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Autoblog
Autoblog (feeds.autoblog.com) has great Saturn Corporation news, photos, videos and more
Thursday, Aug 13
Quick Drive: Buick/Saturn Vue plug-in...
Quick Drive: Buick/Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid prototype Of course, at that time, Saturn still had a future as part of GM but we all know how that turned out. The Vue was Saturn's best-selling vehicle in 2008 with ...
Thursday, Jun 11
First Drive: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox ushers in New GM era
Like several other recent GM vehicles, the dashboard flows into the door panels with a look that provides some continuity. Some of the past iterations of this, notably the Saturn Aura, had an issue with vertical alignment of the door panels and ...
GM to discontinue mild hybrid Malibu, Vue, Aura for 2010 model year
CA The Chevy Malibu, and Saturn Aura and Vue have been available with GM's belt-alternator-starter (BAS) system since 2007, but have never sold in any significant volumes. The system primarily provided automatic start/stop functionality with a little bit ...
Tuesday, May 26
We take a quick spin in GM's latest HCCI engine prototype
We had a chance to drive a Saturn Aura with an HCCI engine based on the 2.2-liter EcoTec four-cylinder around the streets near the Tech Center. The engine ran smoothly and transitions between HCCI and spark ignition really couldn't be felt. ...
REPORT: Samsung looks to be most likely supplier to a Penske-owned ...
GM has already announced it will cease producing new Saturn cars at the end of June 2009, which means the new owner will have to line up another company to provide products for those 380-odd stores. One of the rumors making the rounds is Renault would ...
REPORT: Opel's 'preferred' buyer(s) expected to be named mid-week
Why would this list be coming from Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman and not, say, GM? Because the German government will have to step in with financing guarantees when the deal is made. Saturn fancier and parts supplier extraordinaire, ...
Tuesday, May 12
Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.12.09
CA The Opel Astra hasn't been welcomed with open arms here in the US while wearing a Saturn badge, but the four-cylinder econocar lineup is pivotal stuff in Europe, and the next-generation model could still find its way to America – even if it doesn't ...
GM recalls Camaro, Traverse, SUVs/pickups for various issues
CA Oddly, the recall does not make mention of GM's other Lambda-based three-row crossovers, which include the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook. Finally, 27189 GM SUVs and pickups are being recalled due to potential faults with their fuel ...
Sunday, Apr 12
GM, Task Force preparing for "surgical" bankruptcy
CA The bad bits, including lackluster brands (Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn), bloated dealer networks, extra manufacturing capacity and health care obligations would left in the "old" GM and liquidated over the course of several years. ...
Thursday, Nov 20
LA 2008: VW Jetta TDI named Green Car of the Year
There are a few standouts in the emerging green sector of the U.S. auto market that are hitting the market in 2009. BMW's first clean diesel in the United States, the 335d, is one such vehicle that has torque-loving enthusiasts salivating, and General Motors' upcoming Saturn Vue is the first...
Wednesday, Nov 5
China's Insignia-based Buick Regal revealed
The new Regal is scheduled to hit Chinese showrooms in December will arrive with a choice of two powertrains: a 164-hp 2.4L four-cylinder engine and 211-hp 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder, both of which come standard with a six-speed manual transmission. The naturally aspirated four-b...
Tuesday, Sep 30
Chinese Buick Regal caught dressed in red
Two weeks ago we showed you spy shots of a 2010 Buick Regal caught testing in China that appeared to be nothing more than a rebadged Opel Insignia. (As you may recall, we'll be getting the 2010 Buick LaCrosse in the States.) All three of those cars are based on GM's Epsilon II platform, which we w...
Wednesday, Sep 17
GgggM CcCancels heated washer fluid option
In a move that might frost your cupcakes, General Motors has dropped the heated windshield washer fluid option on all models. The feature was a big part of Buick advertising in the recent past, but GM has either not had enough takers, or there are issues with the OEM for the system components....
Thursday, Aug 21
Deal of the Day: Employee Pricing means $10,000 off on 2008 Corvette Z06
Need an SUV? May we suggest a Hummer H3 for about $23K? Those in the market for a luxury sedan could certainly do worse than a Cadillac STS-V for $66,640.88 after some $14K in savings. Of course, practical shoppers can take five-grand off their Saturn Aura XR sedan and end up paying just $21,63...
Tuesday, Aug 19
GM brings back employee pricing to sell remaining 2008 models
Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, HUMMER, Saab, SaturnIt is no secret that the automotive industry is hurting for sales to close out 2008. Over the past few months incentives have been thrown out left and right to draw in more buyers. Th...
Friday, Aug 8
Spy Shots: 2010 Buick LaCrosse caught completely uncovered
The '10 LaCrosse will likely arrive atop GM's Epsilon II platform that also underpins the upcoming Insignia and will next find its way to the '11 Saturn Aura and '12 Chevy Malibu. Engine choices are anyone's guess, but don't expect another V8 Super model. We guess the next-gen LaCrosse will...
Sunday, Jul 22
AutoblogGreeen for 07.23.07
Who says you can't drive a Tesla Roadster? AutoblogGreen found out over the weekend that the much-hyped all-electric sports car will be featured in Project Gotham Racing 4, so get your XBox controllers ready. The video above is one of a series we found on YouTube showing some of the cars bei...
Tuesday, Jul 17
Spy Shots: Next-gen Opel Vectra/2010 Saturn Aura
Though they look similar, the current Saturn Aura and its European cousin, the Opel Vectra, do not share the exact same platform as many mistakenly believe. General Motors will correct this when the next-generation of each car arrives, and we've already seen a number of spy shots showing...
Monday, Jul 16
Ford Flex spied curbside
Anyway, the Flex snagged on the street looks just like what we eyeballed in NY. This one appears to be a model below the "Limited" trim, as it's got regular-looking wheels and a body-color rear gate and roof. The big Ford crossover will do battle with high-capacity people movers like the GMC A...
Friday, Jul 13
The coolest option Saturn Vue didn't get: Opel Antara's Flex-Fix
We've reported on the Opel Flex-Fix system before. It's the ingeniously cool, fully-integrated bicycle carrier option that made its debut on the Corsa and next appeared on the Antara SUV. Many of us had high hopes that Flex-Fix would survive the translation from Opel Antara to Saturn Vue,...
Friday, Jul 6
Chevy Malibu Hybrid making debut at MLB All Star Game
It won't hit dealerships until October, but the Chevy Malibu Hybrid is now officially on display in San Francisco at the MLB All Star Game's Fan Zone, which opened to the public today. The Malibu Hybrid is basically the fraternal twin of the Saturn Aura Green Line we recently reviewed at Aut...
Thursday, Jul 5
Video in the FastLane II: Lutz on Buick
The GM FastLane Blog revealed that its first video interview with Bob Lutz that addressed GM concept cars was actually supposed to be the second one released. This new video just released today was to be the first, but technical issues pushed it back. Here we have Lutz in front of the lens addr...
Tuesday, Jul 3
By the Numbers: June 2007
Chrysler Group -5% at 183,347 (6/06: 185,946) Ford Motor Co -11.5% at 247,599 (6/06: 269,404) General Motors -24% at 326,300 (6/06: 413,473) Honda America 7.3% at 140,935 (6/06: 126,449) Nissan North America 18.2% at 92,213 (6/06: 75,154) Toyota Motor Co. 6.1% at 245,739 (6/06: 223,018)
Saturn Outlook cleans up in Consumer Reports comparo
In the current August issue of CR that goes on sale tomorrow, however, a domestic model, the Saturn Outlook, dominated a field of four other midsize CUVs including the Hyundai Veracruz, Mazda CX-9, Chrysler Pacifica and Ford Edge. Its performance earned it a Very Good rating and a place be...
Tuesday, Jun 19
Spy Shots: Next Opel Vectra, inside and out
In Britain, the Vauxhall version of the car will possibly be called the Insignia. It's even been reported that it will be able to drive itself -- entirely without input from the driver -- up to 60 mph, using lasers and cameras. Yum. The car should bow at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this year. Lat...
Tuesday, Jun 12
Saturn dealers may offer "x-ray vision" to shoppers
Yeah, the quotes around "x-ray vision" (there they are again) mean a whole lot. Advertising Age says General Motors is offering its Saturn dealers a new system that will let potential customers see what's underneath a Saturn's skin.
Take my ad account, please! Ford puts job of marketing Focus up for grabs
We harsh on the 2008 Ford Focus mainly because the car's new styling leaves a lot to be desired. To be blunt, the designers turned the attractive styling of the original Focus that had survived a couple evolutions into a mess of creases, curves and fake vender vents the likes of which we haven...
Monday, Jun 11
Saturn Side-by-Side-by-Side campaign launches
Over the weekend, we told you about GM's plan to offer comparison test drives of both the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord to Aura shoppers at Saturn dealers nationwide beginning today. Saturn is doing a media push in coordination with the program, which is dubbedthe "Side-by-Side-by-S...
Sunday, Jun 10
AutoblogGreen for 06.11.07
Green Q&A: Miguel Celades, sales manager of MDI (they make the Air Car)It could take two decades to convert half the US vehicle fleet to alternativesSegway cop catches Mercedes thieves (no, we're not kidding)Jay Leno's B100, 650hp, 220mph EcoJet on display in NashvilleVideo: AC P...
Saturn dealers to offer Camry, Accord drives to Aura shoppers
Now comes word from Bloomberg News that starting tomorrow, June 11, all but 5 of the 430 Saturn dealers in the US will offer prospective Aura shoppers comparison test drives in the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. According to Saturn's Lisa Hutchinson, its participating dealers are buying...
Saturday, Jun 9
We'll always have Paris: Saturn considers what Lutz already confirmed
Bloomberg's Greg Bensinger penned an article Friday that's getting some play on the web. In it, he spoke to Saturn's product development director, Lisa Hutchinson, who said that the Saturn division is indeed considering the addition of the Corsa subcompact to the lineup. Hutchinson doe...
Friday, Jun 8
In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line
We recently spent a week with Saturn's latest addition to the stable, the Aura Green Line, which afforded us the opportunity to size it up relative to its Aura XR sibling that we tested last year. The Aura XR was impressive, with attractive styling, some real pop underhood courtesy of the 3.6...
Thursday, Jun 7
Rendered Speculation: Chevy/Opel cute 'ute
So far, General Motors has been taking a measured approach with crossover vehicles. The General has recently rolled out the seven-to-eight-seat Lambda-based Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave to join its smaller Chevy Equinox, Pontiac Torrent and Saturn VUE. Now we're heari...
Friday, Jun 1
Alpha RWD platform set to invade GM lineup
Citing suppliers and loose-lipped employees of General Motors as its source, Inside Line has learned that the rear-wheel drive Alpha platform will be making a big splash in the automaker's product portfolio soon. The Alpha will reportedly underpin a successor to the Pontiac G6 set to ar...
Tuesday, May 29
Fake side vents are blowing hot air
It's a pretty serious charge to level at what is, admittedly, a trend. But John Manoogian, Cadillac's lead exterior designer, believes that fake side vents will wipe out the current trend of stylized-yet-functional side vents. Manoogian says "I've seen Chrysler 300s where guys are buyi...
Thursday, May 24
Buick Skylark to land in China by 2009
Remember the Buick Skylark? While the car certainly had its day in the pre-Reagan era, the 1980s and 90s did a lot of damage to the nameplate with models that were uninspired in every way (see above). General Motors figures the name's still good in other markets where it never sold the car, an...
Tuesday, May 22
Bloomberg: All NYC taxis to be hybrid by 2012
Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced a plan to require that all New York taxis be hybrids by 2012. This bid to greatly reduce the environmental impact of the 13,000 strong yellow cab fleet, is part of the city's larger plaNYC long-term sustainability program, which also includes the mayor'...
Monday, May 21
Astra Ruminations
For our overseas friends (in the UK, in this case), this is all well and good. For us, the TwinTop is just a tease of what the future could hold for us in Saturn stores. With the Astra hatchbacks set to arrive later this year following their big debut at the Chicago Auto Show, we can't help but spec...
Astra Ruminations
Filed under: Convertibles, Euro, GM, Saturn Click image for an Astra TwinTop Gallery Source: GM] Gallery-3336% Two exterior colours will be available, pearlescent Black Sapphire to match the interior or a vibrant Power Red for those who prefer a brighter contrast.
Monday, May 14
Revitalization in Action imagines a dream lineup for Saturn
Saturn already stands as GM's fastest growing brand, though that title stems from the fact that this year it's offering more models than it ever has before. Nevertheless, GM requires a successful Saturn to complete its turnaround, and the RIA think they've conjured a new lineup that will...
Enjoy the VUE: Saturn releases more images and specs of 2008 VUE
There's more info after the jump, along with Saturn's new press releases for the 2008 VUE. You can also view all the new high-res images of the Sunburst Orange VUE XR by clicking on the gallery below. Finally, complete specs and pricing for the 2008 Saturn VUE can already be found over at Cars.c...
Friday, May 4
Hyundai takes aim at Scion, considers production of Veloster, Hellion
Hyundai wants to court the younger crowd, and is considering two of its concepts from the last year as ways to draw them into dealers in the future. The rides in question are the Hellion crossover and the slick little Veloster coupe. The Hellion, which made its debut at last year's Los Angeles...
Thursday, May 3
Lutz says Zeta lives! Burns less gas
During the introduction of the hybrid Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon earlier this week, GM showed two additional two-mode hybrid transmissions, one a transaxle for vehicles like the Saturn Vue and the other a longitudinal passenger car configuration. This latter model would be ideal for the...
Tuesday, May 1
By the Numbers: April 2007
Chrysler Group 10% at 193,104 (4/06: 190,095) Ford Motor Co -5.7% at 228,623 (4/06: 262,722) General Motors -2.2% at 311,687 (4/06: 345,404) Honda America -1.6% at 126,419 (4/06: 139,124) Nissan North America -11% at 71,124 (4/06: 86,720) Toyota Motor Co. 3.7% at 210,457 (4/06: 219,965)
Monday, Apr 30
Saturn Vue gets a $3k bump in the sticker
Since the new pricing puts the Vue up against some of the biggest players in the burgeoning crossover segment, it should be interesting to see how well Saturn's second highest selling model will fare when it's thrust into the marketplace.
Thursday, Apr 26
Fortune writer calls for death of Buick, Pontiac, HUMMER, GMC and Saab
Where GM has 7 brands, new Number One, Toyota, has just three. Toyota, Lexus and Scion seem to be good enough to cover most buyers' needs, argues Taylor. But GM maintains that cutting brands would be cutting buyers since there are too many loyalists in the fold. The argument is that people want...
Tuesday, Apr 24
Saturn kicking butt and taking conquests
Saturn has gone from "A different kind of car company" to a much better car company faster than anybody has the right to expect, and all the new products being introduced are starting to result in improved sales numbers. Within one year, the Sky, Aura, and Outlook were introduced, and the Au...
Wednesday, Apr 18
Next-gen Astra "world car" to cost GM $4.2 billion
The new Saturn Astra will be hitting US shores in the 4th quarter of 2007, but an even newer, more global c-platform vehicle will follow for the 2011 model year. The vehicle, which will be built in England, Germany, Sweden, and Poland, will be a truly global small car for the General, which he...
Sunday, Apr 8
GM's Kappa platform spawns GM Daewoo G2X in Seoul
The cross-pollination among General Motors worldwide operations continues. The Seoul Motor Show features the fourth variant of General Motors' Kappa platform and the third based on the Saturn Sky. The new GM Daewoo G2X is a rebadged edition of the Sky and Opel Speedster. The car being show...
Tuesday, Apr 3
By the Numbers: March 2007
Chrysler Group -8% at 206,435 (3/06: 216,412) Ford Motor Co -12.24% at 264,975 (3/06: 291,146) General Motors -7.7% at 349,867 (3/06: 365,375) Honda America 7.3% at 143,392 (3/06: 128,806) Nissan North America 3.9% at 111,119 (3/06: 103,095) Toyota Motor Co. 7.7% at 242,675 (3/06: 217,286)
Monday, Apr 2
Achtung! GM will build Saabs outside Sweden next year
Starting in 2008, we will see Saab automobile production (no models specified yet) begin in Germany alongside the next-gen Opel Vectra (if that name is retained), with which they'll share architecture. This is part of GM's master plan to globally integrate vehicle production. The pract...
Monday, Mar 26
Saturn Aura named Most Washable Car of 2007
The Aura was the car that fit the bill this year, and as luck would have it, we photographed our Autoblog Garage Aura XR test car as it passed through the wash last year. So, enjoy the suddenly-appropriate gallery of the Aura getting cleaned up in honor of its new award. We won't mention that our...
Thursday, Mar 22
Buick dealers clamoring for Enclave before they go on sale
If dealer anticipation is anything to go by, the new Buick Enclave has already exceeded the expectations of General Motors. Buick dealers have put in orders for 6,000 units of the third large CUV to be built on the automaker's Lambda platform, the other two being the Saturn Outlook and GMC A...
Sunday, Jan 14
Detroit Auto Show: A conversation with Jill Lajdziak
It's joined by a compelling new crossover in Outlook, a legitimate halo car in the Sky, and will soon see the dated Vue replaced by a stylish replacement courtesy of sister brand Opel. To top it all off, next month in Chicago Jill will pull the wraps off the Saturn Astra hatchbacks. Saturn is a v...
