NHTSA is ramping up its investigation into the Saturn Aura after numerous complaints of the vehicle moving while in park or accelerating in the opposite direction to which the driver intended. A total of 33 complaints have been received by NHTSA and GM combined, covering both 2007 and 2008 model Auras. So far, an engineering analysis is…
Even with skyrocketing fuel prices, subcompacts are selling less than their compact counterparts. The Ford Fiesta was the overall leader in the subcompact department, 9,147 sales but still trailed the larger Focus’ 17,265 total sales. Honda Civic sales rose 7% to 26,777 which is more than triple the Fit’s total of 8,116 units in April. Furthermore,…
The Saturn Vue is back, but you won’t be able to buy one. That’s because the Chevrolet Captiva Sport, essentially a rebadged Vue, will only be available to fleet customers. With either a 2.4L Ecotec 4-cylinder or a 3.0L direct injection V6, the Captiva will offer an adequate powertrain for all types of customers, but…
General Motors has announced a massive recall of 1.5 million vehicles over concern that their heated windshield washer fluid system could catch fire. No solution for the problem is available and so GM will give owners a $100 rebate (yup, $150 million in total) for the loss of the feature on their vehicle. GM had…
It may cost more money to purchase and fill up, but SUVs , trucks and mini-vans are cheaper to insure. This information is coming from a recent government report that based its findings on the fact that some vehicles cost less to fix, and therefore reflects how much it will cost to insure. Based on…
In an effort to provide better customer support and head off problems before they get out of control, General Motors has created a new “task force” aimed at monitoring social media sites for complaints about GM vehicles and looking to find solutions. A report in the Detroit Free Press highlights the story of one woman,…
Frederick “Fritz” Henderson has resigned as General Motors chief executive officer. Henderson (left, in the photo above) was appointed CEO on March 29, replacing Rick Waggoner who shown the door by the Obama administration. Over the last eight months, Henderson worked at reorganizing the company. GM announced that Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. (right, in the…
Penske’s deal to buy the Saturn arm of General Motors has reportedly fallen through. Back in June the Penske Automotive Group (PAG) had announced it would buy the brand from GM, along with its dealer network. “This is very disappointing news and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees and Saturn…
According to a recent report on CBC Radio’s French website Radio Canada, the Penske Automotive Group plans to close all the Saturn dealers in Canada once its deal to buy the brand from General Motors is complete. At one time there were 60 Saturn dealers in Canada, but half of those dropped out of the…
If all goes as planned the Penske-owned Saturn brand could be selling rebadged vehicles from French automaker Renault in the U.S. Thought to be a wild rumor at first, Renault has now confirmed that Penske has in fact approached the automaker to supply both parts and cars. Currently Penske Automotive Group has a tentative deal…
Earlier this week General Motors officially turned off the lights and locked the doors at its Boxwood Road assembly plant for the last time, marking the end of the line for the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky. The two vehicles (along with the Opel GT) were manufactured at the plant in Wilmington, Delaware, which is…
Today the sun rose on a New General Motors, a move which will also see the sun set on a lot of people’s careers. GM emerged from bankruptcy protection at 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time with news of a serious corporate restructuring plan that will take effect over the next few months. Due to leadership (and…
While GM has reached a deal with Penske to sell off its Saturn brand, the future for dealers is anything but certain and Korean automaker Kia is hoping to capitalize on that. Kia dealerships are often in either rural areas or less popular urban areas because land in high-traffic and densely populated urban areas is…
General Motors has reached an agreement with the Penske Automotive Group on the sale of its Saturn brand. An official announcement is expected to be made by both parties later today. The Penske Automotive Group was thought to be one of the front-runners in the bidding war, which also reportedly included Nissan/Renault, Mitsubishi and investment…
With news of a tentative deal to sell off Hummer coming yesterday, GM still hasn’t made any decisions about its Saturn or Saab brands – but apparently it has plenty of offers to entertain. GM CFO Ray Young said that Saturn has as many as 16 suitors, while the Swedish Saab brand has three. The…
By solidifying a deal to take control of GM’s European operations, Canada’s Magna International Inc. is eager to start producing Opel cars in Canada. “We want to build Opel cars in Canada,” said company founder and CEO Frank Stronach. “Canada should have its own Canadian company … a truly Canadian automobile industry.” The third largest…
While President Obama and General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson are both expected to hold press conferences today, officially GM has already filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. Once the world’s largest automaker and a symbol of the success of free market economics, GM is now a symbol of failure. In the 1950s it employed over…
Oddly, it seems as though Saturn is far more interesting and far more loved as the up-for auction arm of a doomed for bankruptcy company than it ever was as regular old car brand. To date the Penske Automotive Group, automaker Nissan/Renault and investment firm Telesto Ventures have all been cited as potential buyers. Now…
The possibility that Penske Automotive Group may in fact purchase the Saturn brand from General Motors has just increased significantly. Penske has acquired the services of former Chrysler President Tom LaSorda as an adviser on the bid. Penske is the second largest dealership group in the U.S. and also distributes the SMART brand of cars…
General Motors will cut 1,124 dealerships loose by October of 2010. The struggling automaker on the verge of bankruptcy sent letters out to the dealerships last week as it searches for ways to reduce it’s current dealer network of 5,969 to just 3,600. GM says it will not renew dealership agreements with the 1,124 companies…
GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz Kisses a Saturn Astra. Recently he kissed-goodbye to all his stock in the company. In a move that should probably be illegal (but isn’t) six General Motors executives recently sold off all their shares in the company. That’s right, those same guys who helped drive GM into bankruptcy traded in…
It’s not exactly the sort of news worthy of a celebration, but some cautious optimism is certainly appropriate as word comes that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky might not suffer the same fate as almost every other fun vehicle under the General Motors umbrella. Fritz Henderson, GM’s new CEO said that the company would…
General Motors has once again posted a massive quarterly loss, coming up short to the tune of $6 billion for Q1 of ’09. That is roughly the equivalent of the value of 473,000 Chevy Aveos. The company burned through $10.2 billion during the period, lowering its cash reserves to $11.6 billion from $14.2 billion at…
The sale of Saturn to Nissan-Renault could see cars like this Mégane Renault Sport roaming U.S. streets. The rumor mill keeps churning out new and exciting candidates interested in buying GM’s Saturn brand. The most recent speculation is that Nissan/Renault might be interested. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the Nissan-Renault interest in Saturn, while…
