Aura and the Sky!

Although I'm not crazy about the names, I think the cars are fantastic. I've been saying for a long while that Saturn should be looking at Opel for ideas to reinvent itself, and it's finally happening!

The Aura's nose is fantastic. The interior is world-class! Keep that greenish-yellowish glow around the dials. I love it! It makes the Vectra (a beautiful car) look dated.

Kudos! Can't wait to see it in Detroit!

I agree with one of the previous comments, that Saturn seems poised to directly replace Olds.
I also wouldn't mind seeing some illustrious Oldsmobile heritage melding into the Saturn brand.

My wife and I are currently driving our third and fourth Saturns -- we haven't bought anything else in over a decade.

I have been telling people for years that whenever we are in the market for a new car, I check to see if Saturn has something that will meet our needs. If they do, we buy it. Only if they don't (and that hasn't happened yet) would we shop around. That is *entirely* because of the customer service, though we like the cars too.

I don't pay much attention to the auto industry, but I still get excited when I hear Saturn is rolling out a new model. I am sorry to say that our current Saturns have lots of life left in them -- sorry because that means we won't have an excuse to trade in for a new one anytime soon.

Welcome to the Blogosphere!
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss GM, and in this case in particular, Saturn issues. Well, sort-of Saturn. Saturn's service is legendary (we have 2 in our family), so WHY can't we have the same excellent customer service we see in Saturn with Saab? Also, why not bring in the Saab 1.9 or 2.2 Diesels like other Saturn owners have suggested. It seems GM is ignoring, or worse yet, homogenizing Saab into Opel and Saturn. Please help us out.
It was wonderful to see Deborah Kelly-Ennis at the Convention, and we hope to see you there sometime too. Have fun with the Blog!

So now you have the Solstice AND the Sky. When, or or are you, going to put the Kappa to use in other ways? My prejudice is toward the Nomad. It is the perfect car for me and would be my first GM since my first car, a 1950 Chevy Deluxe. And the Nomad is the only thing out there that would
make me give up my Miata.

How nice to see someone of your business stature blogging. What made you decide to do it? Regarding the Saturn, I had often thought that GM failed to leverage the Saturn's original launch because so many of the guys running your store had their hearts in Chevrolet. What made you decide to start your blog with Saturn?

A Saturn was the first new car I ever bought back in '97, and it was perfect for the five years I owned it.

IN a fit of car envy I switched to Audi, which is also very nice. And when my lease is up I was thinking of only sticking with Audi, or perhaps getting a hybrid vehicle.

Your embrace of the the blog concept, and willingness to get closer to your customer has me thinking I might just consider returning to the cult of Saturn.

Good onya for starting a blog, Bob! Sorry to see you've had a few whiners and complainants. All I wanted to say is our '98 Suburban (bought via Holden in Australia) has been the best car we've ever owned. It's used every day to deliver our business products, carry up to nine passengers (my kids and their friends) or towing our boat up to Cooktown (6000 klm trip.) It's performed faultlessly for 190,000 klm and many is the time I've thought how lucky I am to have such a great car. Thanks so much to you and GM for all you do, Byron

Well, if Saturn is good for one thing at least, its that it forced Roger Smith to pour so much money into it that he had to give up the GM80 project. For those that don't know, the GM80 project would have turned the Camaro into a FWD Ford Probe fighter backed by the 3.4L DOHC engine later found in the Lumina Z34. Hydramatic couldn't make a transmission strong enough to handle the output, so it had to be detuned to 210hp.

Bob --
Thanks for making time to share your thoughts. We started buying Saturns in the beginning (at one point our family owned five). The last few have been leases, but then I decided to purchase a 2003 L300. What a mistake. The trim looked nice at a glance, but once you touched it, you could tell it was cheap. But what really got me angry was the HVAC system. Did "climate control" (as a concept) clinic well? I'm guessing "yes", and that's what drove it to be included in the L300. (Specifically, the problems are: the "globally common" function button is hard to operate while driving, the windows fog up under certain cold/wet conditions, and the changeover between hotter and colder takes too long.)
The new Sky is very hot, but next time I buy a Saturn I'm checking every major system in the vehicle before I buy. I never felt I had to do this before 2000. Now, I need to check for cost-cutting and decide if it's something I can live with before purchasing.

Bravo, Mr. Lutz! The Sky and Aura are exactly what Saturn needs. No more funky 4-spoke wheels and misguided, spacey reskins of what was already attractive Opel product. Saturn has long promised to be an "import fighter", but was doing so with some of the worst styling in the industry, save Mitsubishi.

I wasn't sure if YOU, however, would make the plunge and go "techno import" with Saturn's looks, given your Cunningham and Solstice babies (that I also really like). The Curve concept looked like a Solstice with an ugly front end, and wasn't very "import" like. The 2005 Saturn ION sedan looks like a hastily done patch job. "European Styling" is an artful mesh of creases, arches, and attractive headlights and bumpers --- not something from the Jetsons.

Leaving Saturn styling largely up to Opel was the best move GM has made in a long time. I'm glad that you convinced them to do it.

Now...unlike the G6 concept that showed us brown leather mixed with gray/black in the interior, would you PLEASE push to have brown leather actually make it into the production version of the Aura -- and not give us another sea of gray?

Thanks,
- Ming

Had a 91 SL1. It was a terrific auto for 50k miles. Then the wheels started falling off. I was raised a Chevy man, but have come to learn that Toyota knows how to engineer and produce a car. Everything works when new and it doesn't break. The vehicle also has none of the rough edges that american cars have like idle smooth and quiet, doesn't develop rattles, very little wind noise, etc...

Bob,

It is a blast of fresh air to see someone from GM participating in a forum which is so in touch with your customers.

I would like to compliment you on the new Saturn concept vehicles - they look fantastic - and exciting!!!! I have always been loyal to GM and want nothing more than to see you guys back unquestionably at the top. These products should help that.

In my years of selling Saturns, the common frustration expressed (particuarly with the 2003 redesign of the L-Series) was that top management at Saturn would talk about an "upscale appearance" and "refinement." In reality the interior - in particular the seats in the 2003 L - was somewhat putrid and/or cheap. You can talk upscale but after one sat down in those cars, you had a hard time buying into that.

As a Saturn customer, I know that Saturn has boatloads of potential. The interiors of the cars have most needed attention. The interior of our 2004 ION will not hold up over the long run - at least that's how it feels. Mechanically, a very sound car with the Ecotec, but the interior feels egregiously cheap and half-*ssed. Sorry, but it's true.

It's all about "perceived quality" (perception = reality; cheap feeling interior = cheap, shoddily built car) and it's refreshing to see someone at GM buy into that.

Keep on rolling, Bob!! There's a lot to be done, but I have no doubts GM can return to its former glory.

Kevin

I have never seen any extra value, quality, or indications of extra long life in any foreign automobile, not that is, over any of the GM line of vehicles. Oh, I have heard a lot of talk over the years, but never any proof of substance that foreign was vastly superior to American.

That's not to say that all GM vehicles have been really good, or that GM hasn't made some blunders as well, and dealer support has been and is spotty.

I do agree that dropping Oldsmobile was a mistake, and the leadership at that division was bad for quite a while. The brand really lost its way, and making copycat Bravera's was, well, let's say Olds would have been better off without it.

I like a lot of the new GM designs, and quality seems good, as good or bettter than foreign. Some of the new designs are too edgy, Pontiac Aztek was disaster, as is Chev Avalanche pickup, very ugly.

Think many people don't particularly like foreign vehicles, but have picked up buzz from auto critics that they are better so long, they have come to believe it. Suspect critics have had noses too high in air, hate anything American with wheels on it for whatever reason.

Hope GM returns to days of very distinctive designs, the days when you could tell what brand and model a vehicle was from long ways away. Too many these days, have to open door and read nameplate inside, no style at all. Bring back some color too, silver, platinum ugly, as is all yellow or construction orange. Here, dealers have to ad lots of frosting to such color vehicles to get rid of them, deep discounts, and beg customer to take off lot.

Always thought Saturn's nice little cars. Too small for me though. Have Yukon now, Envoy probably next, rented one last summer, very nice.

Maintain any GM vehicle properly and drive it right, it will last as long or longer than any foreign model. Remember the guy in Chicago with the Oldsmobile that had over 300,000 miles on it, can't remember what year it was.

One complaint, son just bought new 05 GMC pickup, 1/2T, it was a shock to find old shoe-type brakes on rear. Obsolete technology, bad idea. Salesman embarassed when I pointed it out.

Sorry to say it, but I have a hard time driving a car named after a planet. Also, in my mind, I see it as a small car that old people drive. Take any platform in the Saturn line, and the styling is the most conservative compared to other vehicles built on the platform. Nothing the Saturn line markets inspire me to walk into a Saturn showroom.

I think a good way to make Saturn stand out would be to pattern it after the European market. Due to the space and fuel restrictions, you see many vehicles that are very utilitarian, while still being very attractive, modestly priced and good on fuel economy. My daily driver is a Vibe because it is like most of the European vehicles. The Vibe has great interior space, great economy, and excellent utility. Saturn could be a good venue to give the consumer more choices for this type of vehicle. Minivan, sport utility, station wagon, or whatever acronym you want to call them, are the direction the market is moving to. Basically, I tend to think of them as all variations of hatchbacks, and the European models are the most refined.

I could be enticed into a Saturn dealership if it had a vehicle like a Vibe, Golf, or some of the European hatchbacks. Give it some of the great options that are available to the rest of the world like turbo diesel, and laminated door glass for quietness. In Europe, you can even get a Ford Focus with a heated windshield, what's with that? I would love to have that feature available to me, especially lately with the bad weather most of the country is experiencing right now.
Get an attractive Saturn hatchback that seats 5 people comfortably, a diesel with 40 to 50 MPG, all wheel drive, quiet as a church mouse, and a comfortable smooth ride, and you will have my attention.

Bob,

I'm really glad to see you're turning around the GM styling and making it exciting again. I was a fourth generation GM empoyee but decided to leave my Lansing postion due to lack of enthusiasm and energy of the employees. I opted for Harley-Davidson which is an incredible culture to work in. The product excitement you are generating "is" making many current GM employees optimistic and excited about the future! Keep up that great work!

Bob,

Really like the look of the Saturn Sky. Can't wait to see it at the local dealership.

I really liked the two new concepts from the Saturn brand. Though I have to say that the Aura looks a little like what I would expect a new generation of Cutlass’s to be, that’s not bad, always like the Cutlass Supreme. And I would also like to send my congratulations to the engineers and manufacturing people at GM, especially those working on the mid-sized Epsilon vehicles built at the Orion Plant because the body panels are so closely seemed as well as the door as well as well as the consistency of those gaps is very congruent. I am guessing that even a credit card would not fit between those gaps!

But this post is about the new Saturn concepts. Like I said I think those two cars are attractive automobiles and more significantly will attract different crowds with similar demographic make ups. But I feel a large and overlooked problem of all Saturn vehicles is the emblem or logo. To look at the logo is to look a something which is not symmetric, though the rest of the car is. I like to think of looking at an auto as if I was looking into the face of a machine and just like a human, I want to look at a face which is symmetrical and well proportioned. If you sit back and think of Saturn’s competitors, or even its own kin, you will notice that the most appealing and symmetrical logos seem to sell the best. Probably would not be a bad idea to design a new logo and introduce it about the same time these new vehicles appear on the showroom.

That is what I would do, and sometimes my guesses are on the money. BTW, my favorite logo of any manufacturer world wide is the Opel logo.

The Sky and Aura pics look good. It is just that they don't match the square logo of Saturn. I hope these cars are able to improve on the battered Saturn brand over the next few years.

What is the strategy with the newly released Relay? Does Saturn need a minivan? I think not. And while I am at it, does Saab need an SUV??? Does every GM brand have to have every segment covered? You are destroying your brands with the full-coverage portfolio mentality. There is nothing unique about any of the brands anymore... save Caddy.

First, to the poster who thought it strange that the Saturn L-Series had the power window switches on the center console: That's also exactly where my sister's '95 SL1 has its window switches, and every other Saturn car I've seen with power windows

Second, the Sky is absolutely gorgeous, and the only reason I'm not saying the same about the Aura is that I don't even want to think of me buying an outright "family car" yet...I'm not even out of college! My daily driver at the moment is a '99 Miata, which I've been thinking about trading for a newer one in a year or so. The Solstice, and more so, the Sky, are giving me reason to actually shop anywhere other than the local Mazda dealership. I only hope you guys have really done your homework on the underpinnings, because the '06 Miata is going to be one tough competitor as well.

Mr. Lutz,

I admire you and have followed your career for many years....I have been affiliated with you in our work for the Meadowbrook Concour d'Elegance and have worked for you (indirectly) as a designer at GM. I spent nearly 25 years as a "contract" designer at GM and applauded Mr. Wagoner when he had the insight to seek you out and hire you to oversee the stodgy products coming out of GM design studios.
Today, I am regrettably no longer employed in the automotive design business, but still follow with much interest, my first love, automotive body design.
Now I often wonder if GM management understands what they are doing in the ranks of their engineering personnel; how they have created two separate classes of workers, both bitter, afraid, and about 70% of them, underpaid relative to others whose only distinction is that they are classified “direct” employees. Many of these “temporary employees” have been there for many years, unable to leave due to “no compete” clauses in the contract of the design houses that act as a thinly disguised shield to help GM avoid paying their workers a wage competitive with those of their minority “direct” workforce.
Whenever you have a group of people you perform largely the same task one paid reasonably fairly and the other making a fraction of the other group, you have bitterness and resentment. While it is true that there has been a productivity increase, it is due to new technology and not due to what it should be: good competent people working together to produce the best cars on the planet.
Further, GM has opened a “tech center” in India. This was according to the press release to help with the “lack of resources” which we both know did not exist. The release also said it was to help with costs.
Japan has come to America; Toyota, Nissan...manufactures in America, and opens engineering centers in America using American workers. Something wrong with this picture maybe........ These are certainly facts I will consider that the next time I purchase a car. I can say for certain Mr. Lutz, all due respect, it will not be a General Motors product.

Mr. Lutz, thanks for giving me an avenue to help GM increase their competiveness. I really like the direction that Saturn is taking with the Sky and Aura. I leased two Saturns before, an 00 SL2 sedan and an 02 L300. They were both good cars that fit the budget and the Saturn service is outstanding. My latest car is an 04 Malibu Maxx. I wanted to stay with Saturn but the product choices at the time were limited to the Vue for what I was looking for. But the main reason I didn't stick with Saturn is that I had a huge amount of GM Card earnings built up and Saturn isn't normally eligible for GM Card earnings. This REALLY needs to be fixed. Also why doesn't GM greatly increase GM card redemptions. I have over $5000 in GM card earnings, If I could use all of that on a GM vehicle, then my loyalty will obviously stay with GM and I would probably go more upmarket...say Yukon or STS. This would also lead to more increased usage for the GM Card; vicious cycle. One last point, even though I now have a Chevy, I still go to Saturn for servicing...they are the best in customer service.

I've recently seen photos of your Sky roadster. If you make a coupe version in the future, I'll be waiting, especially if it'll take some twisty roads with aplomb.

It's a good thing that the car isn't coming very soon, I've got college coming up, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

Mr. Lutz,

This is an interesting discussion on what you see as the new Saturn. I'll preface my comments by stating that I am just like Ralphie's father in Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story": "Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man."

So there is considerable resentment in me still for how GM killed Olds. I know you had nothing to do with that, but I can't help but think of all the resources that GM poured into Saturn while keeping marketing funds away from Olds. In my mind, it was near-criminal.

Anyway, what's done is done, but now you have a problem. Olds served a market, and now GM has nothing to appeal to those consumers. I can hear the boardroom discussion now: "Hey, wait a minute... we've got this division, Saturn, with lousy product but a great dealer network... let's give them those Olds-type products now! Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Not for me. Maybe not for others either. Saturn has a terrible image in my mind. Plastic cars. Cheap cars. Gray-interior cars. Slow, noisy cars. Entry-level cars. Secretary's cars. Goofy-looking cars. In short, not a car I would even consider. Add to that the resentment about it's role in killing off Olds and you have almost no chance to sell me one of it's new products, regardless of how good they are.

Here's a tip, a variation on one of the earlier suggestions here. Instead of hijacking former Olds model names like Rocket and Starfire, pay a little homage to the heritage of Olds. Make a statement in positioning Saturn that it is the successor to Olds. Cut the ties with the old Saturn's awful product, and say that this is the product Olds would have had, had it continued. Have the corporation say that Olds, despite its challenges, had a lot going for it and a lot of good, positive heritage and that we want to continue that and this is how we want to do that.

Maybe then I'll consider a Saturn "Aurora".

Thanks.

It is great for someone at your level and with your credentials to do this. Keep it up!

I've driven GM cars for many years, but my all-time favorite was the Buick Grand National. If mine hadn't been stolen I would probably still be driving it. Is there any chance that GM might reincarnate that turbocharger configuration in a modern vehicle?

My other wish is that GM would offer a towing package on its performance cars.

Dear Car Guy:

I have been an advocate of yours for several years, although I have not always agreed with you or for that matter the direction of General Motors. But I read a comment, attributed to you, that stated basically that we who cover the auto industry no longer need to be journalists. I don't think you meant to say that, at least I hope not and I think you might pray that the people covering news of your company's activities are journalists. Without us, anything written about your company in the public eye will eventually become all bull**** and we all know there is already far too much of that going around already. I think you owe "journalists" an apology.

Herm Dillon
Editor
Automotive NewsWire

Is it too much to produce a hydrogen cell car with the look of the Saturn sky? When will GM grasp the hybrid technology and force oil companies to begin hydrogen distribution?

Someone needs to step up and offer hybrid only line ups.

Bob:

My 2 cents:

1) Olds was killed when they finally had good product in the Alero and Aurora. Use them.

2) Saturn needs a van like a fish needs a bicycle. Spend the money inproving the interiors.

3) KILL THE CENTER MOUNTED GUAGES! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, STOP THAT!

I owned three Opels. Here in the US. If you're gonna sell an Opel, be honest and badge it so. If GM had sold Opels for thirty years, Opel could have the cachet of other fine German cars. Saturn has the cachet of transportation appliance.

GM has the cachet of 'ok, for american; dull styling; mostly proletarian powerplants; and last but most: kill any successful niche product - after making it really good'. Forget branding and bring us product. And customer service - of which this blog is an integral part in the new world.

Thank you for the opportunity, Bob, good luck. I doubt it tho - just takes a long time to starve an elephant. And I love the new vette! Of course, I loved the corvair, the fiero, the opel gt, rallye manta - fun cars. Got fun? I have enough appliances...

Dear Bob Lutz,

First of all, thanks for putting up a blog, I for one certainly appreciate this form of communication with your clients. I'm a 14 year old Canadian who is to say the least very into cars and car design, infact, I hope to get into the industry when I get older. And I must say, i'm totally impressed with the new Saturn designs (Aura and Sky) and if you guys can keep producing designs like this (and obviously going through with them) you'll double your popularity!

Thanks!

Aaron

I've always been a truck guy, in the market for a new SUV. Trailblazer is perfect, except for fuel economy. When are the diesels coming? I'm actually looking at the Jeeb Liberty CRD, I think they have a winner at Jeep with that one.

Wouldn't mind a Cadillac either. Add all wheel drive to the CTS (plus a couple more standard features) price it competitively with the Infinity G35 AWD, and point me in the right direction - goodbye truck!

Hello!
This is awesome! Will you be commenting on, or bringing up GMAC Insurance? How about a link to it? As a proud employee of Gmac Insurance, I would love to see it! I am a claims adjuster for the company and love it!

Bob- Saturn's suck-Jump ship before she's sinks.
Resale, great value, no RECALL's, good looking,
Toyota's got it all. No cheap plastic door panels.
Great gas milege. No charge 100,000 warranty.
Blah, Blah, I could yak for days about my Camry.
Had all GM products, the diesel 88 and the vette
from hell. What was I thinking! Never again!

Finally I get to tell Bob Lutz my thoughts! I hate hearing that someone bought a Toyota or Honda "because we wanted a car that would last." How do you respond to that? My husband showed me a JD Power and Associates study that showed vehicle perception versus actual quality (GM did very well). Why weren't those results shouted from the mountain tops?

Keep it interesting Bob, forget the Toyota comments. They are as engaging as an insurance seminar. I recently bought a ION Red Line and it's a pretty good car. It could be better but the price was right and at least it's interesting.

I've had the Japanese brands and I keep coming back to GM. Keep Saturn customer focused though or you'll lose the base you have. There are those that consider the appliance-like car a good thing. They don't like inconvenience and irritation in their vehicles, or character for that matter.

I consider the Red Line to be a performance vehicle and I'm willing to live with some indiosyncracies because of it but some people have different opinions. The forums are full of people that have the perception these cars are not reliable and a lot of them are multiple Saturn owners.

I'll never buy a Honda again. Not because the car had problems or that the problem didn't get fixed the first time but because of the way we were treated when we tried to get the problem resolved. Neither the dealer or the manufacturer would honor their work or their warranty.

I hope GM can bring Saturn into this decade withoug losing what made them great over the last decade.

Mr. Lutz-

As the owner of a 2005 Buick LaCrosse CXS with every Buick option, I have to tell you that I was VERY disappointed with the way this car was introduced. First off, WHY were "Cardinal Red Metallic" and Sterling Silver Metallic the only two colors to roll off the assembly line for weeks and weeks? If there were other colors being produced, they were NOT making their way to the dealers, but were sitting in the stockyard somewhere. Also, why was the name "Cardinal Red Metallic" used, when the color looks nothing like a Cardinal BIRD and the metallic can only be seen with a magnifying glass?

Another concern/issue- why isn't Buick "customer service" the FIRST to know about any/all changes made to a car BEFORE the car is already sitting in the dealers' lots and they have no clue what you are asking them. They should know FIRST before the car rolls off the assembly line. There is NO excuse for this with the technology that GM MUST have at their disposal. While I'm on the subject of customer service, PLEASE train them to answer a question succinctly and to the POINT and not give vague/"corporate double-talk"- it REALLY turns people off!

I'm so glad that GM is FINALLY coming out with some cars that will attract a SECOND look! I haven't had a GM car since my 1996 Supercharged Buick Riviera! I was all set to get another one in 1999, but GM stopped making them. I know they made a few in 99, but I'm sure they are all in GM executives' garages. Besides, I was NOT about to pay over sticker price to get one.

As a result of that, I ended up with a 1999 Chrysler 300M. Oh boy! WORST car I have EVER owned! Great looking, great color, Candy Apple Red, but the biggest piece of crap ever. Chrysler spent $3,300 in warranty repairs on that car! Ended that lease 3 months early and just before it hit 36,000 miles because I didn't want it in MY name with no warranty. I do have to add that the car was EXTREMELY well cared for during those 33 months. Can't say it treated me the same way. Next came a 2001 Acura CL-S because GM STILL had NOTHING that caught my eye!

This past September that lease was up and I started hearing/reading everything and anything that I could find about the LaCrosse. It DID catch my eye, but it wasn't easy finding the info to see what it was all about. Again, "customer service" wasn't much help.

When the Cardinal Red Metallic turned out to be more maroon than RED, I dropped that color from my search. I had just bought a Galaxy Silver Metallic 2004 Chevy AVEO LS SEDAN in May of 2004, so silver was out also. As the remainder of the LaCrosse colors started to appear, they did nothing for me or the shape of the car. The last two colors that I wanted to see were the Deep Sapphire Metallic and the White Opal. That was not to be before all my GM incentives ran out on January 3rd! So, I had to go for the Black Onyx. I'm not sorry I got the black because it IS very classy looking. Picked it up on December 29th and have loved every mile so far!

GM has a lot of work ahead of them. Aside from better, "edgier" looking cars, you need to LISTEN to customers who are having problems with their cars and are given the run-around by the dealer. I'm not talking about nit-picking problems, but legitimate problems. This business of GM having NO SAY as to how a dealer treats a customer is for the BIRDS! How come you can dictate the size of a dealership, what cars will be sold alongside each other and new glass buildings for the Hummer, but you CAN'T step in and help a customer with a problem? Bull. Change the franchise language then or have a clause in there that after an inordinate number of customer complaints, you can pull their dealer license for X number of days so they can't sell any cars! You'll see how fast they'll change their ways! The liquor industry does this to places that sell to minors. Same theory- hit them in the pocketbook!

One last thing and then I'll get off my soapbox. You really should read/subscribe to http://www.GMinsidenews.com you have REAL people talking about real cars/problems/concerns. You just might see what is on the minds of "non-corporate" people in the EVERY DAY world.

Dear Mr. Lutz,

Take a look at Autoblog today 2/8/2005. The Opel Astra OPC is heralded as the next Saturn Ion Redline.

Oh, if only that were true!

If you build it, we will come! Make sure and build the Aura, too though, cause when we come our wives will likely make us get a practical family sedan. But at least we'll be in the dealership! ;-)

When I clicked on the Sky roadster link - for a moment I thought that GM had brought or licensed SkyCar http://www.moller.com/skycar/ (this is a car that flys), now that would have been exciting. What I was left with, though, was another ordinary car.

I'm an inventor, and I love cars that are innovative in one way or another.

I currently drive a Subaru VIVO -- a little car with an engine that would fit in a briefcase. It's just 660cc but puts out a whopping 66KW of power. It can also do close to 100 mph downhill in a favorable wind.

I have owned (at the other end of the scale), one of the first rally cars to win all major rallys around the world in its year, that year was 1985, the car -- and AUDI Coupe Quattro Turbo, awesome handling. The first car -- and have not seen any since, to have a full digital das, and an accentless beautiful sexy german female voice that cuts over the stereo to tell you about problems the engine-management computer has identified with any part of the car. There are 30+ different messages. Connecting the message to the fault is another issue altogether; there was not a lot of information on the Internet for this system.

The car cost a fortune to maintain (up to 10,000 US per annum) so I had to part with her, very sad!

Mr. Lutz

I think you have a winner here. I just came from the Chicago Auto Show and seen the future of Saturn and it looks bright.

I personally own 2 Saturns a 1994 SL2 with 139,000 miles on it and 2003 L300 with 16,000 miles on it -- both look good and drive well.

I had been looking to buy a roadster in the future (like a Honda S2000) but as nice as the Sky looks I will probably purchase the Sky when it comes out next year.

Keep up the good work. You have loyal costomers at Saturn: never forget that.

Sincerly Thanks
Loyal Saturn Owner
Donald Jarchow

How come it's taking GM so long to introduce real revolutionary technology to its OHV engines (i.e. DOD, variable valve timing, 3-valve heads, etc). The rest of the industry is simply moving to far ahead to compete (i.e. BMWs new DOHC 3.0l double VANOS engine with alum/mag block).

Well,
Today GM just announced January auto sales. In a word, awful. What is even worse is GM's executive team, in their conference call, has blamed the results on a "weak" market. Have we heard that one before? These idiotic comments have gotten to the point of being maddening. The bodies in the corner office appear to be totally out of touch with reality or are attempting to see how long their ineffective management can bamboozle a patriarchal board and shareholders. I must say I view Mr. Lutz as an outsider to this mess and consider him the only, and I repeat only, ray of hope for GM.

For GM's executives to state that the results were just plain awful because the market is weak, shows just how pervasive the lack of accountability is at GM. What's even worse than that lack of accountability is the attitude and lack of accountability of the board. A string of hand picked losers have populated GM's corner offices for forty years. In that period of time a great American institution has literally been destroyed. I can imagine the executives at Toyota wondering how long the ineptitude can continue.

*Tens of millions of automobiles have been sold globally at the expense of GM
*Market share losses have been consistent and dropped to new lows almost every year
*GM's share price has eroded significantly while competitors have delivered tremendous returns
*Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their jobs at GM due to pitiful management
*Debt has grown to be a mountain which may not be servicable over the long haul
*Here is the truly awful part. GM executives have pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars during this time frame for delivering these results

I think I'll stop there as I am getting sick. Mr. Chairman & Board of Directors, Toyota and Nissan reported tremendous results and have done so consistently for years while you complain of a soft market. In reality, you have no sense of urgency, no effective plan to aggressively lure new buyers let alone keep buyers and have consistently delivered mediocre product to the market for so long it is almost impossible to believe a company is consistently inept.

It is time for the board to either stand up or resign. Frankly, a non auto industry executive would be the best choice for GM. A Louis Gerstner type. The only survivor should be Lutz who has at least tried to infuse design excellence into the equation. Unbelievable. We'll see how much heat GM can take. Will this be posted?

I have bought 2 GM cars in the past seven years, but gone elsewhere for the other two. I don't understand your pricing strategy. In Kansas City, I can buy a Toyota Corolla or Focus cheaper than a Cobalt. The Corolla offers the reputation of quality, and the RESALE value to go with it. Hyundai understood that they had to promise quality to get market acceptance, even if they weren't demanding a premium price. The Cobalt is priced assuming the quality reputation, but with nothing to back up the promise. If you want to charge the premium price, offer the best warranty in the market. As much as I liked the Cobalt, I cannot justify the pricing in comparison to Corolla (resale), Hyundai (warranty/cost of ownership), or Focus (driving dynamics at a lower price - $2K rebate). I wish GM success, but you are not helping yourself.

Mr. Lutz,

I have a problem and it's getting worse. I own a 2002 Corvette and would like to purchase a C6...specifically a ZO6. However, the fixed roof is inconsistent with the car's nature. I would gladly give up the extra rigidity for the open-air experience. The obvious solution is to offer the ZO6 as a coupe and convertible, but I think there is another problem about to surface.

I drive a Corvette to have the best performing vehicle GM makes and one that is clearly superior to others. Now, we have or are about to have 400-440 horsepower Pontiacs and Cadillacs and who knows what in the next Mustang Cobra. To maintain its performance position the Corvette needs to have dominant horsepower, but maybe not as standard equipment. If Chevrolet brought back the Z52 option in the form of the Z51 suspension with ZO6 drivetrain, it would give me the body style I want and solve the competitive horsepower issue for those to whom it matters. I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the number of people who would select the option.

For now, I think I'll put new brakes and tires on my 2002 and wait to see what happens.

Dear Bob,

Let me say that we bought one of the first SW2's that came into Canada. I had read about the Saturn story, corresponded with other Saturn owners in the US and and ordered and SW2 and waited!! for 3 months for its arrival.

The strength of that dealership experience had us buying a used SAAB 900 as a second vehicle.

But then with nothing in the product portfolio to appeal we went elsewhere. Currently an A2 Jetta TDI and a Contour/Mondeo occupy our garage.

I look forward to seeing what plans you my have for Saturn as in my mind they couldn't happen quickly enough. Our short list of next car purchases tops out with the Mazda5. Now if a Saturn branded Zafira made it over (quickly!) then that would certainly change things.

The Sky and Solstice are pretty intriguing I must say, but I'd also like to recommend bringing an EPA/DOT legal Vauxhall VX220 over, maybe as a Buick luxury roadster?

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/?long_term_test/long_term_test_story.php?id=26015

One can dream...

Ruminating on GM's poor Q1 results and press comments on strategy, I feel I gotta post my extreme idea, burning at me for years -> MERGE SATURN AND CHEVY. While lauding above "a brand whose customer service reputation was that high for that long" and "the finest retail network in the industry," isn't that what Chevy used to be? Is there anything there to which Chevy would not aspire? Shouldn't the Saturn Sky be the next Camaro? Shouldn't the Saturn Aura be a better Chevy Malibu?

If the idea is that Saturn is mid-market and Chevy is down-market, I'd say there is NO down-market anymore and GM can't afford to have its largest division there. There's good and bad in both C and S. Merge the best, purge the rest and save a bundle in the out-years. Chevy is, after all, your new global brand from Chile to Korea.

Mr. Lutz.
I have owned GM convertibles for over 30 years. Camaros, Firebirds, all the way back to a 64 Impala Super Sport.

Where are your 4 passenger convertibles? I bought a new car 2 years ago, and had to go to a Sebring to go topless.

Chevy is just a truck company now.

God bless!

Mr. Lutz,

Saturn built new dealerships with nice showrooms and displayed the product. What if GM did that with other brands? Surprise.

What would happen if GM started putting in high profile show rooms in trendy areas in top ten markets? Surprise.

GM has some nice dealerships, but they need more. Some are aging and in less desirable locations for the new market.

I've got a 92 saturn with over 300,000 miles on it and I drive it hard every day and it has never had a major problem. So people who try to bad mouth Saturns will always get an ear full from me. I'm really anxious to see what happens with the sky, and keep up the good work at Saturn.

In '74 I bought a Chevy Vega and have not bought a GM car since.
Until I read that GM can produce a car that will still be providing excellent service without increasing defects after 2 or 3 years then maybe I will consider buying one. Since the Vega I have bought 9 cars the last 5 of which have been Mazda's.

Hi Bob.

You've hit it on the head. Your Irving store's customer service is in great part why I picked up one of the last 04 Ions. The interior is great...

but Saturn is in desperate need of more innovative product. The polymer panels were a great idea: it's a pity that they're on the way out. Perhaps you could get with the LM guys to use vacuformed panels, and see if the weight savings let the fuel efficiency improve?

But all this is irrelevant. So long as Saturn's products are nothing but the main GM line with a better interior, customer service is all you're going to have to sell. Sacrificing the VUE's hybrid system to a bizarre GM overall strategy is just another in a long series of examples.

I'll be a very happy customer if you put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise, you can kiss me off when my wife's Jeep needs replacing in a few years.

Bob,

My '93 SC2 saved my life when I got hit head-on. I have owned two Saturns since then (including the one I'm still driving).

Keep making great cars. Keep making the import makers sweat.

Thanks again.

I am an aging baby boomer and an early morning commuter in New Jersey, land of cold early morning ice and snow, and soon to come, extended daylight savings time, courtesy of Congress. The minivan I need must have manual, not power, sliding doors, a rear window washer, rear window defogger, rear window wiper. It must not have any dark tinted windows anywhere. I need to avoid running down early morning jogges behind, around and in front of me. They will be invisible once extended daylight savings time hits, to early morning commuters like me if I have any dark tinted windows anywhere on my minivan. I need power brakes, power steering, power windows, front wheel drive, am-fm stereo radio, autmatic transmission. Good visibility, side, front and rear in both mirrors and the ability to look out the back window the old fashioned way from the driver's seat. I want to be able to open and close all doors, front, back and side, the old fashioned way with a key. I do not want to have to carry a keyless remote control device with me. I also do not want leather anything anywhere on or in the minivan. No leather! That means no leather seats, no leather wrapped steering wheels, no leather anywhere. Does such a Saturn, or GM minivan exist, or will it? new or used?

You put any car in New York City with conventional steel panels and count the number of dings you get in a day and you'll understand why polymer panels are a godsend.

I'm very disapointed that saturn is phasing out their dent resistant body panels. I own a 2002 SL2 and unfortunately, i do not like where GM is taking saturn. My saturn wont rust, and gets over 38MPG, i do not see any current GM engines that can get that MPG.

I wish GM would leave saturn alone...

If i was God at GM, There would be no more Buicks, Pontiacs or Saturns. Chevy's and Caddies and a GMC/Chevy truck line would make more sense. It doesn't really make alot of sense to spend so much on design and engineering to make such a broad array of cars. I've not figured out why Saturns
early success, especially now with the recent employee price sale, and the Red tag sale scheme, doesn't just stick with the original Saturan policy. You walk in, you know the price, you walk out with a new car, and both you and your dealer become friends

I welcome Mr. Lutz and GM to internet blogging. I am a long time fan of GM cars. I admit, Saturn was not my first choice for my first car. But, once I sat in one and drove it, I loved it!! I also love the customer service and the people who make Saturn what it is. I am now on my 2nd Saturn - a 2005 Ion Ouad Coupe 2, and I LOVE IT!! I went to Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Hyundai, and Kia to test drive their cars, and ya know what? None of them can touch the customer service experience that I get every time I go to a Saturn Dealership. None of them can touch the quality, comfort, and overall fun I have while driving my Saturn. From my first 1997 SL2 to my 2005 Ion QC2, I will be a Saturn buyer for life.

On an honest note, as a consumer, I love the Ion Red Line, however, I would really love to see a more performance oriented, more interior and exterior customizable Saturn lineup. I think you and GM are on the right track with Saturn. I don't care what other people say, Saturns are good cars. If it wasn't for Saturn, i would probably be driving a boring foreign car. Keep up the good work Mr. Lutz, with GM and with Saturn.

Regarding the Camaro...when will it be available and how much will it cost, with a sunroof!

Your design team hit a home run with this concept car. It will be a winner again, if you put it into production.

lookimg for a horn for a1996 saturn sc2

...hi hope the gm team get this..the high wage cost is got to be down to the amount of paper waver,s....in the plant is increasing am i missing something here?.stretching the workforce to there limits...vauxhall ga uk

I'm so upset that GM seems intent on RUINING their wonderful Saturn brand! I own a 1999 SL2 and it is reliable, plus Saturn is known for its excellent service departments and I've experienced that consistently, both of which makes me want to stick with Saturn. HOWEVER, over the last few years, when Saturn should have been "going green", building on their success by recognizing who their customers are and putting out some hybrids, while continuing to produce basic, reliable cars under an almost autonomous Saturn, instead they have discontinued the classic S series, now are discontinuing the Ion, they have NO hybrid cars (only the SUV will have a hybrid coming out, but no cars to compete with Honda and Toyota, hello, has GM forgotten who their Saturn customers are?), and it seems to me that they are only going to have the SUV and some new models that are either going to be a little sportster (the Sky) or more luxurious sedans along the line of an Oldsmobile. What happened to the basic, reliable, affordable, great mileage-getting Saturn CAR? Where are some hybrids? Why are you taking away Saturn's autonomy and shutting down parts of the plant?

Color me SO upset. Saturn, as a company, did EVERYTHING GM envisioned it doing when it was created. And how does GM reward the company? By taking away its autonomy, not recognizing its "green" customers' desire for a hybrid or at least to continue making cars with great mileage, and shutting down parts of the factory.

I've hung onto my 1999 this long because I was waiting for a hybrid. Now I would just be happy if Saturn were going to come out with ANY car that seems like a Saturn. I don't want an Opel or Oldsmobile. Guess I'll have to go back to Toyota or start anew with Honda when my beloved '99 SL2 finally goes on its last, smooth, beautiful ride.

Dear Bob
I am from Quebec Canada so please excuse my english.I have owned hondas and toyotas for the last twenty years and i would of never even considered buying an american car because they just never had the full package.

They were always missing something ether the exterior was just plain boring or the inerior was absoluty awfull with those plastiky interior that just never seemed to change from car to car.I meen those round radio nobs and heater nobs should of been gone ten years ago.

Enough with putting down your cars.For the first time in my life i actually see the turn around happening,and i would like to congratulate you for putting together a great saturn line up.My sister a die hard japanesse car buyer like me will be buying a Pontiac solstice this weak and i actually encouraged her.
I will be buying a saturn sky as soon as there out here in canada.Finally i can now be patriotic to north america and buy a north american car.And i know i will be loving it. Thank you Bob

Dear Bob
I saw pictures of the new silverado the other day. I must say I was truly dissapointed. After seeing the new tahoe's I had such high hopes that the new silverados would be knockouts, insted I find them somewhat offensive. Here again you have the age old problem of great concept(the chevy cheyenne) and dissapointing production vehicles. What happen to the promise of industry leading styling? Were the silverados designed before you made that promise? It is too late to change them now but you need to get back to the drawing board as soon as possible. I know you can make good looking production vehicles, for example the pontiac soltist the saturn sky the saturn aurora. All of the are great looking vehicles why you ca'nt make the silverado a great looking vehicle is beyond me.

Many thanks for an opportunity to respond. Please stay ahead of Ford and Toyota and make the hybrid Saturn a plug in hybrid. Advise your marketing people that a PHEV does not ever have to be plugged in but when it is, most people will experience the equivalent of 75-100 mpg. You have a huge world market and a home grown TN market ready to go courtesy of the TN Rural Electric CO OPS, TVA and Al Gore. You also have a great market in the form of the City of Austin, TX and Plug in Partners. GM and Saturn have a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead instead of follow and lead profitably.

Thanks, Thanks for driving me away from the Saturn fold and into Honda's arms. I have been a loyal Saturn owner for a long time. You took a Division that sold quality, innovative ( plastic bodies, decent engines, 4 wheel disc brakes on a base model) cars and stripped it of its core product line (S Series & Ion). Why do you think those owners were so loyal?

My 94 SL was replaced by a 04 Ion, my wife's 1996 Taurus by a 05 Ion. My family currently owns 6 more Saturn’s (SL’s & Ions), all because of a little 94 SL that after 10 years was still going strong. It survived 10 saltly winters and still looked new. Now the plastic body panels are being dropped and the Ion replaced with a rebadged Opel? For ~$3000 more than a current Ion? No thanks, you can keep it. The Civic is now cheaper and you no longer have the unique edge.

Way to turn a division around, alienate the core set of buyers by canceling the products they were so loyal to. Do you really think I am loyal to the dealership where I bought the car? How did rebadging work for Plymouth and Oldsmobile?

Dear Bob,
While many product lines in the GM family have improved,
its viltil that you guys start
looking at the competition.
Remember; CHEVROLET is still the CASH COW of GM.
All these other Divisions should stand back, until the
CHEVROLET people are seated.
Just build Car's & Trucks that people want to buy.
If you have a problem with this STATEMENT I'll understand.
If you find interest in this,
I and JIM PERKINS would be glad to come back tempary to
help you out.
Respectfully,

next time i'll buy a toyota.

i have always tried to buy american products, but the saturn doesn't measure up. we have a 2002 sedan sl2 with 54,000 miles which my wife drives around town. and it needed a $1200 rack and pinion replaced. this is ridiculous for a car of this mileage. these things don't just wear out and the car has never been damaged in any way. it was obviously a defective part, and saturn should take responsibility for their defects.

we own two general motors cars (saturn and cadillac) and a ford truck. we bought the saturn in the first place because we wanted a simple, economical, and reliable american car for around town. and we had heard saturn excelled at customer service. now i am thoroughly disgusted with them. i should not be spending $1200 on a car which is otherwise in perfect shape. is this why you only warranty them for 36000 miles? i don't think this would happen with a toyota. i am done with saturn and done with general motors.

steve hitchcock
encinitas, california

You've just lost a Saturn customer when I found out the polymer panels will soon be discontinued.

Seems saturn is turning away from its basic, original, philosophy.

Our '99 SL2 has Saturn's own engine.....not some GM engine used in other vehicles.

And we live where salt is used on roads, and the polymer works well for that.

I just test drove an Aura, and nothing with this car really distinguishes it from any other car out there.

Go back to what put saturn on the map. Change isn't always good if it's just for the sake of change.

The polymer panels meant the car was less expensive to insure, and repair, and it's alot of what made the Saturn truly unique.

With the saturn now going to sheet metal, and various engines which are not their own, what's the advantage to owning one?

GM simply does not make a single car that is either ugly or bad. GM cars are the best in the world today. From Cherolet to Cadillac, they cannot be beaten.

This is a fact from a long time skeptic. GM has done what I have advovated they do for years: BUILD GOOD CARS!

I am very impressed!

I have been recently informed that pontiac is making a concept car for the Trans AM.
The one design that I think will be the most eye
cathing will be the one that used the F body type
simillar to the new camaro but the looks is a
new flar to the 1977 Trans AM fire bird.
By all means if this body will be used this car
my not only compeat with comaro but the mustang as well. All that I'm trying to say is that when
this car hits the market I will defently buy that
car.

It is easy to understand why GM is having trouble selling auto`s and trucks.
An example is my 1999 truck.
It is a 99 3500 Silverado with a Diesel engine.The truck is capable of several hundred thousand miles,and yet the engeneering prevents this from happening.
The pitman arm is a prime example.It containes the socket instead of placing the socket in the control rod.The location of the pitman is such that it requires excess labor and cost to the owner to replace.
Simple things like this prevent GM vehicles from being #1.

Thank You

Does BMW, Toyota or Harley rely on rebates or flashy commercials?
where do they spend their money and where do the big three? Why is it different.
The American executive world has been ruled too long by guys who call cars "The Product" and treat them no differently than they would a box of cookies.
You are one of the first to bring back the concept of win on sunday sell on monday. The Vipers, when you were at Chrysler ruled GT Racing as the Vetts do now. Building cars people can be enthused about isn't about "this quarters profits". Its about marketing and making people admire what you do and makes those within the company work harder and do better, because they like what they are building. The concept of cheaper faster has ruined many of the industries that used to make America great. We once again need to inject enthusiasm and quality in replacement of cheaper faster that hopes that the money saved can be spent on making flashy commercials and giving back rebates.
Since the win on sunday sell on monday was replaced by rebate mainia.

I love Saturns. I find