Saturn auto news

REPORT: GM recalling over 44,000 Saturn Vue crossovers because of sticky door handles?!

Some 44,451 Saturn Vue models from the 2008 model year are being recalled, and yours might be a part of the action if it has body-color door handles. What's the deal? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the handles may stick, preventing the door from properly latching.

NHTSA says an unbelted occupant could tumble out of the vehicle as a result of a door that refuses to latch, though one has to figure that you're sort of asking for it by ignoring the safety gear. In any circumstance, doors that pop open aren't acceptable, so the 44,451 vehicles affected will be give chrome door handles by dealers at no charge to customers. The recall goes into full effect by August 18th, plenty of time to get a can of Nevr-Dull to keep those shiny handles looking their best.

Gallery: 2008 Saturn VUE

Kia reportedly takes a liking to Saturn retailers

Most Kia dealerships are in rural and second-tier urban areas because real estate in markets like New York and Chicago are just too expensive. With the contraction of Ford, GM and Chrysler dealerships in those areas, Kia retailers are finding that now is the time to enter the big time.

In particular, Kia appears to be interested in Saturn dealerships. Kia executives told Automotive News that they like Saturn stores because they're newer, more exclusive, and - more to the point - available. Kia is going after Saturn dealers in three ways: Current Kia dealers are opening up additional locations at former Saturn sites; Saturn dealers are converting their stores to sell Kias; and Kia is asking Saturn store owners to open a separate Kia store close-by, then share a common parts and service center.

One Kia dealer, Billy Fuccillo, has turned a Saturn dealer near Syracuse, NY into a $2.8 million super Kia dealership equipped with such indulgences as granite-lined bathrooms. Fuccillo already owns the top-selling Kia dealership in the US, and he says his new store, in a more prominent location, will fare even better. He plans to sell more than 3,000 vehicles per year and as many as 500 this month. As part of his opening marketing push, Fuccillo will give away five Kias and four Hyundais to one person. He's going to deliver all nine vehicles via car-hauler to the individual's home. That's a bit crazy, but converting Saturn dealerships to Kia stores seems to be anything but.

GM to discontinue mild hybrid Malibu, Vue, Aura for 2010 model year

It's being reported that General Motors has decided to discontinue its existing mild hybrids going into the 2010 model year. 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 of electric boost and regeneration. The system was limited by a weak motor and 36V battery system.

We checked with GM's hybrid spokesman Brian Corbett about the status of the mild hybrids. Corbett told AutoblogGreen that currently there are no plans for retail sales of any of the mild hybrid models.

"There will be some MY2010 production. We will fulfill some MY2010 fleet orders for the Malibu Hybrid. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding between GM and Penske Automotive Group, Saturn plans to offer the Aura, Vue and Outlook models in 2010. Specific details of which versions (i.e. hybrids) has not yet been determined. "

Gallery: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu hybrid

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading GM to discontinue mild hybrid Malibu, Vue, Aura for 2010 model year

Saturn Vue two-mode dead, Chevrolet Equinox hybrid unlikely to hit until 2011

When word came in the last few days that General Motors had reached a tentative deal to sell the Saturn brand to Roger Penske, the obvious question then became, "What about product?" The Penske deal apparently includes an agreement to continue supplying some current Saturn products on an interim basis until Penske lines up a new supplier and Penske has said that EVs are a priority. One of the most anticipated products that was scheduled to come from Saturn soon was the first front-wheel drive application of the two mode hybrid system in the Vue. GM had completed development of the two-mode Vue in mid-2008 and production was originally scheduled to start in November of last year. However, when GM's finances went from bad to worse, the hybrid launch was delayed first until spring 2009 and then summer.

GM hybrid spokesman Brian Corbett spoke with ABG at the opening of the company's new battery lab and gave us the bad news. The Vue two mode hybrid will never be, despite the Penske deal. While the two mode system will be installed in other as yet un-named vehicles (likely including the Chevrolet Equinox), those models won't appear until at least calender year 2011. The delay is likely due to an engine change. The Vue was to use the 3.6-liter V6, and that engine is not currently used in the new Equinox or the new Cadillac SRX, the other rumored recipient. Most likely, GM is switching over to using the new 3.0-liter direct-injected V6 or perhaps even the new 2.2-liter DI four cylinder.

Gallery: First Drive: Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid

Top 7 Good Cars From "Bad GM"

General Motors makes more than a few world-class automobiles. As true as that statement may be, that alone wasn't enough to stall the automaker's steady decline - fueled as it may have been by the global economic downturn - into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. To expedite GM's return to viability, the Obama Administration plans to split the giant automaker into two parts, a so-called "Good GM" made up of GM's best assets and "Bad GM," which is what we're examining in today's Top Ten list.

In case you're not aware, Bad GM happens to include the entire lines from HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn. Instead of dwelling on the oft ignored, underdeveloped and stagnant vehicles in Bad GM's lineup, we're taking a look at the best that Bad GM has to offer. Try as we might to make this into a true Top Ten list, we were only able to come up with seven suitable vehicles to lament - which admittedly does tell us something. Some were obvious, a few not so much. That said, follow along as we pick the Top 7 Good Cars from Bad GM.

REPORT: GM says it has 16 buyers interested in Saturn

General Motors' bankruptcy filing is only a few days old, but the struggling automaker already seems to be pressing ahead full steam. The General has already announced 14 plant closings, 23,000 more job cuts, 1,300 dealer closings, and a buyer for the Hummer brand. Company CFO Ray Young told reporters at a recent conference call that GM has three buyers interested in Saab and an astonishing 16 suitors for the Saturn brand.

Saturn is likely appealing to investors because it has a right-sized, ready-made, stand alone group of dealerships with a stellar record for good customer service. The terms of any Saturn sale will likely include GM supplying vehicles in the short term until the new buyer can attract vehicles from other automakers. GM hasn't yet revealed any potential Saturn buyers, but names ranging from Roger Penske to Malcolm Bricklin have been discussed as candidates.

Magna wants to build Opels in Canada, possibly to supply Saturn?

Over the last several years, and until General Motors' finances dictated that the Saturn brand had to be dispensed with entirely, it had become the North American outlet for Opel vehicles. Aside from the Outlook, all of Saturn's current models are based on their Opel equivalents. The most recent speculation about Saturn's fate had the dealer network being taken over by Roger Penske with a future vehicle supply coming from Renault via its South Korean subsidiary.

With this weekend's agreement in principle that supplier Magna International would take over control Opel, those speculative plans could be about to change. Magna chairman Frank Stronach told the Globe and Mail he wants to see Opel vehicles built in Canada. While Penske -- or any other Saturn suitor -- might have preferred to source future vehicles from Opel, getting them from Europe would prohibitively expensive with a weak dollar. However, if vehicles are sourced from a Canadian facility, it could become a viable prospect. The problem is Magna doesn't have a car assembly plant in Canada, but several Canadian plants are either scheduled to close or are without future product commitments, so Magna could end up buying a factory like the Oshawa truck plant from GM or even Chrysler.

Gallery: 2010 Opel Astra

Telesto Ventures' bid for GM's Saturn division thick with Chrysler talent

Heavy with ex-Chrysler people, Telesto's group counts former design head Tom Gale (right) among its numbers. The ex-Auburn-Hillers bring big experience to Telesto's attempt to snag Saturn from among the small pool of bidders, and the group believes that Saturn under the leadership of Telesto's team can have a significant effect on the auto industry. It's not yet clear who's got the most attractive bid for Chrysler, and Telesto's got to compete with the likes of Roger Penske and Magna - the latter of which apparently already has the inside track on Opel.

We take a quick spin in GM's latest HCCI engine prototype

Since our first encounter with General Motors' HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) engines in August 2007, the powertrain research engineers at GM's Tech Center in Warren, MI have continued plugging away at the technology, trying to turn it into a marketable reality. The basic premise of compression ignition is simple. Based on the Ideal gas law (PV=nRT), if you decrease the volume of a particular quantity of air, the temperature rises to the point where fuel will spontaneously combust.

The hard part is controlling the pressure, temperature and air/fuel mixtures precisely enough to manage that combustion without causing excess noise and engine damage. When we first tried the HCCI prototypes a couple of years ago, the engines had a fairly narrow band of HCCI operation with the engine running in basic spark ignition mode the rest of the time. Thanks to a newly developed mixed-mode HCCI feature and external EGR, the engines can now run in HCCI from idle all the way to 60 mph.

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. The only indication of a transition was a slight ringing sound over the first couple of power cycles after transition.

The basic hardware for a production HCCI engine is in place now, with the only new piece of hardware being a combustion chamber pressure sensor. GM is continuing to work on the control software to make this a robust system and even adapting the homogeneous charge and pressure sensors to diesel engines to reduce NOx emissions. GM says that HCCI engines can achieve about a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to a similar spark ignition engine - at a much lower cost than a hybrid. The automaker hopes to have HCCI engines in production in about five years.

Continue reading We take a quick spin in GM's latest HCCI engine prototype

REPORT: Samsung looks to be most likely supplier to a Penske-owned Saturn

As the bidding to take over over the Saturn brand from General Motors nears its conclusion, it looks increasingly likely that Roger Penske will walk away with the "prize." Regardless of who takes control, all Penske is slated to receive is a network of dealers and a brand name. 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 be a supplier, however, as GM learned trying to import the Astra from Europe, importing cars from the continent is not a viable business plan under current exchange rates. It turns out the supply of vehicles could come from Renault Samsung Motors, the small South Korean maker that's 80% owned by Renault. That's a plan that could be financially viable with vehicles based on shared Renault-Nissan platforms. Hyundai has demonstrated that South Korea can produce quality products and priced aggressively as Saturns.