The result was Saturn. And since smaller cars were believed to represent the future of the industry, the episode called into question of the of the American auto business. Vegas tended to rust quickly and their aluminum engines wore out quickly. By 1995 they had made their first million cars. Lasting Impact of Saturn Cars. By 1994, Saturn was the third best-selling car model in the U.S. with J.D. The Toyota Supra Gets a Four-Cylinder Engine and We’re Simply Gobsmacked! As a wholly-owned subsidiary of GM, it manufactures automobiles … Saturn cars have had a brief but eventful history. And then there was money. Saturn is a brand that never seemed to become popular. You might remember some of their cars, including these ones that went down in history for ruining the brand. The finished product, introduced in 1970, however, proved disappointing. Saturn is a division of the General Motors Corporation and a brand of automobiles. These cars were well-received in the early 1990s, both on their own merits and because they were all built in Spring Hill, Tennessee, rather than far away in Japan or Germany. Details here! Global Auto Salon Riyadh opens doors for visitors! During the intervening years, GM formally established the Saturn Car Corporation and began working out a labor agreement with the UAW to gain concessions to make Saturn possible. Company History: Saturn Corporation grew out of a project begun in 1982 within General Motors Corp. to explore the potential for building a small car of superior quality and value as efficiently as possible, combining the most advanced technology with the newest approaches to management. The Saturn concept grew out of a particular climate within the car industry in the late 1980s. In 1975, GM introduced another new import killer called the Chevette. AutomobilesReview.com is Web Blog and Online Community specialized in representing automobile news, reviews, tuning and auto shows to the World Wide Web users. Stay tuned with exclusive news from the car industry, download high-resolution wallpapers at no cost and share everything you love on the social media. Limited numbers of Aura, Outlook and Vue were made in 2010 and sold only to rental car companies. The promise behind this new company was enormous. For the cars collectively known as Saturns, see Saturn S-Series. While Saturn only sold cars for 20 years, the company did leave a mark on the industry. This was because the Saturn launch was the priority. Alex C. Mair began discussions of a "revolutionary new", small car project codenamed Saturn in June 1982. Here are the most significant moments in Saturn's brief history: 1982 GM establishes a small car study named after the rocket that carried Americans … When Roger Smith launched Saturn, he told the other divisions they couldn't have many additional funds to introduce their new models. It was established on January 7, 1985. The industry, however, began to change in the 1960s, though, when foreign car makers started to ship smaller, more efficient cars to the States. Log in, All-Wheel Drive Supplies the Nissan Altima With a Competitive Edge, Lexus Brings a Convertible to the Gorgeous LC 500 Line, Stellantis Logo Revealed by Peugeot, Fiat Chrysler Ahead of Spring Merger, Compact Performance:2021 Cadillac CT4-V — Auto Trends Magazine, Cadillac to Ditch Latest Naming Convention — Auto Trends Magazine, Turbo PHEV: 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, Genesis G70: Affordable, Luxury Sedan — Auto Trends Magazine, Introducing the All-New Cadillac CT4 — Auto Trends Magazine, The High Potency Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Coupe, The All-New Chevrolet Trailblazer Forges Urban Paths, The Small Infiniti QX50 is Big on Tech and Engineering Features, Toyota Brings the TRD Treatment to the Midsize Camry Sedan, The Kia K5 Outclasses Most Competitors, Including the Departing Optima. Saturn, after all, was the grand experiment that could change everything GM did so a lot of resources went into its creation and launch. Copyright © 2020, BGO Media Network. Find out how the Saturn car company works from early production up to the current Saturn Sky. Eventually the hostility within GM towards the Saturn brand was the beginning of the end. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of GM, it manufactures automobiles in the United States. In 1968, GM announced that it would build a new car called the Vega to compete with the foreign imports. Saturn was to be not only a new kind of car, it was to be a new type of car company. Web design by BGO Software. Saturn is a division of the General Motors Corporation and a brand of automobiles. In 1993, a wagon was added to the S-Series range, as well as a version of the coupe with the less powerful single overhead cam engine. Powers consistently rating it as among the top three cars in owner and customer sales satisfaction. Unfortunately, this lead to everyone in the GM family being hostile toward and jealous of the new arrival. It was so different that the other GM divisions had trouble working with it. White Space Wonder: 2020 Nissan Rogue Sport. Can the Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road Handle Tough Terrain? By Michael DeRosa Mar 18, 2020. Subaru WRX Showcases Its Performance Chops, Infiniti Overhauls QX80 Trims and Makes This Important Safety Feature Standard, Ford F-250 Super Duty and a Trail-Stomping Tremor Package, General Motors Deepens Partnership With Honda, Takes Stake in Nikola. Powered by BGOcloud. At the time, General Motors was building big, heavy automobiles emphasizing style and comfort. Here is the story. Born in 1982 as Project Saturn, it was an all-out effort to stem the growing Japanese dominance of the U.S. small-car market. SEE ALSO: A Pace Car by Kahn Design? At the time, General Motors was building big, heavy automobiles emphasizing style and comfort. The first prototype Saturn vehicle was introduced in 1984, but it wasn’t until 1990 that a production model was made available. It was established on January 7, 1985. In the late 1980s, General Motors (GM) formed a new car company to compete with the growing number of Japanese imports coming into the country. The industry, however, began to change in the 1960s, though, when foreign car makers started to ship smaller, more efficient cars to the States. Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni, 2015 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Special Edition. All Rights Reserved. While Saturn cars proved very popular with buyers, [citation needed] actual sales never met the optimistic projected targets, in part because of the early 1990s recession. According to our source at Lynch Chevrolet of Mukwonago, a local Chevrolet dealer in Mukwonago, WI, GM insiders say it was because Saturn as a car company was too different. Will the Electric Vehicle Boom Create New-Found Dependencies for Foreign Minerals?