Move Back
![Saturn S-Series]()
Marketed simply as the "Saturn," the S-Series was the brand's first car. Heralded for it's fuel efficiency and unique plastic-bodied construction, a dealer network focused on customer service sold as many as 300,000 cars a year. Unfortunately, General Motors left the S-Series hanging for too many of those years, as it reaped the profits of SUVs sold by it's other brands. The vehicle soldiered on for over a decade without any major changes, leaving the brand's image tarnished, and its loyal customer base diminished.![Saturn Sky]()
The Saturn Sky roadster was an effort to inject some youthful vigor into the stale bread and butter brand. Sharing everything but it's looks with the Pontiac Solstice (now dead. Pattern forming?) sales of the Delaware-built coupe peaked at 11,000 in 2007.![Saturn Aura]()
The 2007 Saturn Aura was the product of a renewed effort to revive the brand by tapping into General Motor's global engineering network, basing many of it's new vehicles on platforms developed by Opel, the corporation's European arm (itself now on the chopping block.) The car was a critical success, winning the prestigious 2007 North American Car of the Year award, but a lackluster marketing effort by GM couldn't capitalize on the aura of the accolades, leading to lackluster sales. Ironically, the nearly identical Chevrolet Malibu won the same award in 2008 and went on to become one of General Motors' top-selling vehicles.![Saturn Astra]()
With the 2008 Saturn Astra, the import fighter became an import brand. Manufactured in Antwerp, Belgium, the Astra was little more than an rebadged Opel Astra, one of the-best selling vehicles in Europe. But a weakening dollar meant U.S.-bound Astras carried a higher sticker price than their competitors, and the company struggled to sell 11,968 cars before pulling the plug on the model line.![Vue Plug-In Hybrid]()
The 2010 Vue Plug-In Hybrid was expected to be the first plug-in hybrid available in the U.S., hitting the market just before the much heralded Chevrolet Volt. Fuel economy estimates were never released, but with an all-electric range of 10 miles, the small crossover would've been one of the most potent hybrids on the road, if Saturn didn't reach the end of its own road.The Rings of Saturn
Saturn built it's first car in 1990, heralding the arrival of a "Different Kind of Car Company." Unfortunately different doesn't always mean better. The fuel efficient, plastic-bodied cars that defined the brand in its early years sold well at first, attracting an almost cult-like network of owners attracted to the company's high level of customer service, but General Motors let the lineup go stale as it focused on the cash cow SUVs being built by its other brands. Here's a look at what was, and what could have been for the little import fighter that couldn't.
Move Forward
- The Rings of Saturn
